The national development agency for the Scottish arts, screen, and creative industries – Creative Scotland – has announced the 119 beneficiaries of its £100 million program to fund Scottish arts projects, the BBC reported. The successful candidates come from a total of 21 different parts of Scotland, and three out of four successful candidates also operate on a national or international basis.
The arts organisations that applied numbered 264 and were spread throughout the whole of Scotland- applying for funding through Creative Scotland’s open application process. Successful candidates that applied for grants include the Edinburgh International Festival, which received a sum of £6.9 million, and the Dundee Repertory Theatre, which received a total of £3.2 million.
There were slightly more modest grants were awarded to the Hebrides Ensemble, which will receive the sum of £550,000 – the Less fortunate failed candidates include the Scottish Youth Theatre and Aberdeen’s Sound Festival.
Janet Archer; the chief executive of Creative Scotland, told the BBC that the recipients are “some of Scotland’s most important, innovative, and exciting cultural organisations, producing and presenting great work across craft, dance, film, literature, theatre and visual art,” the chief executive adding that “Importantly these organisations will also provide significant support for thousands of individual artists and the broader workforce across Scotland’s creative sector.” Archer concluded to the BBC that “Following a clear and robust decision-making process, the final portfolio includes a mix of organizational scale as well as reflecting Scotland’s social and geographical diversity.”
Creative Scotland is a public body that supports the arts, screen and creative industries across all parts of Scotland on behalf of everyone who lives, works or visits the country; enabling people and organisations to work in and experience the arts, screen and creative industries in Scotland by helping others to develop ideas and bring them to life. The body distributes funding from the Scottish Government and The National Lottery – according to its website.