Small Grants Fund
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is involved in the programme?
Creative Scotland are the funders of the national programme and oversee all the decisions and the distribution of the awards. In the Borders the delivery of the fund is being run by the Creative Learning Network, which is part of the Council’s Education department, in partnership with YouthBorders.
At the end of 2020 Creative Scotland asked for organisations to apply to deliver the awards locally and our bid was successful.
The Creative Learning Officer and the Chief Officer of YouthBorders are the main contacts for the project.
Who can apply?
Applications can be from self employed practitioners, with their own independent practice. We will weight the applications toward artists based in the Borders or regions surrounding it, as part of our programmes aim is to support local freelance creatives but practitioners from all areas are welcome to apply. All applicants must live in Scotland as the fund is supported by Creative Scotland.
The fund is not open to applications from organisations, local authorities, groups or clubs.
Can I apply if my main income is from my role with for an organisation or company?
A focus of the fund is to create work opportunities for freelance artists and creative practitioners, especially those affected by Covid-19.
If you work part time for an organisation and can demonstrate that you have a substantial freelance practitioner role outside of your job you can apply, as long as it is separate to the work of your organisation. If you trade through a Community Interest Company (CIC) or a micro business that you have set up but are essentially a sole trader that also fits within the suitability requirements.
We appreciate that there are many excellent artists, musicians and creatives who are employed, who also do some additional work in their own time but we want to prioritise on those who main income has suffered under Covid -19.
What activities will you fund?
We are looking for projects that will deliver within these area’s
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- Music
- Visual art
- Image Making (Film or Photography)
We broadly see visual art as covering drawing, painting, sculpture, ceramics, textiles, printmaking and craft. Whilst the visual arts includes Film or Photography we have added this as a sperate strand to promote these particular areas and digital engagement.
What are the target groups of young people?
The project targets have been set by Creative Scotland and a high proportion of the young people and children involved must come from least one of the following groups.
- those living in poverty or residing in areas of social and economic
deprivation. - experiencing or at risk of experiencing harm and neglect
- who are looked after (as defined by the Children (Scotland) Act
1995) and care leavers - in the early years (0-5) of their life
- from Black and/or Minority Ethnic backgrounds
- who have a disability and/or additional support needs
- at risk of offending or have previously offended
- who are young carers (as defined by the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016)
and/or young parents - experiencing or at risk of homelessness, or who have been homeless
- We are looki g for project that come under the experiencing mental ill health
For many of these groups of young people barriers include accessibility, the perceptions of and access to cultural opportunities, rural isolation, multiple layers of deprivation and the education attainment gap.
What age range of children and young people can I work with?
Creative Scotland consider young people to be in the ages of 0-25. Projects can work across these age as long as they fit within the targeted groups.
Who can I partner with?
Each practitioner will need to partner with an existing learning community, early years setting, community or youth group. The Creative Learning Officer and YouthBorders can assist with contacts, links and matching between artists and these groups.
Projects can be delivered with schools if the target groups are met but projects are not meant to support regular class teaching and must demonstrate a level of work outside of school hours and community engagement.
Do I need to find my partner
We are flexible in how artists, musicians and partners find each either. YouthBorders can help match your project idea to a suitable group. We may offer a ‘speed dating’ session or list of groups interested in being involved.
If you have a group or setting you already know and would like to work with them, speak with them first and see how you can work together. If you have an idea but don’t know the right group we can help you in finding a partner.
You must ensure that the group you chosen have the capacity to work with you and help support the project as collaboration is a key theme of the process.
What are the five localities in the Borders
The are five Localities or Area Partnerships across the Borders, each with its own plan. The Locality Information links below take you to the Scottish Borders Council website page for each locality, including population data, maps and their action plans.
This is a direct link to all the Locality Action Plans
How do I apply?
The guidance, application form, code of conduct, and equalities and diversity forms are on the main project page of this website.
How much can I apply for?
In each locality we will offer two grants, one of approximately £2500 to £3000 and another of £4500 to £5000.
We don’t require projects to match these amount exactly but no project must exceed the £5000 limit. If two projects apply for the same amount in one locality we will discuss plans with the applicants and we may choose to award a portion of the amount requested to match the budget set by Creative Scotland. If you are unsure then it is best to speak to us for advice.
How will the fund be distributed?
90% of funds will transferred to the artists from the week commencing 29th March to early April 2021. The remaining 10% will be delivered following the completion of the project and the delivery of an end of project report.
When will the activities be delivered?
The projects, including the end of project report must be delivered between 1st May 2021 and 28th February 2022.
We expect most projects will be delivered in the during the spring, summer or early autumn of 2021.
What happens if there is another lockdown or Covid-19 restrictions?
In your application we will want to see how your project can still be delivered under Covid -19, taking account of any restrictions. This could be by using digital and blended learning, working outdoors or planning to deliver the activities during the summer when the restrictions are most likely to be reduced.
What is the application process?
The application process opens on the 8th February and the closing deadline is the 5th March at 5pm.
We will hold the selection panel during early March and inform successful artists in the week commencing the 22nd March.
90% of funds will transferred to the artists in late March or April 2021 with the remaining 10% delivered following the completion of each project and delivery of an End of Project report.
Can we include travel, equipment and materials costs within our budget?
Expenditure on these items is inevitable but the focus needs to be on contact time as much as possible. It is not a fund for equipment and only commit what you feel is needed to deliver the activity.
Equipment should not account for more than 15% of your project grant. It is good practice to include a project contingency of approximately 5%.
