Arts Opportunities and Funding
Arts Organisations and Artists Mailing Lists
Ever feel you are missing out on arts funding information, training and other creative opportunities? If so, sign up to either our Arts Organisations or Artists mailing lists and you will automatically get news directly we receive it.
Send an email to Sharon.Klipova@orkney.gov.uk to let us know which list you would like to be included on.
Visual Artist and Craft Maker Awards
The Visual Artist and Craft Makers Awards (VACMA) scheme offers small grants to visual artists and craft makers for their creative development at all stages of their career. These awards are supported by Creative Scotland through funding from the National Lottery in partnership with Orkney Islands Council and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).
This year we will continue to offer fixed bursaries in recognition of the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 on individual artists and makers. The VACMA scheme offers two levels of bursaries:
- Bursaries of £1000 for career visual artists and craft makers (for applicants who make a profession of their work and have 5 years plus experience)
- Early-career bursaries of £500 (for applicants that have less than 5 years’ experience outside of education/training or that have not studied art/craft making formally but have been practising as a visual artist or craft maker for up to 5 years).
The fund is open to visual artists and craft makers who can demonstrate a commitment to developing their creative practice and who are living or working or maintaining a studio space within Orkney.
If you need Access Support to write your VACMA application please look at the new guidelines or visit Creative Scotland’s website: https://www.creativescotland.com/funding/help-with-your-application/access-support for how to apply for this. Allow four weeks before you intend to apply to VACMA. If you would incur Personal Access Costs in addition to the cost of your project you can apply for that too, check out the new guidance for VACMA to see if you are eligible.
It is recommended that you speak with the Arts Officer, Emma Gee, prior to submitting an application. Emma is able to provide information and support for potential applicants.
The deadline for VACMA 2024-2025 is 4 February 2025.
Culture Fund
The Culture Fund is now open to applications from organisations planning cultural events, activities or projects taking place in Orkney between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026. In this instance ‘culture’ means arts, heritage, or language (i.e. Orkney dialect). This includes festivals, museums, heritage centres and arts projects and is aimed at enabling Orkney residents to access the highest quality cultural events and activities as well as publicising Orkney to visitors. The fund is managed by the Arts, Museums and Heritage Service and the total available fund and any funds allocated to successful applicants are subject to Orkney Islands Council’s budget setting process.
Who can apply?
The Culture Fund supports formerly constituted not-for-profit organisations in producing, delivering or promoting cultural activity and/or programmes. This fund will support cultural organisations for their general running costs as well as specific activities. It will also support non-cultural organisations to deliver cultural activities and programmes. Applicants will have to have clear financial procedures and produce signed audited accounts in keeping with the scale of their operation.
The deadline for applications is 24 October 2024.
Covid Recovery Fund for Culture
The Covid Recovery Fund for Culture, provided by Orkney Islands Council, is now open to applications from local arts and heritage organisations.
The aim of the fund is to support the sustainability of the cultural infrastructure within Orkney and to help stimulate activity to pre-pandemic levels – whether that be arts, heritage, or language (i.e. Orkney dialect).
This fund closed to applications at 5pm Friday 9 June 2023
Additional Funding
Creative Scotland have additional art form funding partners. Further information can be accessed from the 'Related Sites' section of this page.
Create:Networks Fund
This fund is to help organisations, creative businesses or creative practitioners create new, or develop existing, local creative business networks in Scotland. The fund will support these networks through knowledge sharing, peer-to-peer networking, and business and market development support. Successful applicants will be expected to develop a 12-month programme which establishes a local business network, to support broad-based creative business and market development activity. The network will ultimately deliver public benefit by helping the participating creative practitioners and businesses to grow and become more sustainable.
Further details can be found on the Creative Scotland website which can be accessed from the 'Related Sites' section of this page.
General Charitable Trust
The Orkney Islands Council General Charitable Trust manages funds that were bequeathed by individuals and families for good causes.
Small grants can be awarded by the Trust to help projects that advance and promote educational activities and applications are open to anyone – individuals, groups, charities, schools etc.
To find out more about the Orkney Islands Council General Charitable Trust – and how to apply for grant aid - email Rachel Shargool at rachel.shargool@orkney.gov.uk or phone 01856 873535 ext 2269.
Innovation and Entrepreneurship
A range of funding opportunities in relation to innovation and entrepreneurship is available from a variety of external sources, including:
- SFC Innovation Vouchers.
- HIE Innovate your Business.
- Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP).
- SMART: SCOTLAND.
- UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
- Innovate UK.
- Scottish Institute for Enterprise.
- UHI Business Idea Competition.
- Converge Challenge.
- RSE Enterprise Fellowships.
Further information on all of the above is available on their websites which can be accessed from the ‘Related Sites’ section of this page.
Further Information
For further information about any of the above details, please contact Emma Gee, Arts Officer:
Address: Education, Leisure and Housing, Council Offices, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1NY.
Telephone: 01856873535 extension 2406.
Email: Emma Gee.
