Edinburgh Festivals funding split between two digital projects
The £1 million Edinburgh Festivals funding will be spent on two projects and split into two £500,000 amounts. The UK government hope that this will enable improvements to allow people to virtually access the events across the country.
The Edinburgh Festivals are the biggest combined festivals in the UK. They attract almost 5 million people and generate £313 million for Scotland’s economy. This obviously provides unparalleled opportunities for artists across the county. The funds will be available to Festivals Edinburgh this financial year. It comes as part of ongoing support for culture in Edinburgh. If you’re thinking of applying, a Grant Writing Consultant can help you bid for funding efficiently.
Two Edinburgh Festivals funding objectives
Half of the funding is to be spent on a new digital platform. It aims to promote UK talent and content to both international and domestic producers. The other half will be made available to Festival organisers to increase their digital capabilities.
The Edinburgh Festivals funding will help buyers both nationally and internationally search for talent and content from the festival’s programmes.
The other half of the funding will be available to the 11 festivals in the Festivals Edinburgh event portfolio. This will enable them to support innovative digital and virtual solutions. The Edinburgh Festivals funding will encourage collaboration and development of hybrid events incorporating both live and digital aspects.
Overcoming challenges
The Edinburgh Festivals funding has been announced in response to enable greater digital access for audiences. Last year, many shows at the festivals had to move online due to the pandemic. It created quite a number of logistical and digital challenges for organisers. The challenge of moving both physical and online events coupled with increased demand for entertainment was a struggle. This releveled the global demand for British virtual cultural content, leading to the current funding opportunities.
This comes as part of the cultural sector’s post-Covid recovery plan. It is going to help safeguard Edinburgh’s landmark events, enabling the UK’s economy and cultural landscape to grow. It furthers the grant for businesses that are being awarded by the government. Other business grants they’ve provided recently include council business grants, start-up business grants and grants for charities.
Iain Stewart, UK Government Minister for Scotland, said:
“Edinburgh is world-famous for its festivals, bringing wider benefits to Scotland’s economy, tourism and arts sectors. We know the last 12 months have been difficult for the culture sector. This £1 million funding boost will support organisations to improve their digital capabilities and engage with audiences here in Scotland and further afield.
“This is on top of £97 million we provided last year to the Scottish Government to support Scotland’s arts organisations through the pandemic. Like everyone else, I look forward to our fantastic arts and culture coming back better than ever before, as soon as it is safe to do so.”
Oliver Dowden, Culture Secretary, said:
“Edinburgh’s Festivals have long been a springboard for the very best of British talent and a vital part of culture in Scotland and the UK. The UK Government’s investment will promote it to a worldwide audience online, helping the UK’s biggest combined festival build back better from the pandemic.”
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