Bursaries of £500 and £1000 now available
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Autumn deadline: 5pm, 22 October 2024
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Winter deadline: 5pm, 4 February 2025
Practising Visual Artists and Craft Makers across the country are invited to apply for grants of up to £1000 to support their creative and professional development, thanks to funding from The National Lottery through Creative Scotland in partnership with 17 different VACMA schemes covering 25 Local Authorities, and arts agencies across Scotland.
The Visual Artist and Craft Maker Awards (VACMA) fund activities such as mentoring and skills development, testing new ideas, experimenting with sustainable and renewable materials, purchasing necessary equipment, and residencies tailored to the artist’s creative and professional development.
The programme offers a newly enhanced £1000 bursary for artists and makers who have been practising for over 5 years, as well as a £500 early-career bursary for artists and makers that have been practising for less than 5 years.
Funding criteria and information about how to apply is available at www.creativescotland.com/vacma.
Sarah MacIntyre, Visual Arts Officer at Creative Scotland said: “VACMA provides crucial support to artists and craft makers at all stages of their careers, enabling them to test new ideas, develop skills, and create exciting new work. This programme thrives on the commitment and collaboration of our local partners, who are dedicated to fostering and supporting artistic practice in their communities. These small-scale yet often transformational awards have a lasting impact, not only on the individual recipients but the wider communities that they are part of.”
The scheme launches simultaneously with the publication of an evaluation of how VACMA has evolved in recent years and the benefits that it brings to artists, makers and partners. Within the report it was found that the vast majority of VACMA recipients identified positive benefits to their practice from their award. 97% said VACMA was beneficial to their practice overall, with 73% saying it was very beneficial. Furthermore, 95% agreed that receiving a VACMA award made them feel more confident about their practice.
In response to the report, Creative Scotland and VACMA Partners have made changes to the programme this year including increasing the upper bursary level to £1000 and improving the accessibility of the fund by offering applicants the option to apply for Personal Access Costs.
Information sessions
Information sessions, delivered by partner representatives and members of Creative Scotland’s Visual Arts Team, will take place on Microsoft Teams and will be followed and a Q&A:
- 25 September 2024 (2 to 3pm)
- 14 January 2025 (11am to 12pm)
Find out more and sign up now.
Background
The VACMA scheme is a devolved partnership fund administered locally by partners who provide partnership income and in-kind support. It covers the following 25 local authority areas: Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and Bute, Ayrshire (North, South and East), City of Edinburgh, Dundee, East Lothian, Fife, Perth & Kinross, Forth Valley (Falkirk, Stirling and Clackmannanshire), Glasgow, Highlands, Moray, Na h-Eileanan Siar, North Lanarkshire, Orkney, South of Scotland (Borders and Dumfries & Galloway), Shetland Islands and West Dunbartonshire.
Local Authorities interested in developing a local scheme, are invited to contact: [email protected].
The programme has been supported by Creative Scotland since it was established in 2010 and is managed by a network of local partners. Between 2018 and 2023 alone VACMA distributed 1208 awards to artists and makers across the country.
Creative Scotland is the public body that supports the arts, screen and creative industries across all parts of Scotland, distributing funding provided by the Scottish Government and The National Lottery. Further information at creativescotland.com. Follow us on X, Facebook and Instagram. Learn more about the value of art and creativity in Scotland and join in at www.ourcreativevoice.scot
Media contact
Olivia Carr, Media Relations and PR Coordinator, Creative Scotland
Tel: +44 7970 962 322