The Culture Collective Fund, a Scottish Government initiative delivered through Creative Scotland, is now open for applications. This targeted funding programme is designed to support community-engaged creative projects that bring together artists, organisations, and communities to co-create cultural activity with lasting local and national impact.

Initially developed as part of Scotland’s cultural response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Culture Collective has since evolved to address broader societal challenges. These include the cost-of-living crisis, climate change, and persistent social inequalities. The fund encourages sustainable, creative development that is responsive to community needs and ideas, while also supporting a national network of learning and collaboration.

The fund offers grants ranging from £100,000 – £300,000, with a total annual budget of £3 million. Projects must begin from April 2026 and can run for up to 18 months. At least 50% of the total funding requested must be allocated to paying creative practitioners, ensuring fair and meaningful employment opportunities within the sector.

Eligible applicants are non-profit organisations based in Scotland whose work involves the arts, screen, or creative industries. Applicants must demonstrate a strong track record of working collaboratively with communities. The fund is not open to individuals, unconstituted groups, or organisations currently in administration, or based outside Scotland.

The Culture Collective Fund supports five key aims:

Empower communities to shape their cultural life through creative collaboration.
Create paid roles for creative practitioners to work with communities.
Support skills development and build community capacity.
Establish a national network to share learning and explore models of community-engaged creative practice.
Evaluate impact to inform future cultural policy and funding.

Applications follow a two-stage process. Interested organisations must first submit an expression of interest via the Creative Scotland website. Those meeting the eligibility criteria will be invited to submit a full application. The deadline for expressions of interest is 2pm on Wednesday 22 October 2025.

Funding cannot be used for core organisational costs, such as general administration or building maintenance, nor for equipment or activities unrelated to the proposed project.

For full guidance and to begin your application, please visit the Creative Scotland Culture Collective website (linked for your convenience).