Creative Scotland more than doubles regular funding portfolio - Museums Association

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Creative Scotland more than doubles regular funding portfolio

Programme's budget will increase by more than 10%
Gary Noakes
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Creative Scotland has more than doubled the number of organisations it supports with its three-year regular funding grants and increased the programme’s total budget by more than 10%.

In all, 119 organisations will receive a total of just under £100m in 2015-18, an 11% increase on the original £90m budget.

The number of supported organisations has risen from 45 from the 2012-2015 funding period.

Creative Scotland, which is funded by the Scottish Government and the National Lottery, said the total amount awarded had been increased due to the volume of applications, which reached 264 and carried a combined request of more than £212m.

The extra £10m has been allocated from other areas in Creative Scotland’s overall budget.

The latest round of regular funding spans the period from April 2015 to March 2018 and is designed to cover core costs, plus make a contribution to specific programmes.

Twenty of the organisations are receiving their first regular funding of any kind, while 31 will move from an 18-month or two-year arrangement to the full three years.

Among the winners in the visual arts sector is the Pier Arts Centre in Stromness, Orkney, which gained a 20% annual increase in funding until 2018 to almost £267,000.

Edinburgh’s Collective Gallery increased its funding by almost 29% to £283,000 a year and the Scottish Poetry Library, also in the capital, received a 13% annual increase to nearly £317,000.

New award winners include Helmsdale’s Timespan Museum, which incorporates Sutherland’s only public contemporary art gallery. It will receive £95,000 a year.

However, funding for Edinburgh’s Fruitmarket Gallery has been frozen, while others, including Glasgow’s the Common Guild and Project Ability, and Aberdeen’s Peacock Visual Arts, have only been given increases roughly in line with inflation.

Regular funding was introduced as part of Creative Scotland’s 10-year plan, Unlocking Potential, Embracing Ambition.

The organisation has increased the geographical spread of its funding, making grants in 21 of Scotland’s 32 local authorities, four more than previously.

All had to show commitment to increasing access to communities across Scotland.

Edited
11.11.2014


Amended to clarify the location of the Pier Arts Centre.



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