Grant Directories

VisitScotland is the national tourism organisation for Scotland that aims to contribute significantly to the advancement of Scottish tourism. Scotland’s Themed Years Programme, a bespoke open events funding programme, has been running since 2009 as a way to celebrate a particular side to Scotland that deserves recognition. Funded by EventScotland, the theme for 2020/21 is the Year of Scotland’s Coasts and Waters. Events and festival organisers can apply for funding to deliver one-off events or new programming strands that will celebrate Scotland’s coasts and waters.

The Scottish Government’s Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund provides funding to support collaborative projects that improve the visitor experience in rural parts of Scotland that are facing pressures on their infrastructure or negative impacts on communities due to significant increases in visitor numbers. Grants of between £75,000 and £375,000 are available to National Park Authorities and Local Authorities in rural areas across Scotland to support infrastructure requirements around (nonpaid for) visitor or natural attractions. Projects might include parking, scenic laybys, toilet provision, recycling points, or camping facilities. The Fund is administered by VisitScotland and requires a minimum of 25% match funding.

The Arts & Culture Impact Fund brings together public, private and charitable funding to provide affordable repayable finance to the UK’s arts, culture and heritage organisations able to demonstrate measurable positive social impact. The funding could be used, among other things, to acquire new assets, improve built infrastructure, develop new ventures or scale up existing revenue streams.

VisitScotland is the national tourism organisation for Scotland with the aim of contributing significantly to the advancement of Scottish tourism.   Through the Winter Festivals programme VisitScotland aims to bring together communities and visitors from all over the world to celebrate Scotland’s heritage, traditions and modern culture through the best of Scottish music, food and drink, arts and entertainment.

The Wolfson Foundation awards grants to support and promote excellence in education, science & medicine, the arts & humanities and health & disability. Through its Funding for Public Engagement with Science Organisations funding stream the Foundation aims to support organisations that are in possession of significant scientific or natural history collections to improve public engagement with science through projects related to the history of science. Grants are generally awarded towards refurbishing or creating new galleries and, occasionally, education and learning spaces.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund uses money raised by players of the National Lottery to fund projects that connect people and communities to the national, regional and local heritage of the UK. This could include oral history; cultural traditions; nature; natural and designed landscapes; community archaeology; historic buildings, monuments and environments; collections of objects, books or documents in museums, libraries or archives; etc. Funding is available for repairs and conservation, digital technology, new staff posts, paid training placements and professional fees.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund uses money raised by players of the National Lottery to fund projects that connect people and communities to the national, regional and local heritage of the UK. This could include oral history; cultural traditions; nature; natural and designed landscapes; community archaeology; historic buildings, monuments and environments; collections of objects, books or documents in museums, libraries or archives; etc. Funding is available for repairs and conservation, digital technology, new staff posts, paid training placements and professional fees. Grants range from £3,000 to £5,000,000.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund uses money raised by players of the National Lottery to fund projects that connect people and communities to the national, regional and local heritage of the UK. This could include oral history; cultural traditions; nature; natural and designed landscapes; community archaeology; historic buildings, monuments and environments; collections of objects, books or documents in museums, libraries or archives; etc.  Grants range from £3,000 to £5,000,000.

The Northern Periphery Programme 2014-20  aims to help peripheral and remote communities on the northern margins of Europe to develop their economic, social and environmental potential.  During the period 2014-2020, the Programme will allocate approximately €56 million of ERDF to Projects and will focus on using innovation to maintain and develop robust and competitive communities;  promoting entrepreneurship to realise the potential of the programme area's competitive advantage;  fostering energy-secure communities through promotion of renewable energy and energy efficiency; and protecting, promoting and developing cultural and natural heritage.

The Idlewild Trust is a grant making organisation that supports registered charities concerned with the encouragement of the performing and fine arts and crafts, the advancement of education within the arts and the preservation for the benefit of the public of lands, buildings and other objects of beauty or historic interest in the United Kingdom. The Trust awards around £140,000 each year in grants and considers making grants of up to £5,000. In 2020 Idlewild Trust awarded 33 grants totalling £128,055, an average of nearly £3,880.