£45K culture fund

Jan 24 2017 | By Thom Dibdin More

Edinburgh Council launches performing arts fund

A new £45,000 fund for Edinburgh-based performing arts artists and companies has opened for applications, with a cut-off date of Friday 10 March 2017.

The council run scheme will give grants of up to £5,000 to organisations or individuals based in Edinburgh to help with the costs involved in developing new performance artwork.

Waverley Court, Edinburgh Council HQ. Photo: CEC

The fund comes out of the Desire Lines events held over the last two years, which lead to the council’s recently adopted Culture Plan. The events highlighted a need for greater support of emerging artists and “a shared city-wide agenda” for culture in the Capital, which the Project Fund is an attempt to address.

The grant will not be available to organisations which already receive a CEC culture grant, projects which have already started, unless it is for a new phase of the project, or for those which take place outside Edinburgh.

“A set of young and new resident artists and organisations are in need of support,” according to culture convenor Councillor Richard Lewis, who stressed that this is different to the funds which the council already allocates to established venues and festivals.

“It is no secret the Council faces unprecedented financial pressures,” he continued. “But we are determined to put our Culture Plan into action and improve support for those working at the grassroots level. We need to identify new and collaborative ways of resourcing the sector, and this fund will go some way to support such talent.”

nurturing new work

According to the application form, projects will be assessed for the strength of concept and ideas, the quality of project management and what difference that this funding will make to the project.

Lewis added: “While we recognise using our existing resources in new ways has some impact on regularly funded organisations, the result is the nurturing of more new work and emerging artists. This collaborative approach is to benefit the entire cultural sector here in the city.”

All applications for the fund must be with the council by noon on Friday 10 March 2017. Recommendation for the awards will then be made by a panel made up of CEC officers and industry specialists.

The priority will be to projects which “support partnership working in the cultural and creative sectors” and which “demonstrate local and/or city-wide importance”. The panel will also focus on what difference the funding will make to the project.

Simon Hart, the Artistic Director of Puppet Animation Scotland who is an advisory panel member, said: “The initiative will this year enable Edinburgh-based performing artists to begin to explore new creative ideas with confidence. The practical support will enable them to establish a robust foundation for the successful fruition of their artistic aims and ambitions.

“The Culture Fund is a very welcome additional funding source for artists living and working in Edinburgh and will begin by helping to maintain the city’s international reputation as a dynamic centre for theatre arts.”

Anyone wanting a copy of the application pack should email: culturaldevelopment@edinburgh.gov.uk.