Creative Scotland set to reopen Open Fund for Individuals as it receives funding requests for £11.9m

Creative Scotland has confirmed it is set to reopen the Open Fund for Individuals, after receiving additional funding requests for £11.9m following the announcement the fund was to close. Last month, the organisation announced that it would be closing the scheme on 30th August, due to concerns it could not get the money it was allocated from the Scottish government.

However, the £6.6m allocated budget has now been confirmed and today (17th September), Creative Scotland officially confirmed applications would be reopening on 8th October. By the time the fund closed on 30th August, Creative Scotland said it had received an additional 819 applications totalling £11.9 million in requested funding. The organisation explained that it would be in touch with all applicants who submitted before the closure to advise them of their options. Applications for the Open Fund have more than doubled – from 628 to 1,395 in 2022/23, with funding requests increasing by £7.8 million to £21.2 million – but the budgets have stayed the same.

Creative Scotland is therefore revising the Open Fund for Individuals to meet the growing demand. It has announced that the maximum award amount will be reducing from £100,000 to £50,000 and decision timescales extending by two weeks. The updated guidance will be published on Tuesday 8th October. 

Iain Munro, c.e.o of Creative Scotland, said: “We recognise the time and effort that goes into applying for funding and know how vital these funds are for the sector. We understand how challenging recent events have been and sincerely thank everyone for their continued efforts in highlighting the value of culture and creativity.”