Multi-year funding deals for culture sector hailed as ‘foundational moment’

The culture sector has received funding deals which could be “truly transformational”, Angus Robertson said after 144 further organisations received multi-year settlements from Creative Scotland.

The Culture Secretary said the deals announced on Thursday mean 251 organisations will share more than £200 million over the next three years.

A number of groups in the sector have been pushing the Scottish Government for multi-year funding deals.

Last year some of Scotland’s best-known music acts warned of a looming “cultural catastrophe” due to cuts in arts funding.

The Scottish Government said the organisations receiving the new multi-year deals will see an uplift of around a third in the next financial year.

Mr Robertson said: “This is a foundational moment for culture and the arts in Scotland.

“More organisations than ever, in more parts of the country, will benefit from the stability of multi-year funding, with the number of funded organisations more than doubling from 119 to 251.

“Funded as part of a record £34 million increase for culture in the draft 2025-26 Scottish Budget, this significant increase in both the number of funded organisations, and the level of grant funding they will receive, has the potential to be truly transformational.

“It means 251 culture organisations across Scotland, from Argyll and Bute to Shetland, Na h-Eileanan Siar, and the Borders, will receive multi-year funding from April this year, and a further 13 have the possibility of doing so from 2026-27.

“I am also reassured that the remaining unsuccessful applicants will all be offered bespoke support from Creative Scotland to adapt their business models.”

Robert Wilson, chairman of arts body Creative Scotland, said: “This is an extremely positive moment for culture in Scotland, bringing with it a renewed sense of stability and certainty to Scotland’s culture sector.

“Thanks to the vote of confidence in the culture sector, demonstrated by the recently announced Budget from the Scottish Government, Creative Scotland can offer stable, year-on-year funding to more organisations than ever before.

“I’m particularly pleased that this funding will increase further from next year, enabling even more fantastic artistic and creative work to be developed here in Scotland.”

Earlier this month, Creative Scotland said new controls had been “baked into” its funding processes following anger over its support for the explicit arts production Rein.

Dame Sue Bruce is also chairing a review of the arts body’s remit and functions – the first such review since Creative Scotland was established in 2010.

Mr Robertson took questions from MSPs at Holyrood on Thursday, with opposition parties broadly welcoming the funding deals.

Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser asked the Culture Secretary if no local theatres would face closures.

Mr Roberston said there had been discussions with local authorities around this and the Government wants to “maintain as much of our cultural infrastructure as possible”.

Labour’s Neil Bibby questioned whether the funding is transformational given “years of standstill funding and inflationary pressures”, asking how many organisations had not received their full funding requests.

The Culture Secretary said Creative Scotland is an arm’s-length organisation and would provide answers on this, adding that the funding is “much more than a step in the right direction”.

He also assured MSPs that projects like Rein, the explicit show which prompted controversy, will not be supported in future.