Youth Scotland: Step into the Arts Youth Arts Fund

Closing date: Mon 1 May 2023: 11pm

Step into the Arts is a new youth led fund that will provide opportunities and support for young people to get involved in the arts, especially young people who might not usually be able to access them.

Made possible with funding from Creative Scotland, £65,000 is available to young people aged 5 – 25 from across Scotland. Applications from young people aged 25 – 30 are also acceptable if they show that they are facing significant barriers to accessing the arts.

Two funding routes are available:

1) First Steps into the Arts – for young people who have some, a little or no experience with the arts, and want to explore them further

2) Next Steps into the Arts – for young people who have experience in the arts, want to improve their practice, and may be considering a creative career

What They Want to Fund
All projects must be completely youth led – the idea must come from the young person or young people; they must decide on what to put in the application and carry out the project if they are successful. They will also be looking out for projects that meet one or more of the criteria below. Projects that meet three or more of the criteria points will be prioritised:

– Enable young people to access the arts who might otherwise face barriers
– Use arts to support young people’s self-expression
– Use arts to support young people’s mental health and wellbeing
– Use arts to get young people’s voices and perspectives heard
– Will have a lasting impact on the young people doing the project

Who Can Apply
Young people aged 5 – 25 living in Scotland (or up to 30 if you face significant barriers to accessing the arts). Young people can apply as an individual or team of two, or in a group of three or more young people.

They understand that many young people, particularly those aged 5 – 11, may need extra support to apply and carry out their project if they are successful. In these cases they may seek help from a supporting adult.

Applicants must be based in Scotland. They strongly encourage applications from groups who are living in areas where there are fewer education and employment opportunities, higher instances of crime, and higher levels of poverty. These will be identified using the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD). They will aim to ensure that at least 50% of successful groups are from SIMD 1 – 4 areas.

You can apply for funding between £100 and £3000.

For further information, please contact eloise.acland@youthscotland.org.uk or visit https://www.youthscotland.org.uk/programmes/step-into-the-arts/

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Closing date: Mon 1 May 2023: 11pm

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