The decision by Creative Scotland to change its funding arrangements from 2013 has been criticised by Scottish arts professionals.
Under the current model, Creative Scotland finances 58 “flexibly funded” organisations (FXOs), along with 41 foundation organisations, until April 2013.
Under the new arrangement, Creative Scotland’s portfolio from 2013 will include 44 foundation organisations and 22 annual service level agreements.
In addition, more than £15m in “open programme investment” will be available to about 49 bodies, according to a Creative Scotland spokeswoman.
The Common Guild visual-arts organisation, which is based in Glasgow, currently receives flexible funding and is among the organisations set to apply for open programme investment.
The director of the Common Guild, Katrina Brown, said: “There is extensive concern and uncertainty across the sector. The change seems to place the burden of a desire for reshaping the structure of funding on the shoulders of the smaller, more efficient and dynamic, but vulnerable, organisations.”
In a recent letter to the Scotsman, playwrights including Ian Brown and David Greig raised fears that the move would destabilise Scotland’s cultural sector.
“We are extremely concerned that insecurity and misdirected management energies, rather than the proper administration of scarce resources, will arise from the system so far announced,” said the group, who stressed that funding on a project-by-project basis would replace “secure” two- and three-year funding contracts for the 49 organisations.
Sandy Crombie, chairman of Creative Scotland, responded in a letter posted online, saying it was not project-by-project funding.
“It presents an opportunity to access greater resources over the same timescale as currently in place with the FXO arrangement,” he added.
He added that many organisations which were not part of the FXO funding arrangement welcomed the opportunity to have “access to increased resources”.
Under the current model, Creative Scotland finances 58 “flexibly funded” organisations (FXOs), along with 41 foundation organisations, until April 2013.
Under the new arrangement, Creative Scotland’s portfolio from 2013 will include 44 foundation organisations and 22 annual service level agreements.
In addition, more than £15m in “open programme investment” will be available to about 49 bodies, according to a Creative Scotland spokeswoman.
The Common Guild visual-arts organisation, which is based in Glasgow, currently receives flexible funding and is among the organisations set to apply for open programme investment.
The director of the Common Guild, Katrina Brown, said: “There is extensive concern and uncertainty across the sector. The change seems to place the burden of a desire for reshaping the structure of funding on the shoulders of the smaller, more efficient and dynamic, but vulnerable, organisations.”
In a recent letter to the Scotsman, playwrights including Ian Brown and David Greig raised fears that the move would destabilise Scotland’s cultural sector.
“We are extremely concerned that insecurity and misdirected management energies, rather than the proper administration of scarce resources, will arise from the system so far announced,” said the group, who stressed that funding on a project-by-project basis would replace “secure” two- and three-year funding contracts for the 49 organisations.
Sandy Crombie, chairman of Creative Scotland, responded in a letter posted online, saying it was not project-by-project funding.
“It presents an opportunity to access greater resources over the same timescale as currently in place with the FXO arrangement,” he added.
He added that many organisations which were not part of the FXO funding arrangement welcomed the opportunity to have “access to increased resources”.