Aberdeenshire Council Arts Development Officers can provide advice about fundraising and grants.
Funding for the arts is available from a variety of sources. The following list outlines the primary funding opportunities available to groups and individuals in Aberdeenshire, but is not comprehensive and should be used as a guide only. It should be noted that funding schemes and priorities of funders do change periodically.
See also Aberdeenshire Council corporate site www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/funding/index.asp
Art Forums - 'Arts In the Community'
Aberdeenshire Awards for Visual Artists
Aberdeenshire Council Education Learning & Leisure (ELL) Grants to Voluntary Bodies
Educational Trusts
The Scottish Arts Council (SAC)
Awards for All
The Heritage Lottery Fund
Big Lottery Fund
Museums Galleries Scotland
Scottish Screen
The British Council, Arts Groups
The British Council, Scotland
The Arts Humanities Research Board (AHRB)
European Funding
Aberdeenshire Council European Unit
Scottish Government
EUCLID
MEDIA
Trusts and Foundations
Dewar Arts Awards
Esmee Fairbairn Foundation
NESTA - National Endowment for Science, Technology & the Arts
Paul Hamlyn Foundation
The Elephant Trust
The Foyle Foundation
The Prince's Trust Scotland
Scottish Enterprise Grampian (SEG)
Voluntary Arts Network (VAN)
Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO)
Directory of Social Change (DSC)
Funding Information
Access Funds
Visiting Arts
Click here for a comprehensive list of external links to funding bodies
Art Forums - 'Arts In The Community' Grant Scheme
funded by Aberdeenshire Council and administered by the 3 Local Arts Forums, in partnership with Aberdeenshire
Council's Arts Development Officers. Grant requested will not be considered from individuals who are under 12 years old.
Project Support Grants
This award helps groups to undertake challenging new work, especially that which encourages art made by and for the local community, involves multimedia collaborations, or forges new partnerships between local organisations and regional/national practitioners. Up to £1,000, to cover 50% of costs, in exceptional circumstances the award may cover 100% of costs.
Programme Support Grants
This grant aids the work of local arts promoters, particularly voluntary organisations. Support is offered for one-off and annual events, as well as for the promotion of a series of events. It is expected that these grants will support new and ambitious programming. This grant is given as a deficit guarantee. Up to £1,000, to cover 50% of costs; in exceptional circumstances awards may cover 100% of costs.
Foundation Grant
This support is offered to emerging arts organisations to assist with their formation and first activities. Maximum award £500.
Personal Development Grant
This stepping-stone grant enables recipients to expand their repertoire of skill and broaden their experience. Up to £500, to cover 50% of costs; in exceptional circumstances the award may cover 100% of costs.
Download Banff & Buchan Arts Forum
application form (pdf format - 49.4KB)
Downlaod Kincardine & Deeside Arts
Forum application form (pdf format - 71.0KB)
Download Gordon Forum for the Arts application form (pdf format - 842.KB)
Aberdeenshire Awards for Visual
Artists
Aberdeenshire Council, in partnership
with the Scottish Arts Council and the area’s three art forums,
has established this award as a means of assisting individual artists
with the immediate costs of researching, creating and presenting new
work.
Awards up to a maximum value of £1,000 are available.
Download VA2008/2009 application form & guidelines (word document - 99.5KB)
Aberdeenshire Council Education
Learning & Leisure (ELL) Grants to Voluntary Bodies
Financial support is offered to community organisations
which have similar objectives to, and agree to work in partnership with,
the ELL Service. Project funding and revenue funding for organisations that
offer sustained benefit to the community is available. There is an extremely
high level of competition for this funding.
www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/funding/council
Educational Trusts
There are two main educational
trusts administered by Aberdeenshire Council.
The Aberdeenshire Educational Trust
The applicant’s immediate family must be based in Aberdeenshire. The awards aim to promote education in visual art, music and drama, and are usually made to schools.
Kincardineshire Educational Trust
The applicant or applicant’s family must reside permanently in the former county of Kincardine. The grants aim to promote education in the visual arts, music and drama, through schools and organisations.
In special circumstances both trusts can grant to individuals however financial circumstances of an applicant and their immediate family will be taken into account.
For further details telephone Aberdeenshire
Council on 01261 813336.
The Trust Section
Finance Dept.
St.Leonards
Sandyhill Road
Banff
AB145 1BH
The Scottish Arts Council (SAC) (www.scottisharts.org.uk)
The Scottish Arts Council is the lead body for the funding, development and advocacy of the arts in Scotland. The SAC vision is of a confident, cultured Scotland where everyone takes part in the arts. Its main sources of funds are
an annual grant from the Scottish Government and the National Lottery.
