Arts groups face uncertainty as funding news delayed

Hundreds of arts organisations across Scotland are facing a further three-month wait to hear if they have been awarded funding.

A total of 281 organisations have applied for Creative Scotland’s new three-year funding stream and had expected to hear if they had been successful in the next two weeks.

But the funding body says it has had to delay decisions until January because the Scottish government will not confirm its own allocation of funds until its budget in December.

The Scottish government said it could only provide more information on budgets once Chancellor Rachel Reeves sets out the UK budget at the end of October.

The 281 organisations hoped to secure annual funding of £87.5m from the Multi-Year Fund and the delay comes against a backgound of closures and cutbacks across the culture sector.

The Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA) in Glasgow and Summerhall arts centre in Edinburgh have had to scale back their operatons and launch fundraising appeals to stay open.

The Brunton Theatre Trust, which operates the theatre in Musselburgh, said it faced an uncertain future after 30 years in operation.

East Lothian Council cut its funding by nearly 50% this year and it was forced to use a "large amount" of its reserves.

The trust said it was awaiting a funding decision from the fund, which would be "vital in supporting our continuation for the next three years".

In a letter to Creative Scotland chair Robert Wilson, Culture Secretary Angus Robertson said the Scottish government could not set budgets for the coming financial year without know what its own budget will be.

Mr Wilson said: “While we would have preferred to announce the outcome from this application process in October as planned and have been working collaboratively with Scottish government to endeavour to do so, we also understand the extreme budget pressures that exist.

"These pressures mean we are required to postpone the outcome until such time as we have budget clarity.

"This will enable us to make final decisions in a context of budget confidence and to support as many organisations on a multi-year basis as we possibly can.”

Mr Robertson said the Scottish government was working hard to ensure the arts sector receives at least £100m more funding annually by 2028-29.

He confirmed that the Scottish government budget on 4 December would be in line with "established commitments to arts and culture".

The culture secretary said: “We await the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s budget announcement on 30 October which has a hugely significant bearing on the Scottish budget.

"Following that we will be able to set detailed budgets for the coming financial year including for the culture sector.

“I will continue to work in collaboration with Creative Scotland and the sector over the coming months to ensure stability until Creative Scotland have sufficient clarity to be able to announce the recipients of their multi-year funding awards.”

Today’s delay has been met with disbelief and despair by a sector which is teetering on the brink.

A number of organisations have begun scaling back and launching fundraising campaigns to keep afloat.

With 281 groups bidding for £87.5m there was no guarantee of funds for everyone and the much talked about £6m which has yoyo-ed back and forth for the past year is part of the support package for those who fail to secure that funding.

Now they must wait for a further three months to find out whether the applications they filed last year have been successful.

For organisations like the Brunton Theatre in Musselburgh, it’s a further pressure on an already fragile situation.

The Brunton - marking its 30th anniversary year - has had to deal with the pandemic, the discovery of RAAC in its building, and a 50% cut in support from the council.

While it awaits news of its Creative Scotland grant application, the trust which runs it has just announced a fund-raising campaign to keep it afloat.

And that’s just one part of a sector which is in crisis.

Individual projects like The Kings Theatre in Edinburgh are struggling with the challenges of rising costs and fewer resources. It will now be 2026 before the refurbishment is completed and they too will require extra support.

National companies - whose funding comes direct from the Scottish government - have also warned of the pressures and both museums and galleries fear closures without an increase in funding.

Angus Robertson says he is “100% committed to trying to deliver increased funding for the arts”.

It’s a promise which the whole sector hopes he keeps. Whether they’re still around to benefit is another question entirely.