Craft Scotland have rounded up the latest Creative Scotland Investment Opportunities which are suitable for craft makers and organisations.

These include:

Quality Arts Production

A programme to support the creation of high quality new work in any artform or area of creative practice. Suitable strands include:

Quality Production 
To invest in Quality Production across the range of creative practice to add value to the cultural ecology and serve the population of Scotland. Awards available between £1K - £60K, with a rolling deadline. 

Public Art Research & Development 
To support the initial research and scoping of a range of public art projects and approaches.  Through this programme we aim to provide opportunities for communities across Scotland to engage with the development of creative places through imaginative, artist-led projects. Awards available between £2K - £30K, with a rolling deadline.

Find out more and apply at: http://www.creativescotland.com/investment/qualityartsproduction

Talent Development

A programme to foster and support creative talent, through professional development funding, the establishment of artists residencies, and talent hubs and incubators. Suitable strands include:

Creative Futures 
To promote the professional development, vision, connectivity and ambitions of Scotland’s creative practitioners and organisations. It seeks to do this by investing in a range of residencies and other developmental activities for creative individuals and organisations; and by investing in related experimental and investigative activities, which help us to ’see the future differently’. Awards available between £5k - £100k, with a rolling deadline.

Professional Development
Investment for personal professional development, to help accelerate individual talent and release potential. Proposals may be for a range of opportunities, including making work and projects, as long as you are able to articulate how the activity relates to your learning and how it will enhance your development. Awards available between £1k - £10k, with a rolling deadline.

Find out more and apply at http://www.creativescotland.com/investment/talentdevelopment

The International programme

The International programme has been designed to develop the skills and expertise of the sector, building knowledge, capacity and networks for the future.  We welcome applications from those who are new to international working as well as those with a more established approach.  Companies and individuals in receipt of investment are expected to share the outcomes of their work with others. Suitable strands include:

Attendance at Conferences, Symposia, Trade-fairs and Showcases
To invest in knowledge building and sharing through the attendance of arts and creative practitioners at a range of internationally significant conferences, symposia, trade-fairs and showcases. Awards available between £1k - £10k with a rolling deadline.

International Presentation of Work & Market Development
To invest in the presentation of work overseas that has the potential to develop new markets for Scotland’s creative sector and/or will capitalise strategically on established market development opportunities. Awards available between £5k - £40k with a rolling deadline.

Research and Development
To invest in the development of new work that involves international research, engagement and collaboration. To encourage the exploration of new ideas, theories and practice that will yield positive impacts for the creative and cultural sector, or Scotland, more widely. Awards available between £1k - £10k with a rolling deadline.

Find out more and apply at http://www.creativescotland.com/investment/international

National Events

The National Events Programme uses the 3-year opportunity, afforded by the concurrence of Year of Creative Scotland with the Olympic Games, Paralympics and the Cultural Olympiad, and the run up to Commonwealth Games and Year of Homecoming in 2014, to highlight Scotland’s strengths as a creative nation.

Find out more and apply at http://www.creativescotland.com/investment/nationalevents201214

Public Engagement

The purpose of this programme is to enable applicants to deliver new activity that will remove barriers to engagement with high quality artistic work, to attract and retain audiences or to increase participation in creative activity.

'Creative Scotland will invest in projects that remove barriers to people seeing and participating in creative activity, and Creative Scotland especially welcome projects that target people from communities who are under-represented. Creative Scotland will also support new activity that increases communication, conversations and participation between creative people and organisations and new and existing audiences.

'All projects must demonstrate both the quality of the work and the quality of the experience. The programme builds on the work carried out under Scottish Arts Council Inspiring Communities programme encapsulated by the aims “more people, wider reach, better quality”. Applicants will have to demonstrate that the activity is above and beyond their normal activity.'

In 2012/13 the budget available is £800,000. Investment is likely to be in the range of £10,000 - £50,000. Co-investment is required: minimum 10% cash investment of the total project cost.

Find out more and apply at  http://www.creativescotland.com/investment/publicengagement

Touring, Festivals and Arts Programming

A programme to develop the opportunities for audiences to access the arts through new festivals and events, the better distribution of existing work or broader geographical programming of work. Suitable strands include:

Arts Programming
To encourage high quality and imaginative programmes which will build new audiences and extend the diversity of audiences. Awards available between £1k - £60k. Deadlines 4 Jun 2012 at 17:00 and 15 Oct 2012 at 17:00.

Touring
To support existing work, including performances and exhibitions to tour more widely. Awards available between £1k - £60k. Deadlines 4 Jun 2012 at 17:00 and 15 Oct 2012 at 17:00.

The Ideas Bank

The Ideas Bank is a mechanism by which Creative Scotland hope to receive new ideas from Scotland's creative sector that may require a different approach, different financial instruments or more than one partner to take them forward.

'Creative Scotland recognise that on occasions an idea will emerge that does not fit neatly under one of the Creative Scotland Investment Programmes and Creative Scotland encourage you to share your ideas with Creative Scotland to see whether Creative Scotland can help them on their way - either through support and advice or by linking you with suitable Creative Scotland partners.'

Proposals to the Ideas Bank may come from individuals or organisations and all the ideas submitted will be looked at regularly by an Ideas Forum. 

Find out more and apply at http://www.creativescotland.com/investment/ideasbank

Find out about all Creative Scotland Investment Funds on the Creative Scotland website. 

Please note that Craft Scotland cannot give guidance on the Creative Scotland investment funds. Information should be sought through Creative Scotland.