SAC offers a wide variety of grants to groups and individuals for arts projects, training, equipment and buildings, and revenue costs. For further details, visit the website or contact the Help Desk on 0845 603 6000.
Awards for All (www.awardsforall.org.uk)
Awards for All supports
small groups across a range of activities including the arts. It funds
projects which bring people together, are open and accessible, increase
people’s involvement in a wide range of community activities and
are well organised and planned. Awards for All is a joint programme between
The Heritage Lottery Fund, The Scottish Arts Council, Sportscotland,
and the Big Lottery Fund.
Awards between £500 and £10,000 are available. Annual income of groups applying must be less than £20,000.
The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) (www.hlf.org.uk)
The HLF channels money raised through the National Lottery to sustain and transforms our heritage. From museums, parks and historic places to archaeology, natural environment and cultural traditions HLF invest in every part of our diverse heritage.
Big Lottery Fund (www.biglotteryfund.com)
The Big Lottery Fund distributes a large proportion of the National Lottery to good causes fund. The money goes to community groups and to projects that improve health, education and the environment.
Museums Galleries Scotland (www.museumsgalleriesscotland.org.uk)
Museums Galleries Scotland is the lead body for the funding, development and advocacy of over 340 museums and galleries in Scotland.
Its vision is a welcoming museum and gallery sector that widens participation, celebrates collections, inspires creativity, learning and enjoyment for all.
There are two strands to the programme: The Main Grants Programme and the Small Grants Programme.
The Main grants Programme –( up to £20,000) which benefits Registered/Accredited Mueums and the Scottish Museum Sector.
The Small Grant Programme – (up to £2,000) The small grants programme provides funding for smaller projects that benefit Registered/Accredited museums with a simple application process and a relatively fast response time
Scottish Screen (www.scottishscreen.com)
Scottish Screen is the national development agency for the screen industries in Scotland. It aims to inspire audiences, support new and existing talent and businesses, educate young people, and promote Scotland as a creative place to make great films, award-winning television and world renowned digital entertainment.
Screen Scottish Screen invests around £6m in the development and promotion of Scotland's industries each year. This includes distributing £2.7m of National Lottery funds, this includes a range of initiatives, projects and activities designed to develop talent, audiences and businesses across the country.
The British Council, Arts Groups (www.britishcouncil.org)
The British Council connects people with learning opportunities and creative ideas from the UK to build lasting relationships around the world.
It is the principal agent for cultural relations abroad including promotion of the English language and education and technical co-operation.
The British Council, Scotland (www.britishcouncil.org/scotland)
The British Council, Scotland works with organisations in Scotland, the UK and internationally to connect Scotland and the world through arts, education, science and governance.
The Council works strategically showcasing
Scottish work to overseas promoters, providing information
about Scottish arts for all the overseas offices of the British Council,
and providing a link between Arts Groups and the Arts sector in Scotland.
The Arts and Humanities Research Board - AHRB (www.ahrb.ac.uk)
The Arts and Humanities Research Council supports research within a large subject domain from traditional humanities subjects, such as history, modern languages and English literature, to the creative and performing arts.
Grants cover costs of research projects, travel subsistence, etc.
European Funding
Various programmes of EU funding can support cultural activity. Structural Funds are the EU's principal mechanism to reduce the level of economic disparity between regions. There are two Structural Funds which benefit Scotland: the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Social Fund (ESF). In addition the European Fisheries Fund (EFF) provides grants for the sustainable development of the fisheries sector.
The Scottish Government is the Managing Authority and the Paying Authority for Structural Funds and the EFF in Scotland. As such it is responsible for drawing down EU funds and paying claims submitted in respect of approved projects. Funds are drawn down from the European Commission (EC) via the UK Departments responsible for co-ordination of all UK claims to the Funds.
Support in Scotland under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and wider EU Rural Development policies is provided by the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) respectively. The Scottish Government is the formally accredited EU Paying Agency for spending in Scotland and is responsible for all aspects of the administration of the measures. Funding is drawn down from the EC via the Rural Payments Agency of the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the UK Funding Body for the measures involved.
www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/Finance/spfm/eufunding
The European Agenda for Culture
In May 2007, the Commission proposed an agenda for Culture founded on three common sets of objectives: cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue; culture as a catalyst for creativity; and culture as a key component in international relations.
http://ec.europa.eu/grants/index_en.htm
Aberdeenshire Council & European Funding (www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/support/european.asp)
The Aberdeenshire Council European unit is a dedicated point of contact for European funding in Aberdeenshire, and provides support to all Council Structural Funds projects.
