A major Lottery funding scheme worth £8m is being targeted at increasing participation in the arts in Scotland. The scheme, known as ‘Inspire’, has been developed as part of the Scottish Arts Council’s (SAC) commitment to providing more opportunities for wider and better engagement with the arts.
It aims to help increase the number and range of people taking part in the arts, particularly children and young people, and especially those who have had little opportunity to participate in the past. Arts organisations, voluntary and community groups will all be eligible to apply for grants, and there is no minimum or maximum funding level. Jim Tough, Acting Chief Executive at SAC, said, “The flexibility of the new fund will allow us to support the new and innovative, and we hope to encourage collaborative creative exchanges and new partnerships to ensure more, wider and better participation.” The deadline for applications to Inspire is 5 May, and a series of roadshows will take place across Scotland this month and next.