Creative Scotland Hardship Fund

***Please note that applications open midday on 10 November, you will only be able to apply from then***

What is this fund for?

This fund has been provided by Scottish Government to support freelance craft practitioners working in Scotland who are experiencing immediate financial hardship due to the loss of income as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This fund offers a one-off bursary to those who are most deeply impacted and disadvantaged as a result of COVID-19.
This includes practitioners who operate using a personal service company (PSC) or ‘loan-out’ type structure, sole traders and PAYE freelancers.

How much can you apply for?

Applicants can apply for up to £2,000. You may request more than £2,000 if your request includes access costs.

Who is eligible?

• Freelance craft makers, including designer makers
• Maker educators working in craft
• Craft curators
• Craft creative producers
• Craft writers
• Musical instrument makers
• Craft studio technicians
• Craft project managers
• Craft gallerists

Who is not eligible?

• Those who cannot demonstrate an ongoing career in the Scottish craft sector.
• Those actively working in full-time employment.
• Employees (other than employees of a personal service company) who
  are furloughed under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and are receiving 80% or more of their full-time salary
• Practitioners who have been able to furlough themselves as employees of their own personal service company under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and have received support equivalent to, or in excess of, the UK living wage pro rata, since 1 April 2020.
• Self-employed individuals (or members of a partnership) who have received support under the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS) equivalent to, or in excess of the UK living wage, pro rata, since 1 April 2020 .
• Individuals based outside Scotland
• Anyone still at school, or studying either full time, or as part of a long
  term, formal or accredited programme at college or university (at the
  time of application).
• Academics or other education professionals not in freelance positions,
  including classroom art teachers
• Craft venue managers, front of house staff and other venue staff
• Craft shop owners

What information do you need to give us in your request?
Along with basic information we will ask you to submit the following in support of your request:

• A CV (Curriculum Vitae) or biography of your work.
• A professional referee: this is someone in a senior management
  position within the
• craft sector or someone in a recognised role within the industry that
  you have worked for or provided services to.
• Registered company number or unique taxpayer reference (UTR),
  where relevant
• Valid photo ID (driving licence or passport) and proof of address
• We may seek additional evidence from you as part of our eligibility
  check.

You must be able to confirm:

• That you earn 50% of your income working freelance in the craft sector as defined by the criteria of this fund (see eligibility)
• Are in need of immediate financial assistance due to COVID-19
• That your income has been substantially reduced due to COVID-19
• Are not currently in full-time Further or Higher Education
• Have less than £6,000 in savings
• That your usual residence is in Scotland
• That the larger part of your employment takes place in Scotland
• That you are not in receipt of benefit from the government as a
  result of loss of earnings due to COVID-19, or if you are, that the sum total of the amount received is less that the UK living wage pro rata, since 1 April 2020.

What is the overall budget for this fund and how much can I apply for?

• The total budget for this fund is £390k.
• Bursaries can be requested for any sum from £500 up to £2,000.
• The funding comes from the Scottish Government’s emergency
  funding package for the culture sector. The Scottish Government has committed £5m through Creative Scotland for creative freelancers who are experiencing hardship due to lost income from work and / or practice in the creative sector due to COVID-19. The remainder of the funds for the wider arts and creative sector will be delivered through a range of partners operating existing hardship funds, supplemented by direct support from Creative Scotland for eligible freelancers whose roles are not supported by external funds.
• If your application is eligible, we will award you the full amount requested. Given the finite nature of the fund, please be mindful of the needs of others and our desire to help as many people as we can. Please note that you may not apply to both the Crafts Council/Craft Scotland Hardship Fund and Creative Scotland and its external partners’ Hardship Funds.

How to apply

Step 1: Register with Creative Scotland from midday, 10 November for a unique reference number to allow you to process your application. https://www.creativescotland.com/creative-freelancers

Step 2. Complete and submit the request form through our online portal: https://craftscouncil.smapply.io/

Please let us know if you need any support with submitting a request, for example if you have any access needs, are unable to complete the online application form, or if English is not your first language. For access support, please contact

1. We will determine your eligibility by reviewing the information provided in your CV / biography to ensure that you are a freelance screen practitioner as defined by this fund. As part of our process Craft Scotland will assist us in reviewing your application.
2. If necessary, we will contact your referee with a standard request to verify that you / your company has provided services as a craft practitioner.
3. If required, we will contact you to clarify information provided in your request. We may also request additional information to help us verify that you derive your income from freelance work in the craft sector.
4. After approving your request and upon receipt of your account details, we will pay 100% of the bursary requested.
5. There will be no contract for the bursary and we will not seek any monitoring or reporting information after the bursary payment.

Please note: We will be working in a partnership arrangement with Craft Scotland who will support our team in reviewing and processing requests submitted to the Hardship Fund. To ensure the appropriate use of public funding and to avoid duplication, Crafts Council may share certain information for comparison purposes (including your name, email address, type of fund applied to and funding amount requested) with a third party funding organisation, who will become a controller of your personal information when they receive it.

If we cannot establish that you are a freelance craft practitioner whose earnings are directly impacted by COVID-19 we will let you know that your request has not been approved. This decision will be final.

We will respond to all requests within 4 weeks from the date of receipt, and will try to respond more quickly where possible. If our capacity becomes reduced we will contact you to discuss an amended timescale. If you need help with submitting a request due to access needs, or are unable to fill in the online application form or require information in other formats, please get in touch with us and we can arrange support for you.