What is the Open Fund for Individuals?
- It is a fund that can support a wide range of research, development and project activity.
- Applicants can request between £500 and £50,000.
- There are three funding levels - £500 to £5,000, £5,001 to £20,000 and £20,001 to £50,000.
- There are no deadlines for this fund, you can apply at any time, subject to available budget allocations.
- You can apply for activities lasting up to 24 months.
- We will inform you of the outcome of your application within 10 weeks for requests up to £20,000 or 14 weeks for requests over £20,000.
Purpose and Demands of this Fund
The Purpose of This Fund
The Open Fund for Individuals is one of Creative Scotland’s key funding programmes, supporting the wide range of activity initiated by artists, writers, producers and other creative practitioners in Scotland.
Applicants must demonstrate how their activity will not only benefit their own creative development, but also provide opportunities for the wider community to develop, evolve and flourish. We have a duty to ensure that our funding benefits as wide a range of people as possible across the whole country, so you will be expected to tell us how you will promote Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in your activity.
We also want to understand how you have considered your activity’s impact on environmental sustainability.
Demands on This Fund
The Open Fund for Individuals is highly competitive. Applications have more than doubled since 2019 and increased by 42% in the past year. However, during this same period, Creative Scotland’s budgets have remained at the same level.
Due to the high demand, 70% to 75% of applications assessed as meeting the criteria do not receive funding because the budget cannot meet the demand. It is important to understand this context before applying for funding.
How much can I apply for?
You can apply for between £500 and £50,000.
There are three funding levels – £500 to £5,000, £5,001 to £20,000 and £20,001 to £50,000. We ask for only the information needed to make an informed decision, varying based on your application and request amount.
We aim to award the requested funds, if possible, but may grant less if, for example, ineligible costs are included in your budget.
Who Can Apply?
Freelance and self-employed artists and creative practitioners living in Scotland who are at least 18 years old.
You must have a UK bank account in your legal name, which must be the same name you apply under. Please ensure the name on your funding application matches the name on your bank account, as we cannot pay into an account with a different name. Please visit the Applicant's Legal Name page for more details on this.
We recognise some applicants may use a different chosen name. We are working on updating our system to allow for chosen names and will update this guidance once changes are made. If you are not a self-employed individual or a sole trader, you may be eligible for The National Lottery Open Fund for Organisations.
Full-time students cannot apply to this fund. Part-time students can apply but will need to prove their part-time status and that the activity they are applying for does not contribute to their academic studies.
If you need assistance from a friend, colleague or support worker to complete your application, you must create an online account with Creative Scotland. You can then grant them access to your funding application. Please visit our Sharing access to your funding application page for more information.
