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Inverness-based Eden Court, the largest multi-arts venue in Scotland, will receive £760,000 in 2025/26, rising to £893,000 for 2026/27 and 2027/28
Photo: Eden Court
Scottish multi-year grants: Cultural organisations receive big funding boost
Creative Scotland says financial support from the Scottish government has allowed it to offer stable funding to more organisations than ever before.
A total of 251 cultural organisations in Scotland will be funded for the next three years through Creative Scotland’s multi-year funding programme, with many seeing big increases in the amount they receive.
Creative Scotland said a recent uplift in the grant-in-aid funding it receives from the Scottish government has resulted in its largest budget ever – with £200m being provided over the next three years.
Of the successful applicants, 110 were previously in receipt of core funding from the public body, with 141 organisations joining the portfolio for the first time.
Those organisations which have an existing regular funding relationship with Creative Scotland will receive an average increase of 34% in their funding in 2025/26, increasing to an average of 54% from 2026/27.
Meanwhile a further 13 organisations will be supported by a £3.2m Development Fund, with a view to them joining the Multi-Year Funding portfolio in 2026/27.
‘First increase since 2008’
Edinburgh International Festival (EIF) is the single biggest funding recipient and will receive £11.75m over the next three years – £3.25m in 2025/26, followed by £4.25m in 2026/27 and 2027/28.
This compares with £2.32m a year in regular funding for the 2018 to 2021 period.
EIF said it is the first time its core funding has increased since 2008, adding that the funding will benefit the thousands of artists, freelancers, organisations, audiences and communities that the festival employs and serves.
“It’s a good day for culture and creativity in Scotland. We welcome this increased investment in the Scottish cultural sector, which will help to showcase the enormous talent of this country,” EIF chief executive Francesca Hegyi said.
“We are grateful for the International Festival’s uplift in funding, which recognises the unique role we play in connecting Scotland to the world, and gives us a firm foundation from which to build. The return of multi-year funding allows us all to plan ahead with greater confidence.”
Meanwhile, Inverness-based Eden Court, the largest multi-arts venue in Scotland, will receive £760,000 in 2025/26, rising to £893,000 for 2026/27 and 2027/28.
Eden Court chief executive Rebecca Holt described the amount as “transformative”, enabling the charity to roll out an “ambitious plan to expand access to the arts and bring world-class cultural experiences to communities across the Highlands”.
“From commissioning new work that highlights Highland stories to nurturing emerging talent, this funding will allow us to strengthen a thriving creative ecosystem.”
‘Renewed sense of stability’
Robert Wilson, chair of Creative Scotland said the “vote of confidence in the culture sector” shown by the Scottish government means it can offer stable funding to more organisations than ever before.
“This is an extremely positive moment for culture in Scotland, bringing with it a renewed sense of stability and certainty to Scotland’s culture sector,” he said.
“Stable, long-term funding for as many organisations as possible is the underlying principle of the Multi-Year Funding programme, and we are delighted to be able to bring it to fruition.
“This funding means that we are able to bring so many new, community-focused organisations into the portfolio, while also providing significant increases to those more established organisations which have been on standstill, regular funding for so many years.”
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