12 Dec 2023
From bringing the festive spirit to Eden Court in Inverness by supporting Sleeping Beauty panto fun, to helping a local business play an integral part in providing shoes for performers at the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, the latest round of the Culture & Business Fund Scotland has made an incredible difference in supporting meaningful connections between culture organisations and businesses.
This year, the C&BS Fund, which is managed by the charity Culture & Business Scotland and supported by the Scottish Government, has provided a total of £100,000 to match sponsorship generated through relationships with businesses. By encouraging business sponsorship through grants, the Fund aims to further develop cross-sector connections, as well as incentivise the creation of new relationships. The Fund has been distributed in varying amounts to 11 creative organisations across Scotland, ranging from grassroots initiatives to established cultural events.
Those benefitting from the most recent round include Eden Court, which received an award towards their pantomime production, to equal funding provided by Tailormade Moves to the delivery of their panto, Sleeping Beauty. Meanwhile, Edinburgh Festival Fringe partnered with Playbill to support the creation of a new Fringe app, and the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo matched with Thistle Shoes, which provided shoes for all dancers who performed at the Tattoo in 2023.
Tommy McCormick, Culture & Business Scotland Programmes Manager said: “The significance of the Fund to Scotland’s culture and business sectors cannot be underestimated. With reasons ranging from brand awareness to staff relations, and from corporate social responsibility to ESG targets, there are many opportunities for business organisations to unlock commercial gains through engagement with culture. From a culture sector perspective, our recent survey of participating organisations showed that 40% of recipients are relying on the Fund to make their budgets viable, and with money being distributed to organisations large and small across the country, its positive effects are reverberating through Scotland’s communities too.”
Other successful applications included Journey to the East Productions in Glasgow, who were supported by E.G Business Equipment to deliver their 2023 edition of the Festival. Living Memory Museum in Edinburgh received match funding for The Wee Hub, linked with business partner Ocean Terminal.
In addition, the organisations below also received funding:
Head of Fundraising and Development at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society Westaly Duignan said: “Funding from Culture & Business Scotland this year allowed us to extend the footprint of our partnership with new sponsor, Playbill, and enhance the experience of our Street Events programme for both audiences and performers. The funding helped us to deliver clear signage to, and branding of, the performance spaces on the Mound, in central Edinburgh, adding value to our partnership and supporting audiences to see free shows. A key element of this was the Fringe Taster Stage, a popular area for artists, local community groups and schools to perform at the Fringe. Our thanks to the team at Culture & Business Scotland for their kind support this year”.
Eden Court Fundraising Manager Aelish O’Rourke said: “We are incredibly grateful for the support of Culture & Business Scotland Fund. The fund is not only helping us stage a much-loved festive show, it played a key part in also leveraging vital business support by enabling us to nurture and expand a sponsor relationship”.
Since its inauguration in 2017, the Fund has enabled 169 projects across Scotland to transform their artistic and creative visions into reality.
The Fund serves Culture & Business Scotland’s commitment to facilitating meaningful connections between the culture and business sectors, creating the possibility for businesses to sponsor creative projects with vision and scope.
Pictured: Sleeping Beauty Pantomime
Picture courtesy of Ewan Wetherspoon
