The Scottish Executive has made funding available to Arts & Business Scotland to incentivise private sector sponsorship of the arts. £350,000 is available through the Scottish Executive New Arts Sponsorship Awards in both 2006/07 and 2007/08.

Eligible arts/business sponsorships can apply for £1 for £1 match funding, based on a minimum sponsorship of £1,000 (cash or in kind) up to a maximum of £50,000. To be eligible, the business must be sponsoring the arts in Scotland for the first time, or must not have sponsored the arts in Scotland since 31 March 2003. The business does not need to be based in Scotland, and sponsorships by clearly differentiated business units within a company may be considered, provided the sponsorship meets the criteria stated.

Application guidelines and an application form can be downloaded from their website at www.AandB.org.uk/Scotland . There are no closing dates. To discuss eligibility, or if you have any questions about the application process, please contact Jeanie Scott, Arts & Business Scotland. Tel: 0131 220 2499; E-mail: jeanie.scott@AandB.org.uk