Additional £9M in Funding Announced for Scotland’s Creative Freelancers Hardship Fund

The Scottish Government have announced an additional £17.5 million to support creative freelancers and the events sector, including a welcome £9 million allocation to the Creative Freelancers Hardship Fund.

Published: 17 February 2021 | 10:59 AM Updated: 28 April 2021 | 4:32 PM

Photograpgh of a function band from behind, they appear to be playing a gig in a small venue. We can see the back of a guitarist, and two singers standing further from the camera. — An opening date for the next round of funding has not yet been announced. Photo credit: Shutterstock

The welcome news will provide extra support to those impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, and will bring the total value of support for creative freelancers in Scotland to £17 million.

Additionally, £7 million will go to the Pivotal Event Businesses Fund and the Events Industry Support Fund 2, and the remaining £1.5 million will be used to provide ‘targeted support’ to the events sector.

The £9 million which has been added to the Creative Freelancers Hardship Fund is effectively a top-up, and will be distributed under the same conditions and eligibility criteria as before.

Although Creative Scotland have announced their intention to make this new wave of funding available as soon as possible, an opening date for the next round of funding has not yet been announced. We will be keeping members informed as we know more, and also recommend checking back on the relevant page of Creative Scotland’s website.

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