For details of funding initiatives which present opportunities in Aberdeenshire see www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/support/european_funding.asp
Scottish Government & Structure Funds (www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/Finance/spfm/eufunding)
Various programmes of EU funding can support cultural activity. Structural Funds are the EU's principal mechanism to reduce the level of economic disparity between regions. There are two Structural Funds which benefit Scotland: the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Social Fund (ESF). In addition the European Fisheries Fund (EFF) provides grants for the sustainable development of the fisheries sector.
EUCLID (www.culturefund.eu)
EUCLID is the UK Cultural Contact Point (CCP) for the EU’s fund for the arts and culture programme (2007-2013). The key strands are 1 and 2, which provide grants for projects up to 5 years.
- Multi-annual co-operation projects over a period of three to five years.
- Co-operation projects over a maximum period of two years literary translation projects
For a full list of European funding strands please also see the European Commission http://ec.europa.eu/grants/index_en.htm
MEDIA (www.mediadesk.co.uk)
The UK MEDIA Team helps to promote and administer the European Union's MEDIA Programme in the UK. It consists of the UK MEDIA Desk (in London), the MEDIA Antenna Scotland, the MEDIA Antenna Wales and the MEDIA Service Northern Ireland
MEDIA is a support programme of the European Union to strengthen the competitiveness of the European film, TV and new media industries and to increase the international circulation of European audiovisual product.
MEDIA 2007 commenced on 1 January 2007 and will run to 31 December 2013. With a budget of €755 million (around £500 million) MEDIA 2007 supports professional training (screenwriting, business and new technologies), project development (single/slate), and the distribution and promotion of European audiovisual works.
Trusts and Foundations (www.scottishscreen.com)
Foundations and trusts vary greatly in size and style of operation. Generalisations can therefore be misleading. It is important
to research each trust before making an approach. There are a number of directories available, some held by the Arts Development
Team. The Scottish Arts Council Help Desk also can offer advice and information.
For further information contact your local Arts Development Officers
For help finding funding there is a free online funding search tool Grantnet (www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/funding/grantnet.asp)
Dewar Arts Awards (www.dewarawards.org)
A fund set up by the Scottish Executive in memory of Scotland’s first Minister, Donald Dewar, to give awards to young people living in Scotland of exceptional talent across all art forms, who do not have the financial or family backing to pursue their artistic goals.
Esmée Fairbairn Foundation (www.esmeefairbairn.org.uk)
Esmée Fairbairn Foundation is one of the largest independent grant making foundations in the UK. We make grants in four programme areas: Arts & Heritage; Education; Environment; Social Change: Enterprise and Independence. The Foundation allocates approximately 75% of its Arts & Heritage grants budget to the Arts Programme, and 25% to the Heritage Programme.
NESTA - National Endowment for Science, Technology & the Arts (www.nesta.org.uk)
NESTA passionately believe that the UK can lead the world in the application of knowledge, enterprise and creativity. NESTA: 1. Acts as a catalyst to bring about change 2. Develops the skills, knowledge and attitudes of the innovators of tomorrow 3. Helps shape national and regional policies that support and encourage innovation 4. Creates models and initiatives to test and deliver best practice in innovation 5. Funds and supports innovative early-stage businesses.
Paul Hamlyn Foundation (www.phf.org.uk)
The arts programme supports the development and dissemination of new ideas to increase people's experience, enjoyment and involvement in the arts. Our funding will benefit organisations and groups through the open grants scheme and special initiatives. We also support individual artists through our Awards for Visual Arts and Awards for Composers.
The Elephant Trust (www.elephanttrust.org.uk)
The Trust was set up to make it possible for artists and those presenting their work to undertake and complete projects when frustrated by lack of funds. It is committed to helping artists and institutions that depart from the routine and signal new, distinct and imaginative sets of possibilities. Grants available for artists and institutions working within the visual arts. No awards are given for educational or other study purposes
The Foyle Foundation (www.foylefoundation.org.uk)
The Foyle Foundation supports charities registered in the UK. Their Arts Awards support both the performing and visual arts. Grants are also available for building and infrastructure projects. The majority of grants are in the range of £10,000 - £50,000. The maximum large grant will not normally exceed £500,000. There are no deadlines for submissions.
The Prince's Trust Scotland (www.princes-trust.org.uk)
The Prince’s Trust is the UK's leading charity for disadvantaged young people. It offers new opportunities for 14-25 year olds to develop self-confidence, learn new skills and get into work.
