Hardship Fund for Creative Freelancers in Scotland
26/10/2020
Hardship Fund for Creative Freelancers – Opens 26th October
What is this fund for?
To support creative freelancers working in Scotland who are experiencing immediate financial hardship due to the loss of income as a result of COVID-19.
The funds offer a one-off monetary contribution to those who are most deeply impacted and disadvantaged by the cancellation of work as a result of the emergency situation.
Funds are finite and a high level of demand is expected. The funders ask that only those in real need apply.
There is £5m allocated towards this programme. Bursaries can be requested for any sum from £500 – £2000. If you have specific access needs, then you may request more than this.
Who can apply?
These funds are to support freelance creative professionals working in the arts and creative sector in Scotland who are experiencing immediate financial difficulty due to the loss of income as a result of COVID-19.
These roles include those whose work has direct creative outcomes as well as those in supporting roles whose work directly supports the making and presentation of creative work.
All applicants must be based in Scotland and must be able to demonstrate they were working and making income as a freelance creative professional before lockdown began (in March 2020).
How does the application process work?
To apply, you will need to do the following:
- All applicants must register on the Creative Scotland online application portal. The application portal link – https://www.creativescotland.com/funding/funding-programmes/hardship-fund-for-creative-freelancers – will be available at midday on Monday 26 October 2020
- You will need to set up a temporary application account
- After email verification you will be asked for further contact details and to select your role from a drop-down list of eligible roles.
- Depending on the information received you will be given a Unique Reference Number and told which of the funding partners you should complete your application with
Hardship Fund For Creative Freelancers Guidance
Hardship Fund Frequently Asked Questions
Grants linked to strategic framework
Details of grants available to businesses as part of Scotland’s refreshed strategic approach to suppressing coronavirus (COVID-19) have been published.
From 2 November, firms that are required by law to close will be eligible for grants every four weeks for as long as the restrictions last. Based on rateable values, awards will be for either £2,000 or £3,000.
Businesses which can remain open, but are directly constrained by the measures, will be eligible for grants worth £1,400 or £2,100, again based on rateable value.
This support is in addition to the UK Government’s revised furlough scheme launching on 1 November.
Additional funding for businesses affected by temporary restrictions
More funding will be made available for businesses affected by the extension of temporary restrictions to slow the spread of coronavirus.
The First Minister announced that the current temporary restrictions will remain in place until 2 November. As a result, funding for business grants over this period will be increased proportionately.
The COVID-19 Restrictions Fund will now provide one-off grants of up to £4,310 to businesses required to close by regulations.
For businesses that may remain open but are directly impacted by the restrictions, the maximum hardship fund grant will increase to £2,155.
Additionally, grants of £1,650 will help those firms that are required to close to help meet the 20% employer’s contribution that they are required to pay under the current UK Government furlough scheme.
These one-off grants are for the period until 2 November only and will be replaced by a new system of business support to complement the “levels” approach due to be debated in Parliament next week.
UKFT is in constant dialogue with the government and is outlining the latest support available for UK fashion and textile businesses on our website. We will update this page as new guidance becomes available or the situation changes.