Funding and grants are available to craft makers in Scotland for exhibitions, professional development and other support. Details of the major annual schemes are noted below - please contact the relevant awarding agency for full terms and conditions of each award.
Scottish Grants 2009/10
Scottish Arts Council Funding (now Creative Scotland)
The Scottish Arts Council runs a number of funding schemes for both individuals and organisations. A summary of this information can be found on our Scottish Arts Council Craft funding page.
HI-Arts Craft Maker’s Awards Scheme 2010/2011
The HI Arts Craft Maker's Awards Scheme supports craft workers and makers in the Scottish Highlands and Islands. Grants of up to £500, and in exceptional circumstances £1,500, are available to assist the development of an individual maker’s professional practice. This includes travel and subsistence, training, preparing for an exhibition, research and development for new projects.
There are a series of two-monthly deadlines throughout 2010/11, as follows: 1st September 2010, 1st November 2010, 10th January 2011, 1st March 2011, 1st May 2011. Further information and conditions of the grant can be found on the HI-Arts website or by contacting pamela@hi-arts.co.uk.
Visual & Craft Artist Awards: Fife 2010-11
Application deadlines: 19 November 2010 and 18 February 2011
Grants of between £300 and £1500 are available (most are between £300 and £600) for visual and craft artists living or based in Fife to help them develop their creative practice. They are funded by Fife Council in partnership with Creative Scotland, and administered by Fife Contemporary Art & Craft and Arts and Theatres Trust Fife. For guidelines and application forms, please go to FCA&C’s website www.fcac.co.uk/artist_resource/grants_and_funding or telephone FCA&C on 01334 474610.
Craft Maker Awards: Edinburgh
In partnership with the Scottish Arts Council
In order to advance the City of Edinburgh Council Cultural Policy, the Scottish Arts Council and the City of Edinburgh Culture and Sport Unit established a scheme of funding that addresses current gaps in resources available to individual makers.
Formerly known as the Edinburgh Visual Arts and Crafts Award Scheme (EVAAC), the Craft Maker Awards: Edinburgh scheme offers awards to individual makers living and/or working in Edinburgh towards costs in developing new work. Awards up to a maximum value of £1,000 are available (minimum award £100).
The next deadline for applications is Thursday 2nd September 2010. For more information or to request an application package, please contact Tracy Scodellaro, Arts Officer at the Culture and Sport Unit, City of Edinburgh Council on 0131 529 6720 or by email at: tracy.scodellaro@edinburgh.gov.uk
Art and craft South West Scotland Visual Artist and Craft Makers Award
The awards will be running through 2009/2010, with three rounds staggered over the course of 9 months. Guidelines and application forms for the above grant schemes are available to download from www.artandcraftsouthwestscotland.com. Copies of the form can be requested to be sent by post or email from Colin Tennant, Visual Arts Development Officer or Dawn Youll, Craft Development Officer. They encourage you to take a look at this information and contact them with any queries or for advice in submitting an application well in advance of the relevant deadline (01387 262 084, colin.tennant@dumgal.gov.uk or dawn.youll@dumgal.guv.uk)
The funding deadline for 2009/2010 has passed, and 2010/2011 details have not yet been confirmed.
Forth Valley Awards Scheme
Clackmannanshire, Falkirk and Stirling Councils work in partnership with the Scottish Arts Council to bring this unique scheme of grants to visual artists and craft makers in the Forth Valley area. Forth Valley Awards Scheme makes grants of £200 - £1000 to individuals to provide artists and makers in the with the opportunity to develop their work in new ways, take risks and explore new ideas.
To receive an application form and guidelines please contact Lesley MacArthur stating which award you are applying for: Visual Artist or Crafts Maker. Lesley MacArthur, External Funding Officer Corporate & commercial Services Falkirk Council, Municipal Buildings, West Bridge Street, Falkirk, FK1 5RS.
t: +44 (0)01324 506 260, e: lesley.macarthur@falkirk.gov.uk
The funding deadline for 2009/2010 has passed, and 2010/2011 details have not yet been confirmed.
Dewar Arts Awards
The Dewar Arts Awards support Scotland’s young artistic talent, including craft makers. Anyone under 30 and living in Scotland who can demonstrate outstanding abilities is eligible to be nominated by a sponsor. Applications are considered on a rolling basis, however the trustees usually meet 4 times a year. Full details and an application form can be found on the Dewar Arts Awards website.
UK Grants 2009/10
British Council Grants to Artists Scheme
If you are a professionally exhibited visual artist resident in the UK, the British Council may be able to help with the costs of transporting work to an exhibition in a gallery abroad.
Submission rounds run quarterly - 1 February, 1 May, 1 August and 1 November – and the amounts awarded range from £100 to £2,000. Forms and further details can be found on the British Council Arts Grants to Artists page, or by contacting +44(0)20 7389 3050.
Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust Awards (QEST)
QEST funds further study, training and practical experience for UK crafter makers who can display a high level of skill and are committed to their craft. Funding of £1,000 to £15,000 is available through the scholarships, and is awarded twice a year. The funding deadline for 2009/2010 has passed, and 2010/2011 details have not yet been confirmed. Further details can be found on the QEST website.
Details about one-off grants are included in our Opportunities and Training section.
Wellcome Trust Arts Awards
Arts Awards support imaginative and experimental arts projects that investigate biomedical science. All art forms are covered by the programme: dance, drama, performance arts, visual arts, music, film, craft, photography, creative writing or digital media. The Trust invites applications for projects which engage adult audiences and/or young people. Projects should involve the creation of new artistic work and must have some biomedical scientific input either through a scientist taking on an advisory role or through direct collaboration.
Small to medium-sized projects (up to and including £30,000): Funding can either be used to support the development of new project ideas, deliver small-scale productions or workshops, investigate and experiment with new methods of engagement through the arts, or develop new collaborative relationships between artists and scientists. 2010 deadlines are: 29 January, 30 April, 30 July, 29 October.
The 2010 deadline for large projects (above £30,000) has passed.
Find out more at http://www.wellcome.ac.uk
