2022 Local Cultural Festivals and Events Fund

Celebrating Edinburgh’s local cultural festivals and events; contributing to sector capacity building and stability

This funding has been allocated to support capacity building and stability of local cultural festivals and events. It is intended to provide strategic funding and guidance to further develop and strengthen the skills, planning, processes, and resources that local cultural festivals and events need to survive, adapt, and thrive in a fast-changing sector. Our cultural activity and offer continues to be a crucial contribution to the city’s success as an exceptional place to live and work.

With the aim of contributing towards strengthening the festival and events sector across Edinburgh, applications are sought for awards of between £5,000 and £20,000 from organisations that identify routes to organisational stability, strategic (artistic / business) development and creative engagements which are relevant and appropriate to their needs and operational models. The fund is also intended to encourage organisations to test and trial new working models and greater collaboration with sector partners to enable on-going resource sharing and peer learning.  

The Fund seeks to support the work of the city’s year-round cultural festivals and events that are unique to Edinburgh and its residents as they celebrate and bring together the city’s diverse communities, have deep community roots and instil a sense of pride in their local place. The Fund is intended for events and festivals which are not funded by the Council’s Culture Service through the Strategic Partnerships programme.

Successful applicants will have the opportunity to participate in a bespoke Capacity Building Programme aimed at fostering exchange and interaction between local cultural festivals and events; boosting our local arts and culture activity by broadening opportunities for both artists and organisations delivering festivals and events; and develop sustainable operational models that support creative activity across Edinburgh. In addition to the funding offer, assisted training, peer learning, and networking opportunities will be provided to create platforms to build on connecting festivals and events to local artists and creatives, industry representatives and funders/sponsors, as well as foster the exchange of skills and encourage future collaborations.

PURPOSE OF SCHEME

The Fund is aimed at local cultural events and festivals who intend to strengthen their role in Edinburgh’s cultural calendar by introducing new ideas to improve their offer, better engage with partner organisations and audiences as well as business and event/festival production models.

The Fund prioritises capacity building proposals presented by individual festivals and events or groupings of festivals or events. The proposed activity outlined in the submissions should best serve organisations’ needs and ambitions as well as respond to the changing events and festivals industry environment.

The fund is intended to promote and encourage greater collaboration and partnerships between local festival and event organisers across Edinburgh. Cross-artform live and digital activity is also encouraged, for example programmes involving music, dance, spoken word and theatre, film, digital arts, literature and poetry etc.  

FUNDS AVAILABLE

A total budget of £200,000 is available offering grant awards of between £5,000 and £20,000 for projects developed in financial year 2022/23.

CLOSING DATE

Wednesday 31 August 2022 (23:59 GMT). 

HOW TO APPLY

Applications and further guidance is available on the Consultation Hub.

Fund Information Session was held on 09 August 2022. Please find the presentation slides below.

Please contact Beata Skobodzinska 0131 529 4577 beata.skobodzinska@edinburgh.gov.uk or Sandra Elgin 0131 529 6720 sandra.elgin@edinburgh.gov.uk if you require advice on your application.