Purpose of Fund

This fund has been established with funding from Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the Scottish Arts Council. Its purpose is to support musicians based in the Highlands and Islands (defined by the area for which Highlands and Islands Enterprise has a remit: Arran, Argyll and the Islands, Highland, Western Isles, Orkney, Shetland and Moray) by helping to meet the costs of a range of activities which can assist the development of an individual musician’s practice.

Scope of Fund

Grants of up to £500 are available to support initiatives which will assist you to develop and extend your own personal practice as a musician.  This may include:

• Travel to undertake research, establish contacts and partnerships, and explore opportunities for future projects
• Short term or one off training courses, master-classes, mentoring, and other experiences which lead to improved professional skills
• Participation in events, eg festivals, tours
• Recording of demos.

This is not an exclusive list.  If you are unsure if your project may be eligible, please consult HI~Arts before submitting your application.

The following costs are not eligible for support:

• Purchase of equipment or instruments
• Rental of rehearsal space
• General living expenses

Applicants are encouraged to request the appropriate funds required for their project and will not automatically be awarded the maximum grant available.  HI~Arts reserves the right to offer an amount different from that requested.

Applicants are expected to make a contribution equivalent to 25% of the relevant costs.  For example, if the overall project costs £600, you may apply for up to £450.

Note: applications for projects costing more than £500 must also indicate how else the balance of the costs will be funded (eg sponsorship; applicant’s own contribution, Local Authority grant, etc).  In such cases it will be a condition of the award that you demonstrate that the matching funding has been confirmed.

Who is eligible?

Individual musicians who have been resident in the Highlands and Islands for at least 12 months prior to the date of application to the Fund.  The definition of ‘musician’ includes performers and composers, but this scheme cannot be used to assist costs directly related to work as a teacher (whether independent or within the formal education sector).

The scheme is intended to benefit ‘professional’ musicians, but an inclusive approach is taken to this definition, and applications will be welcomed from those who are aspiring to professional status.

Criteria for decision making

• the extent to which your proposal meets the scope and purpose of the fund
• the relationship of your proposal to your own work as a musician
• the quality of your work
• the extent to which your proposal will benefit your personal practice

Decisions will be based entirely on the quality of the applicant’s work, and the benefits which will accrue from the proposed project.

Exclusions to eligibility

• Funding is not available, for any purpose, if you are currently undertaking a full-time course of study—this includes both school and college students
• Funding cannot be given towards the costs of undertaking major courses of study (ie lasting 6 months or more), whether part-time or full-time
• Funding is not available for marketing or publication costs (eg production of posters, brochures, promotional websites, etc).
• Applications will not be considered for projects already started, or planned to start before the relevant application deadline
• Applications cannot be made simultaneously to this scheme, and to SAC Professional Development schemes, for the same project. It is however possible to apply subsequently to this scheme for a project which has been the subject of an unsuccessful application to the SAC Professional Development scheme.
• Successful applicants cannot reapply for an additional award from this scheme for a period of not less than one year from receipt of the award. Please note, that if successful, applicants can only receive a maximum of three awards in any five year period. They are however eligible to apply to other Scottish Arts Council or Highlands and Islands Enterprise schemes during this period, but only for a different project.
• This scheme cannot be used to gain additional funds for any project which has already received funding from the Scottish Arts Council, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, or any Local Enterprise Company within the HIE Network.  That is, this scheme cannot be used to ‘top up’ grants already received from these agencies.

How to submit a proposal

Applications should be made to HI~Arts using the appropriate application form.  The form should be accompanied by relevant material, eg CD, tape, video, published music, reviews, etc, and by an up to date CV. Other relevant information (eg brochures for courses, programmes for events) should also be included.

All submitted supporting material will be returned. Please note that HI~Arts cannot accept responsibility for damage or loss of submitted material.

When to apply

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, but should not be submitted less than four weeks before the start of any specific project or event. The budget for the scheme is however fixed for the year, and applications submitted towards the end of the year may not be able to be funded.

Your applications will be acknowledged on receipt by HI~Arts. Applications will then be considered within two weeks of the deadline. You will be informed of the decision by HI~Arts no later than one week after a decision has been taken.

Equal Opportunities

This scheme is open to any musician based within the catchment area, regardless of race, colour, gender, disability, or sexual orientation.  Decisions will be based entirely on the quality of the applicant’s work, and the benefits which will accrue from the proposed project.

Appeals

You can appeal against a funding decision only if there was additional information which existed but was not made available at the time the grant was considered, which would have materially altered the decision, or if the applicant considers there has been malpractice.  Information on HI~Arts’ appeals procedures is available from the officer contact given below.

Publicity

You should note that it is SAC’s and HIE’s policies to publicise the award of grants.  All grants may be announced by either HI~Arts or SAC through the media or other means.

Officer contact:

Applications should be submitted to Laura Martin, Acting Funding Manager, HI~Arts, at the address below, and should be marked ‘Music Awards’.

Laura Martin
Music Awards
HI~Arts
Fourth Floor
Ballantyne House
84 Academy Street
Inverness
IV1 1LU

Tel: 01463 717091
 e-mail: laura@hi-arts.co.uk
Website: www.hi-arts.co.uk

Information on Scottish Arts Council funding for musicians is available from the SAC’s Music Department at 12 Manor Place, Edinburgh EH3 7DD (0131 226 6051); website: www.sac.org.uk

Download the application from below (note you will need Adobe Acrobat v5 to open this file)