Scotland’s provider of creative spaces, est 1977
Scotland’s provider of creative spaces, est 1977
The Trust allocates a proportion of its resources to help artists and sculptors (with a particular focus on emerging artists) with grants for exhibitions, catalogues and travel.
Applicants should be aware that grants very rarely exceed £2,000 and more commonly are for lesser sums.
Click here for the website.
For exhibitions, exhibition catalogues and sculpture commissions. If your exhibition or commission project aims to encourage new thinking about sculpture or sculpture history, or contributes to public awareness and appreciation of sculpture, you are eligible to apply.
The maximum grant available in this category is £20,000. Applicants should be aware that grants very rarely exceed £2,000 and more commonly are for lesser sums.
Click here for the website.
The fund is intended to support periods of research, development and/or delivery of creative activity, such as specific projects and productions for up to 24 months. It can support an individual’s time where this is related to specific creative outcomes.
You can apply for between £500 and £50,000.
Click here for the website.
The Creators Fund provides micro-funding and mentoring from industry professionals to BPoC artists and creatives to help them progress in their professional development. Funding can be used for: New equipment, Residencies, Individual projects, Collaborative projects, Exhibitions and Showcase.
Click here for the website.
The Elephant Trust provides grants of up to £2,000 for artists in the fine arts, small organisations and galleries who should submit well argued, imaginative proposals for making or producing new work or exhibitions.
Click here for the website.
The Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation funds young artists who are pursuing their studies or are in the early stages of their career, are working in the representational style of painting, drawing, sculpture or printmaking and demonstrate the determination and talent to pursue a lifetime career in their art practice. The fund is open to applications worldwide.
Click here for the website.
The William Syson Foundation is open to non-profit arts organisations and individuals who wish to apply for assistance. With a particular focus on individuals resident in Scotland, applications for small grants (up to £5,000) and larger grants (from £5,001) are welcome at any time. There is no deadline for applications.
Click here for the website.
ArtQuest is an online resource that’s created by artists for artists. Although some of the advice is specific to England only, there’s still a wealth of information and advice that’s applicable to artists based anywhere.
Their How To page covers guides on just about every aspect of working life as an artist, from networking to invoicing.
Curatorial/writing duo The White Pube have established a successful funding application library, which allows artists and practitioners to submit their own successful applications to a database for other artists to use as examples for writing their own.
Click here to browse.
Charity We Are Unlimited has several informative online guides that offer advice to artists and freelancers, covering subjects like budgets, leadership and dealing with contracts.
Click here for the page on their website.
The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation has a useful resources page that offers comprehensive linked sections on charity/CIC governance and where to find information or support regarding subjects like campaigning, DEI, fundraising and more.
Click here for the website.
To help keep track of your finances, you can purchase this easy-to-use worksheet designed for freelancers and self-employed people on Etsy. Full instructions are included, and the spreadsheet picks up spend and income by category and by month, delivering monthly and yearly profit/loss. It also apportions household costs for you, based on the number of days per year that you work from home.
Click here for the product page.
An access rider is a document that freelancers or artists can use when working with organisations or contractors to communicate any accommodations or requirements that you might need to have facilitated, for example working hours, support with transportation, etc.
Click here for the Access Docs for Artists website where you can find out more about them, and download a template to use yourself.
If you’re a freelancer taking bookings for events and workshops, check what the standard rates of pay are on the Scottish Artists’ Union website to make sure you’re receiving fair payment for your work.
Click here for more information.
Click here for a template invoice in .docx format, which you can use to write your own invoices
From the Money Helper, you can create a Budget Planner for yourself that’ll record your incomings and outgoings, categorise payments for you and give advice according to the information that you input.
Click here to create a budget.
For those that are registered as self-employed or are looking to to become self-employed, HMRC has handy video guides on their YouTube page.
Click here for the playlist on completing your Self-Assessment online, and click here for the playlist on registering as self-employed for the first time.
There is also detailed information about Self-Assessment on the gov.uk website here.
Public liability insurance is specific insurance that covers activities in connection with an individual artistic practice in the preparation, lecturing, teaching, public display and sale of fine art and applied art.
Scottish Artists’ Union offers public liability insurance to its members. Click here for more information.
Circular Arts Network is a platform designed to help the arts community address the Climate Emergency by facilitating the recycling and reuse of materials. It connects creative individuals and organisations, enabling them to exchange resources, equipment and materials.
CAN operates as an online space where users can find and share affordable or free materials and services. CAN makes surplus materials available to artists and creative professionals, providing high-quality resources at no cost.
Click here for the website.
There are a number of tool libraries across different cities and towns in Scotland where you can find equipment for hire. Most require a members’ sign up and a small fee for borrowing anything. They are linked below:
The Citizens Advice network in Scotland delivers advice services in almost 300 service points across the country, from city centres to island communities. They offer advice on a number of topics including energy and housing.
Click here for the website.
Breathing Space is a free, confidential, phone and webchat service for anyone in Scotland over the age of 16 experiencing low mood, depression or anxiety.
Click here for the website.