Today (Monday 18 April) sees the launch of Aberdeen City Council’s annual Creative Funding scheme for 2022-23.
The Creative Funding scheme gives cultural organisations, community groups, charities and individual artists the opportunity to apply for a share of £180,000 to deliver creative activity in the city and help Aberdeen recover from Covid-19 by supporting the sector in facilitating new work to enrich the lives of people living in and visiting the city.
Previous years have seen awards for festivals, community groups, brand new arts organisations and support for projects run by individual artists and established organisations.
A range of projects can be considered such as performances, exhibitions, networking events or even something completely new and innovative; there are few limitations on the type of project that can be supported.
In 2021-22, the Aberdeen City Council Creative Funding programme supported 22 organisations and nine individuals whose projects, in turn, contributed just under £267,500 in additional funding to the city.
The programme supported Soundplay to create accessible space and workshops for disabled people and people of all ages to safely explore music, movement and sensory play.
The Greyhope Bay project also received funding to work with artists on a series of bi-monthly public engagement workshops to explore the themes of marine environment, heritage and sustainability.
Council Leader, Councillor Jenny Laing, said: “Aberdeen City Council recognises the importance of investing in the arts and our annual funding scheme makes it possible for local artists, arts organisations and community groups 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 increasing the wellbeing and quality of life 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 ongoing worldwide challenges presented by the pandemic and economic issues.”
The funding will open at 9am on Monday the 18th of April 2022 with a deadline of Sunday 29th May 2022 at midnight. Applicants will be notified of the outcome by Friday 30th July 2022.
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 up to 10 individual awards are available to be allocated this year.
Application forms and guidelines for Creative Funding will be available from 9am today on the Aberdeen City Council webpage:
https://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/services/leisure-culture-and-parks/creative-funding-awards
The closing date for applications is Sunday 29 May 2022. Applicants will be advised of decisions on Friday 30 July 2022 following a six week review process.
To book advice sessions, potential applicants should contact creativefunding@aberdeencity.gov.uk
For further information on Creative Funding applicants can contact Elspeth Winram Cultural Policy and Partnerships Officer, Aberdeen City Council at ewinram@aberdeencity.gov.uk
The image shows the work of Kate Steenhauer who last year received a Creative Funding individual Award to create In the Bell, an audio-visual work exploring themes of gender, identity, and sexuality through live-evolving painting, music and intimate stories shared by the Aberdeen transcommunity’.