The Multi-Year Funding Process

This page provides an overview of the Multi-Year process, through Intention to Apply, Stage 1, Stage 2 and final decisions, as well as links to guidance for applicants and timelines.

Key feedback from the Funding Review conducted in 2019/20 was that Creative Scotland should create the conditions whereby as many cultural organisations as possible can benefit from sustainable, multi-year funding.  

Following a necessary delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the delivery of emergency funding for the sector, the Multi-Year Funding Programme was developed and launched in 2023, with an online, two-stage application process and assessments being made in-line with Creative Scotland’s strategic priorities.  

Stage 1 Fund Guidance

  • The fund guidance was published on Wednesday 26 July 2023

Intention to Apply

  • Intention to Apply opened on Wednesday 26 July 2023 and closed on Thursday 10 August 2023 

  • This was a mandatory process for all applicants who intended to apply for Multi-Year Funding, asking for organisational details and an approximate yearly budget 

  • 509 organisations registered with an indicative annual funding request of £114 million

Stage 1 Applications

  • Applications to Stage 1 opened on Wednesday 6 September 2023 and closed on Wednesday 25 October 2023 

  • Applicants were asked a series of questions and were required to outline the public benefits they would deliver against the fund criteria. Applicants were also asked to provide an indicative programme overview and budget outline. 

  • Applicants were invited to join a series of online application walkthroughs and live Q&A sessions which ran throughout the application period and reached over 400 attendees 

  • 361 organisations applied at Stage 1, requesting £96 million per year

Stage 1 Assessment and Decision Making

  • Assessment and decision making was undertaken between November 2023 and January 2024 

  • Following the deadline, Stage 1 applications were checked for eligibility and then assessed by teams comprised of specialists across the organisation and scored against the evidence provided on how strongly they met each fund criteria 

  • There were minimum scores required to be considered for funding 

  • An internal quality assurance stage and a portfolio review were then undertaken, identifying any national gaps against three strategic lenses (diversity-led, local contexts, and national ecology) 

  • Final recommendations were presented to the Creative Scotland Board, who reviewed and approved the recommended portfolio of organisations to progress to Stage 2 

  • Stage 1 decisions were announced on Tuesday 27 February 2024, with 285 organisations invited to progress to Stage 2. All applicants were given a copy of the full assessment of their Stage 1 application.

Stage 2 Fund Guidance

  • Supplementary Stage 2 guidance was published Wednesday 17 January 2024

Stage 2 Applications

  • Applications opened on Wednesday 6 March 2024 and closed on Wednesday 24 April 2024 

  • To accompany the information already submitted, applicants were asked to submit a business plan, financial pro-forma and answer a series of criteria focused questions, directing us to the parts of the business plan which evidenced how they would deliver on commitments 

  • 281 applications were received seeking funding of £88.4 million

Stage 2 Assessment and Decision Making

  • Assessment and decision making for Stage 2 was undertaken between May 2024 and January 2025 

  • Following the deadline, Stage 2 applications were reallocated to assessment teams comprised of specialists across the organisation and assessed on the evidence provided on how strongly their proposal met the fund criteria 

  • Applications were also given a financial risk rating based on the information supplied in the financial pro-forma. 

  • An internal quality assurance stage and portfolio and financial review were then undertaken to consider the portfolio in light of the final budget settlement from the Scottish Government. 

  • Final recommendations were presented to the Creative Scotland Board, who reviewed and approved the final Multi-Year Portfolio in January 2025

Decisions

  • Decisions were originally scheduled for October 2024, the final announcement was postponed until January 2025 to allow for the Scottish Government draft budget announcement in December and clarification on Creative Scotland’s budget 

  • The final decisions were communicated to applicants on Thursday 30 January 2025 

  • Applicant contracting will take place in February and March 2025, with funding to all successful applicants scheduled to be awarded from April 2025.