Creative Scotland Shutters Arts Grant Amid Scottish Government’s Budget Freeze

Creative Scotland, the public body supporting Scotland’s arts and culture, on August 19 revealed that it would indefinitely close its Open Fund for Individuals arts grant in the wake of the national government’s refusal to confirm the release of millions of pounds in support, following the 2023 reimposition on the organization of a £6.6 million ($8.6 milllion) budget cut. The fund aided Scottish artists, musicians, writers, producers, and others working in creative fields, and was arranged to support projects and productions for up to two years, with grantees eligible to receive amounts of between £500 and £100,000 in that span.

The Scottish government said that it issues significant annual funding to Creative Scotland and that it will continue to do so. TheBBCreported that a spokesperson for the government said it had increased arts culture funding this year “as the first step to achieving our commitment to invest at least £100 million more annually in culture and the arts by 2028/29.” The spokesperson further noted that the country’s budget “continues to face significant challenges.”

“Like everyone working in Scotland’s culture and creative sector, we understand the extreme pressures on public finances,” said Creative Scotland CEO Iain Munro in astatement, “but [we] want to see longer-term budget certainty from the Scottish government, including the additional £100 million announced in October 2023, details of which have yet to emerge.”

“Creative Scotland cannot invest funds it does not have,” Jack Gamble, director of UK art alliance Campaign for the Arts, told theBBC. “If the government continues to withhold information and resources, cultural organizations will shortly lose the vital support that, astonishingly, all individual artists have now lost.”

Budget cuts in Scotland have upended the arts.The Scotsmanreports that Museums Galleries Scotland, a government-funded body supporting more than 440 attractions, estimates that more than forty-five museums and galleries are at risk of closing within a year in the wake of national and local budget cuts. Equity, Scotland’s performing arts and entertainment trade union,decriedthe closure of the Open Fund and haspublicly calledfor a tax on wealth and the cessation of cuts.

Gamble called the impact of the cuts “devastating” and noted that their effects would ripple out to the broader populace. “Art and culture are not luxuries—they are an essential part of a healthy, thriving society,” he said. “We urge the Scottish government to deliver on their commitments and increase support before any more damage is done.”