Culture Minister launches new fund to promote Scottish arts, heritage and business collaboration

Pictured: Laura Wilson, BAM construction, David Watt, Chief Executive Arts and Business Scotland, Fiona Hyslop, Brian Inkster, Inkster Solicitors, Lousie Quinn, Tromolo Productions (front) Sam Beckett, Y Dance On Friday, Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop visited Edinburgh Castle and launched the Culture & Business Fund Scotland. Funded by the Scottish Government via Creative Scotland and Historic Environment Scotland the fund will encourage the development of arts
Pictured: Laura Wilson, BAM construction, David Watt, Chief Executive Arts and Business Scotland, Fiona Hyslop, Brian Inkster, Inkster Solicitors, Lousie Quinn, Tromolo Productions (front) Sam Beckett, Y Dance

A pioneering new fund that promotes collaboration between Scottish businesses and arts and heritage organisations to deliver new arts and heritage projects has been officially launched by Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs, Fiona Hyslop.

Evolving from Arts & Business Scotland’s renowned New Arts Sponsorship Grant programme which recently celebrated a decade of success, the Culture & Business Fund Scotland incorporates a new dedicated heritage strand. It also offers projects that have already received grant support in a previous year the opportunity to benefit from second and third year sponsorship.

Funded by the Scottish Government via Creative Scotland and Historic Environment Scotland, the new Culture & Business Fund Scotland is managed by Arts & Business Scotland and aims to encourage greater partnership working between business, arts and heritage by match funding private sector sponsorship of arts and heritage activities pound for pound. Eligible projects can receive grant funding between £1,000 and £40,000, matched by business sponsorship to the same value. In the inaugural year of the fund £300,000 will be provided by the Scottish Government, via Creative Scotland, while via Historic Environment Scotland an initial contribution of £36,000 will be made towards developing and raising awareness of the fund within the heritage sector.



The new fund is launched as a new public opinion poll shows that a majority of Scots would be more likely to buy goods and services from businesses that support arts and heritage projects in their local area. Commissioned by Arts & Business Scotland, the poll also found that 69 per cent agree that it is important for businesses to support such projects in their local community. Meanwhile, more than three in four (77 per cent) Scots agree that supporting local cultural and heritage projects reflects well on businesses.

Ms Hyslop, said: “I am pleased to announce the transition to this new incentive funding programme which will build on the success of its predecessor, encouraging longer term cultural and business partnerships to benefit Scotland’s wider economy and society.

“The Scottish Government is committed to further enhancing Scotland’s contribution to the arts and heritage sector, a key part of Scotland’s culture.

“This is why I am honoured to confirm renewed support to Arts & Business through an investment of £300,000 in 2017/18 for the Culture & Business Fund, which will encourage the development of new partnerships and business investments in supporting arts and heritage activities across the country.”

David Greig, Artistic Director and Joint Chief Executive at The Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh, said: “The Lyceum has already benefited from business sponsorship through the previous New Arts Sponsorship Fund so we know from first-hand experience the huge benefits it can bring. With public funding under ongoing pressure, these are challenging times for Scotland’s cultural sector. So it’s more important than ever that we seek to build positive partnerships with business as an alternative source of funding to help make cultural projects happen.”

Brian Inkster, Founder of Inksters Solicitors, said: “Speaking on behalf of a business that has already enjoyed a fruitful partnership with the cultural sector, the spin-off benefits to business of collaborating with the arts and heritage sectors should not be underestimated. The opportunity for projects to benefit from second and third year sponsorship is particularly welcome, helping to sustain successful partnerships between arts, heritage and business and ensuring those partnerships are able to achieve their full potential.“

David Watt, Chief Executive of Arts & Business Scotland, said: ”I’m delighted to be able to launch the new Culture & Business Fund Scotland and very grateful to the Scottish Government, Creative Scotland and Historic Environment Scotland for their crucial ongoing support. We can already look back on more than a decade of success with the New Arts Sponsorship Grants Fund that has delivered so many successful collaborations between arts and business organisations of all sizes and located throughout Scotland. With a new wider scope that takes in Scotland’s crucially important heritage sector and will allow for second and third year sponsorships, I’m confident that this new fund will deliver even greater success in the years ahead.”

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