Creative Funding scheme launched for city
30 April 2021
A new Creative Funding scheme was launched today (April 30) by Aberdeen City Council to support cultural activity by organisations, community groups, charities and individual artists.
The fund will also help Aberdeen recover from Covid-19 by facilitating new work to enrich the lives of people living in and safely visiting the city, supporting a sector that was hit hard by restrictions.
A range of projects can be considered for a share of the £185,000 fund such as performances, exhibitions, networking events or even something completely new and innovative. Previous years have seen awards for festivals, community groups, brand new arts organisations and support for projects run by individual artists and established organisations.
The Council’s culture spokesperson Councillor Marie Boulton said: “As we recover from the devastating effects of the pandemic, more than ever Aberdeen City Council recognises the importance of investing in the arts, and this latest funding makes it easier than ever to access vital funds to enable cultural projects to happen in the city.
“We’ve seen over the last few years how important this funding is for allowing artists and organisations to create work in the city and increasing the quality of life for everyone in Aberdeen.
“We hope the funding will be just as popular as in previous years, showcasing the immense creative talent to be found here in Aberdeen and supporting culture to continue developing despite the impact of the previous year.”
In 2019/20, the Council’s Creative Funding programme supported 49 different projects across the city involving 567 volunteers, 3,100 participants and more than 41,000 audience members.
It supported activities such as local company Ten Feet Tall’s secretly staged theatre project in community venues, which removed financial barriers by adopting a pay what you can model; events celebrating the work and life of Scottish traveller Stanley Robertson; and music being brought to some of the city’s care homes.
The first round of funding opened today with a deadline of Friday 18th June 2021 at 5pm. Applicants will be notified of the outcome by Friday 30th July 2021.
Organisations, charities and community groups can apply for up to £10,000 while individuals are able to apply for up to £2,000 for the delivery of activity, projects or artistic development, and 10 individual awards are available to be allocated this year.