Scottish arts festival blasts ‘dire’ funding process

The leader of a successful arts festival in Scotland has criticised arts funding processes after the festival missed out on funding from Creative Scotland this year.

Fringe by the Sea, based in North Berwick, was named Scotland’s ‘outstanding cultural event’ at the national tourism awards last year.

Writing in the Scotsman, the festival’s Director, Rory Steel said: “We understand there are public spending restrictions and know our plight is common amongst event organisers. However, there is a need to look at why arts funding is being squeezed, including inefficiencies in the way some of the funding bodies are run.”

Steel explained that the festival was turned down twice by Creative Scotland's adjudication panel, despite receiving a recommendation for approval. 

“The process seems more of a lottery than a true analysis of what is a huge amount of work by organisers,” he said. “I truly feel for someone with no experience of trying to secure Creative Scotland funding.”

He added: “With public money in decline, organisations like ours need to work hard to secure corporate funding. This is additionally difficult when marketing is the first thing to feel the pinch in tough economic conditions.”

“The last thing we need are arduous forms and dire approval processes that take up huge amounts of time.”

A spokeswoman for Creative Scotland told the Scotsman a total of £53,033 had been awarded to the festival between 2019 and 2023.