Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival are inviting applications for a small grants scheme to support participatory arts projects taking place as part of the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival 2025.
With funding from the Baring Foundation and Creative Scotland, they are offering grants of between £750 and £1,250 to support regional participatory arts projects in areas currently underrepresented in the SMHAF programme. In 2025, grants will support projects taking place in Aberdeen, Dundee, and towns and rural areas across Scotland.
This year, we will have a strategic focus on Dundee, Aberdeen, and towns and rural areas across Scotland. The fund will support between six and eight projects overall.
GUIDELINES
The SMHAF Regional Participatory Arts Fund is open to individual artists, organisations, or artists working in partnership with an organisation, but the project must be led by a named artist working across any artform (including, but not limited to, music, film, writing, visual art, theatre and dance).
By ‘Participatory Arts’ they mean projects in which the audience or community is actively involved in the creative process, becoming co-creators alongside artists. Participatory arts projects involve collaboration and shared decision-making, and should empower those taking part to express themselves creatively with guidance from a lead artist.
In addition to prioritising applications from Dundee, Aberdeen and towns and rural areas across Scotland, proposals should also directly engage people with experience of mental health problems or who are are most at risk of experiencing poor mental health. These include families and young people at elevated risk, refugees and asylum seekers, people living with long term conditions, and people from racialised communities.
HOW TO APPLY
Applications should be submitted through our online application form. The closing date for applications is Wed 18 June 2025 at 11.59pm.
ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
Now in its 19th year, the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival (SMHAF) takes place across Scotland and is led by the Mental Health Foundation. It aims to provides a platform for everyone to create and share art inspired by mental health and explores how the arts and creativity can support people to live mentally healthier lives.
SMHAF 2025 takes place across Scotland from 20 October – 9 November 2025, exploring the theme Comfort & Disturb. For further information, please contact smhaf@mentalhealth.org.uk or visit https://www.mhfestival.com/2025/05/call-for-applications-s.