What support and training will you offer?
Supporting and developing all the artists involved is part of the program and we will provide a number of training sessions before all activities start.
We will look at current creative practice within education and learning, explore creativity skills and thinking, discussing how we could make use of digital tools and blended learning to help the delivery of your project.
We will monitor projects and keep in contact with practitioners as they plan and deliver their activities.
We will produce a report about the programme to highlight the wider outcomes, promote the work of those involved and encourage future activities.
You have some big ambitions for the projects, how I can deliver on them?
We make no apology for having high expectations for the projects and their leaders. Whilst we are realistic about how much can be delivered in a short space of time, we believe you should aim high and draw on the immense creative well of opportunity that young people can bring to the table.
We often talk about the power of creativity and want you to show how powerful it can be. That means good planning, listening, making the activities both empowering and enabling, being flexible, pushing the boundaries when needed and allowing all those involved to co-create.
That does not mean all projects should be delivered in the same way; all practitioners have their own style and we should take account of the varied needs of the young people involved. We believe in the multi faceted skills of the practitioners; who are able to inspire the participants in many ways, through being, creating and doing.
You ask for an end of project report, what will this mean?
As part of the reporting and evaluation process you will be required to collect some qualitative and quantitative information to demonstrate how your project has met its and the funds objectives. We will provide an End of Project Monitoring Form to successful applicants for evaluation. Please note that the final report must be submitted by 28th February 2022 at the latest, and applicants should ensure that their project timeline includes enough time for reporting and evaluation.
The report can include feedback from young people, questionnaires, video evidence and photographs, records of the numbers of participants and feedback from staff in the project you worked with.
The reports are not meant to be burdensome but we are looking for real evidence of what you achieved, how the project benefited and developed the young people and what the options are for the creative activity to continue or develop.
We will deliver training sessions for all artists involved and support will be made available throughout the year of activity and we will provide an End of Project Monitoring Form to use. The final report must be submitted by 28th February 2022 at the latest and ensure you include enough time for reporting and evaluation.
What are Creativity Skills?
Education Scotland which supports the Creative Learning Network has produced a number of graphics that explain these well. These skills are also being called Meta skills in the recent document A Skills model to drive Scotland’s Future from Skills Development Scotland.
In the 2020 Future of Jobs report the World Economic Forum lists skills employers want and Creativity is number 3 on the list.
So what has this to with artist led projects in the Borders; well we believe that creative people have hugely developed skills in these areas and through their work, can help draw out these valuable and future proofing skills in young people.
Creativity Skills-the-big-picture
What does Blended Learning look like?
Blended learning is simply a mixing of face-to-face and online ways of learning and doing. Whilst we want to spend lots of time in physical activity we have all learnt how useful digital resources can be in bringing people together in remote areas and keeping us going during lockdown. We don’t view it as a second best option though. as there can be deeper learning, investigation and wider access to creative experiences through digital technology.
Its another useful tool, ‘the thoughtful integration of… face-to-face learning experiences with online learning experiences.” (Garrison & Kanuka, 2004)
What is the Scottish Attainment Challenge?
The Attainment Challenge was launched in 2015 and aims to achieve equity in educational outcomes, with a particular focus on closing the poverty-related attainment gap. The focus is that every child achieves the highest standards in literacy and numeracy and the right range of skills, qualifications and achievements to allow them to succeed regardless of their background or circumstances. Whilst there is work to raise attainment for all children there is a specific focus on closing the educational attainment gap.
It is underpinned by The National Improvement Framework, Curriculum for Excellence and Getting it Right for Every Child
What is Youth Borders Stepping Stones Project?
Stepping Stones is a three-year project developed by the Scottish Borders
Youth Work Partnership which brings seven youth work organisations together with YouthBorders. It is funded by the National Lottery Community Fund. The projects seven delivery partners are; Beyond Earlston, Cheviot Youth, Rowland’s (Selkirk), Escape Youth Services, Connect Berwickshire Youth Project, TD1 Youth Hub and Tweeddale Youth Action.
The project is designed to make a step change in the way opportunities and support are given to improve the lives of young people. The desired long-term impacts of the project are:
-
- To improve young people’s emotional health and wellbeing, leading to
greater resilience, increased confidence, higher levels of self-esteem and
greater capacity to cope with life’s challenges. - To increase participation and engagement of young people, who have been
identified by ourselves and through partners as the most vulnerable and
disengaged, in their communities where they live, learn and play. - To better equip young people to deal with risky behaviours which impact on
their future life chances e.g. drugs, alcohol and sexual health. - To improve targeted services and activities through greater
collaboration with new and existing partners.
- To improve young people’s emotional health and wellbeing, leading to
More details about the project and YouthBorders can be found on their website.
YouthBorders | Scottish Borders Youth Organisations
Using your Personal Information
The Scottish Borders Council and YouthBorders both have policies in place that store and treat all data as per the Data Protection Act. We will only use your data in relation to the delivery of this fund and the necessary communication.
We will promote the activities, through social, digital and traditional media.
Can I get this information in an alternative format, language or receive have access support?
The Scottish Borders Council is committed to supporting applications in other formats. If you need to apply for funds in an alternative format, or you need support to make your application please contact Kevin Greenfield at the address on the bottom of this page
Needing to find out more ?
If your answer is not here or you want further advice contact
Creative Learning Officer
(Borders Youth Music Initiative & Creative Learning Network)
Children and Young People’s Services
Scottish Borders Council
Newtown St Boswells
TD6 0SA
t: 01835 826597