Support from Companies
Support from the commercial world can be in the form of sponsorship, patronage, donations or in-kind support. Many companies have
moved from sponsoring the arts toward supporting initiatives giving social benefits, such as regeneration, education, youth
etc—all of which can use the arts to reach their goals. It is important that any applications match such aims. Sponsorship
is a transaction between partners, the company buying benefits that the arts organisation can supply. Gaining sponsorship
can be time-consuming and it may be more appropriate to ask for a donation, which unlike sponsorship is normally a one-off
payment of a relatively small sum of money.
For further information contact your local Arts Development Officer.
Arts & Business Scotland (A & B) (www.AandB.org.uk)
A & B encourages and promotes creative partnerships between business and
the arts. A & B provides free advice to organisations & museums in addition to information and training services. The grant programmes
are designed to encourage this partnership working creating mutual benefit to both the arts and business worlds.
A&B aspires to be the world's most successful & widespread creative network. We help business people support the arts & the arts inspire business people, because good business & great art together create a richer society.
Scottish Enterprise Grampian
(SEG) (www.scottish-enterprise.com)
Scottish Enterprise support business growth and help develop Scotland's business environment, working with ambitious companies and industries who can enhance Scotland's economic growth.
Scottish Enterprise Grampian is the Local Enterprise Company (LEC) that assists in the development of economic and environmental conditions for people in this location. SEG’s do not provide revenue funding for arts projects and/or companies, but may occasionally support strategic initiatives in partnership with other agencies, for example training, research, and capital development.
Voluntary Arts Network (VAN)
(www.voluntaryarts.org)
The Voluntary Arts Network is not a funding agency, however it aims to promote participation in the arts and crafts across the UK. VAN represents the voluntary sector at all levels, making sure the concerns of the voluntary sector are heard. VAN provides information on a wide range of issues such as funding through to first steps of commissioning a new building. It aims to support those already participating in the arts and to encourage others to take part in the arts. Voluntary Arts Scotland is part of the VAN network and is based in Edinburgh.
Scottish Council For Voluntary Organisations (SCVO)
(www.scvo.org.uk)
SCVO is the national body representing the voluntary sector. It seeks to advance the values and shared interests of the voluntary sector.
SCVO has local offices in Aberdeenshire. It can offer support and guidance to management committees, staff and/or service users of voluntary organisations.
Funding information (www.fundinginformation.org)
Funding information gives
on-line, current information about funding sources for not-for-profit
organisations, local authorities, charities and the voluntary sector
in the UK.
Access Funds (www.access-funds.co.uk)
Access Funds gives on-line
information about the British charitable and non-profit sectors. The
site aims to provide the latest funding information from Central
Government,
National
Lottery, devolved governing bodies, EU and quangos.
Visting Arts (www.britishcouncil.org/visitingarts)
Visiting Arts develops links and collaborations between arts and cultural organisations and individuals, and in particular promotes and facilitaes the flow of foreign art into the UK. It does this in the context of the contribution this can make to cultural relations, cultural awareness and fostering mutually beneficial international arts contacts and contacts at national, regional, local and institutional levels.
Web links for Funding Information
Please note Aberdeenshire Council does not accept any responsibility
for the content of any of the following websites, nor do any opinions,
ideas or views expressed in them necessarily represent those of Aberdeenshire
Council.
Access Funds (www.access-funds.co.uk)
Arts & Business Scotland (A&B) (www.AandB.org.uk)
Arts Humanities Reasearch Council (www.ahrb.ac.uk)
Awards for All (www.awardsforall.org.uk)
British Council, Arts Groups (www.britishcouncil.org)
Carnegie UK Trust (www.carnegietrust.org.uk)
Direct Grants (www.scvo.org.uk/direct_grants)
Directory of Social Change (DSC)(www.dsc.org.uk)
Donald Dewar Award (www.dewarawards.org)
Esmee Fairbairn Foundation (www.esmeefairbairn.org.uk)
Funder Finder (www.funderfinder.org.uk)
Funding information (www.fundinginformation.org)
Gulbenkian Foundation (www.gulbenkian.org.uk)
Heritage Lottery Fund (www.hlf.org.uk)
Jerwood Charitable Foundation (www.jerwood.org.uk)
Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland (www.ltsbfoundationforscotland.org.uk)
MEDIA (www.mediadesk.co.uk)
National Lottery Scotland (www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk)
Paul Hamlyn Foundation (www.phf.org.uk)
Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) (www.rias.org.uk)
Scottish Arts Council (SAC) (www.scottisharts.org.uk)
Scottish Council For Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) (www.scvo.org.uk)
Scottish Cultural Resource Access Network (SCRAN ) (www.scran.ac.uk)
Scottish Enterprise Grampian (www.scottish-enterprise.com)
Scottish Screen (www.scottishscreen.com)
Voluntary Arts Network (VAN) (www.voluntaryarts.org)