January: funding opportunities & competitions
Look Aside Short Film Fund
Opportunity for emerging voices and filmmakers: one £10K fund aimed for more established filmmakers and one £3K fund for first time filmmakers. Deadline: 27 January. More info here.
Taic Freumhan Coimhearsnachd Fund
Bòrd na Gàidhlig’s primary fund for supporting community organisations in delivering projects to promote and increase the usage and learning of Gaelic at community level. Deadline: Tuesday 28 January 2025. More info here.
Creative Scotland Tasgadh—Small Grants for Traditional Arts fund
Provides support for traditional artists and organisations to create, perform, tour, and showcase their work. The Fund, managed by Fèisean nan Gàidheal, will provide grants of between £250 and £1,000 to organisations and individuals involved in Scottish Traditional Arts, including dance, music, and storytelling. Deadline: 31 January 2025. More info here.
Amazon Literary Partnership (ALP)
Provides one-off grants to not-for-profit literary organisations that support and champion writers of all ages and stages on their creative journey. Deadline: 31 January 2025. More info here.
Paul Hamlyn Foundation - Arts Fund
The Foundation provides long-term, core funding to not-for-profit organisations who work at the intersection of art and social change so they can continue the work they are already doing and for programmes which are central to their mission. The funding will cover work that involves any of the following: crafts, creative writing (including poetry), dance, design, film, music, opera, photography, digital arts and media, theatre and drama, the visual arts and cross-arts practices. Deadline: 31 January 2025. More info here.
The D'Oyly Carte Charitable Trust
Grants available for UK registered charities seeking to enhance and improve people’s lives through advancing the arts, health and medical welfare, and the environment. Typically awards grants of between £500 and £6,000 for projects and core costs, with a preference for small-scale, locally based initiatives. The next deadline for applications is 4 February 2025. More info here.
Esmée Fairbairn Communities and Collections Fund
Using museum collections to improve inclusion and equitable working with community partners. core grants to single museum organisations for strategic development of their inclusive collections work; and partnership project grants for museums and community organisations working equitably with collections to achieve shared aims for inclusion. Grants of £40,000 to £100,000 are available over a period of up to three years. Deadline: 5 February 2025. More info here.
Youth Music – NextGen Fund
Offers young creatives grants of up to £2,500. Open to 18–25-year-olds (and up to 30-year-olds who identify as d/Deaf, neurodivergent or Disabled). Supports the future of the music industries. Singers, Rappers, Songwriters, Producers, DJs, A&Rs, Managers and Agents, right through to roles that have yet to be defined. Deadline: 7 February. More info here.
Continuo Foundation
Grants of between £2,000 and £8,000 for professional ensembles playing period music and instruments to mobilise projects of outstanding artistic merit and create meaningful work for freelance period musicians, whilst engaging a wide range of audiences with historically informed live performances, particularly in areas lacking access to high-quality live classical music. Deadline: 10 Feb. More info here.
Idlewild Trust
Grants of up to £7,000 to registered charities working in the following two areas:
Arts Grants: Nurturing Early-Stage Professionals - grants support training opportunities for emerging professionals, working creatively and backstage, within the performing and visual arts, post-training, and at an early stage in their career.
Conservation Grants: Objects and Works of Art - grants support the conservation of cultural heritage of recognised national and international importance in museums, libraries, galleries, historic buildings, or landscapes accessible to the public (also available to museums that are exempt charities).
Deadline: 14 February. More info here.
Refugee Festival Scotland - Small Grants Fund
The Scottish Refugee Council is offering small grants of up to £750 to grassroots groups and organisations in Scotland to participate in the 2025 festival. Running since 2000, the festival aims to:
Provide people from refugee backgrounds with a platform to showcase their art, cultural heritage and contribution to life in Scotland.
Reduce loneliness and social isolation by providing refugees and people seeking asylum with an opportunity to become active members of their communities.
Raise awareness about the challenges faced by people seeking safety in Scotland and promote a culture of welcome and support.
Deadline: 25 Feb. More info here.
William Syson Small Grants Fund
Welcomes applications from arts charities working in any art form or cross-art form including but not limited to visual arts, performing arts, poetry, literature, film-making, music, photography, and digital arts. Maximum award: £4,000. Deadline: Fri 28 March. More info here.
Weir Charitable Trust
Grants of up to £25,000 to small charities and community groups across Scotland with an annual income of less than £125,000 to deliver projects and activities that improve the quality of life for local communities, including Culture - Supporting the heritage - tangible or otherwise - of Scotland, through projects that encourage participation in and preservation of Scotland's distinctive culture. Deadline: 28 February 2025. More info here.
Tom Grass Spirit of Adventure Literary Prize
The prize is for a short piece of stand-alone prose in either Fiction or Non-Fiction. It can be adapted from a longer work but must be satisfying to read by itself. The prize invites writers from all walks of life, whether writing a short story, essay, memoir, piece of reportage, historical investigation, or other hybrid form, as long as the writer reflects the sensibility of the prize. The prize is not aimed at the action-adventure genre nor limited to the idea of physical adventure. We invite writers to grapple with the spirit of adventure in any way they interpret. Deadline: 31st March 2025. More info here.
Scops Arts Trust
The goal of Scops Arts Trust is to help people to understand, participate in and enjoy the arts, particularly the performing arts. They are keen to find projects which widen access and have a lasting cultural impact on the community:
Round 1: Opens 14 January for decisions by 15 April - Local music festivals (music performances specifically for children are excluded)
Round 2: Opens 20 May for decisions by 19 August - Early career musicians – programmes offering performance opportunities (applications from individuals are excluded)
Round 3: Opens 9 September for decisions by 9 December
The Brit Trust
Funding is available for organisations that use the power of music and the creative arts to improve the lives of young people of all backgrounds across the UK. This funding supports music and arts initiatives that promote education, wellbeing, and community engagement, helping individuals realise their full potential, regardless of ability, ethnicity, gender, or sexuality. Deadline: 30 April 2025. More info here.
Aesthetica Creative Writing Award
Open to Poetry and Short Fiction submissions on any theme, however, they are particularly interested in works that reflect upon our ever changing world. The winners in each category will receive a £2,500 cash prize, with a total prize fund of £5,000. Additionally, selected entries will be published in the Aesthetica Creative Writing Annual, providing further exposure for entrants. Deadline: 31 August. More info here.
The Cruach Trust
Grants of up to £2,000 are available to small Scottish charitable organisations to support environmental, community and music projects. Applications are considered once a year and the next deadline for applications is 12 September 2025. Find out more here.
Maker Relief Fund
The Maker Relief Fund is offering grants to UK-based professional craftspeople facing financial hardship. Grants of £1,000 will be awarded to 50 eligible applicants. Deadline: October 2025. More info here.
Music for All Community Project Funding Programme
Grants are available to community groups, schools and individuals under a number of different categories, each with their own criteria and award amounts. More info here.
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