Oh oh, sometimes I get a good feeling
Multi-Year Funding outcome news, plus community events and open calls for writers & writing
Hi everyone! Welcome! It’s great to have you here to share some happy news about this little industry that could.
This week’s newsletter title is borrowed from Good Feeling by Flo Rida (look, The Winner Takes It All felt like too much)
Multi-Year Funding outcome announced
Last Thursday, January 30, Creative Scotland announced the outcome of the Multi-Year Funding programme. The announcement sees 251 creative organisations across Scotland receiving more than £200 million in support over the next three years.
This support has been a long time coming after various culture budget cuts, u-turns, and broken promises from the Scottish Government in delivering much-needed funding for the arts and creative industries through Creative Scotland.
The Multi-Year Fund outcome announcement was initially scheduled for October 2024, but was pushed back due to a lack of clarity about Creative Scotland’s budget. This has meant delaying the decision until after the Scottish Government’s draft budget which was delivered to MSPs at Holyrood on December 4, 2024.
After ScotGov’s draft budget was announced, it was clear Creative Scotland could move forward with the Multi-Year Fund and finally deliver MYF decisions in January 2025.
What is the Multi-Year Fund and why is it needed?
The Multi-Year Fund will provide stable, long-term financial support to creative and cultural organisations in Scotland, enabling them to cover their core costs and programmes from April 2025 to March 2028.
The MYF replaces several year-on-year funding pathways including Regular Funding, and elements of Creative Scotland’s Open and Targeted Funding. It establishes a single fund with a unified application process, consistent criteria, and a common approach to relationship management for cultural and creative organisations. In theory, creating a more robust and resilient industry that can provide opportunities to arts and creative workers whether in-house or freelance.
The MYF is a response to a comprehensive funding review conducted in 2019/20, which recommended that Creative Scotland create the conditions for as many cultural organisations as possible to benefit from sustainable funding over multiple years. The delivery of this programme was delayed due to a shift in focus during the COVID-19 pandemic, as Creative Scotland had to prioritise delivering emergency funding.
Who got Multi-Year Funding?
In the Multi-Year Funding portfolio announcement, Creative Scotland will deliver funding to 251 organisations from April 2025 to March 2028.
Creative Scotland has stated that this is a record number of organisations receiving stable year-on-year funding and a significant uplift in support after years of cuts and standstill funding. According to the Campaign for the Arts, this is the first multi-year funding commitment from Creative Scotland since 2018, when 184 organisations applied with a combined request of £154 million but only 121 (66%) were successful and were collectively awarded £101.6 million (also 66% of the total ask).
Through the MYF process, 361 organisations applied for funding with a combined request of £288 million. Out of 361 applicants, 251 (70%) have been successful.
Over half of the MYF portfolio organisations are receiving a multi-year funding commitment for the first time with a considerable increase in community-focused organisations receiving support alongside established cultural organisations. It is thought that this will better represent and connect people to the arts across Scotland’s diverse geography and communities.
The impact of the MYF is far-reaching and will support organisations working across a multitude of creative fields, including visual arts, dance, theatre, screen, music, craft, literature, and multi-disciplinary practice.
After the delivery of decisions on the morning of January 30, a multitude of organisations took to social media to announce their success and relief after enduring a grueling application and a changable waiting time.
Statements from organisations including Creative Edinburgh, North Edinburgh Arts, Push The Boat Out, Art Walk Projects, Summerhall, StAnza Poetry Festival, I Am Loud, Open Book, Door in the Wall (the parent company of NEUK Collective), the Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA), and Soundplay Projects were released on Instagram.
You can view the whole list of 251 MYF organisations on the Creative Scoltand website.
As well as announcing the MYF Portfolio, Creative Scotland revealed the Development Stream. The Development Stream is a list of 13 organisations that will receive funding from a pot of £3.2 million and assistance to help them join the MYF Portfolio in 2026/27.
On the Development Stream list are previously funded organisations, including the Scottish Poetry Library, Traverse Theatre, and National Youth Orchestras of Scotland.
According to a Creative Scotland spokesperson, ‘[these organisations] did not fully meet the criteria for Multi-Year Funding in their applications [but due to] the critical nature of their work [in the] culture sector, Creative Scotland will … work with them to address any issues highlighted through their application.’ For the full quote, read this piece in The Skinny by Peter Simpson.
You can view the list of Development Stream organisations on the Creative Scotland website
What does this mean for Scotland’s arts and creative industries?
With funding, many of these organisations will focus on delivering projects in communities across Scotland and connecting people with the arts and their creativity. Not only will these organisations support their staff and communities, but with funding, they may also be able to offer a wide range of development and access opportunities for developing and established artists.
The pressure of Open Fund for Organisations or Targeted Funding applications and potential delays to timelines due to funding decisions or resubmissions will hopefully be reduced significantly. In reducing the uncertainty in the industry, these organisations can also create more opportunities for emerging artists, freelancers, and other creative workers to collaborate and deliver projects with a wider reach and impact.
Overall, the MYF announcements and funding awards spell out a more optimistic outlook for the arts and creative industries in 2025 and this sentiment is echoed by creative unions and organisations including Equity and the Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA).
Equity’s Scotland Official, Marlene Curran said, ‘[this] announcement signals optimism for the arts in Scotland. Particularly welcome is the news that 141 organisations will receive multi-year funding for the first time, allowing even more creatives the long-term stability needed to thrive in the industry.’
Curran also commented on some of the difficulties endured in the sector over the last few years, including cuts and u-turns.
Equity, like Campaign for the Arts, has campaigned hard to increase funding and deliver long-overdue certainty for arts and creative workers. It is with relief and gratitude that arts workers and campaigners thank the Scottish Government for finally putting its money where its mouth is. Curran said that this announcement means the industry can look ahead to a brighter future.
This is important after the panic and disillusionment created by back and forth on culture funding between the Scottish Government, Creative Scotland, and arts and creative workers since the end of 2023.
What are your thoughts on the Multi-Year Funding announcement? How do you feel about the Scottish arts funding landscape overall? Let me know in the comments!
Community events
Storylands Sessions at the Highland Folk Museum
Ignite your creativity with this series of word and image workshops in this exciting partnership between the Highland Folk Museum and Storylands Sessions. Come and respond to the lesser-known stories of the Highlands, inspired by unique objects from the Museum’s collection today, Tuesday, February 4. These workshops are for anyone aged 16+, with no writing experience necessary.
Each month, participants will gather at the Museum’s Am Fasgadh building to explore intriguing artifacts from the collection store or on the grounds. These objects will act as springboards for imaginative journeys – stories, poems, memoirs, or drama – with no limitation on genre or style and no expectation to focus on history or the Highlands. Let the objects spark your creativity and see where it takes you!
Book your tickets for the Storylands Sessions on Eventbrite
The Scottish Society for Art History in partnership with the National Library of Scotland presents a two-day in-person event exploring the relationship between art and the written word in Scotland on Thursday, February 6 and Friday, February 7 in Edinburgh. Scottish art has long been inspired by literature, while Scottish artists and publishers have made fundamental contributions in the fields of book and magazine illustration, advertising posters, comics, graphic novels, and artists’ books. In turn, there has been a significant body of writings on Scottish art in both fiction and non-fiction and many outstanding collaborations between artists and writers.
This conference will share current research and critical debate into the myriad relationships between art and text and the events programme features artists, writers, curators, archivists, art historians, literary and linguistic scholars, and interdisciplinary researchers. SSAH is joined by acclaimed art critic Clare Henry as the conference’s keynote speaker.
View the programme here, and get tickets for Thursday here and Friday here
This Friday, February 7 is the first Poets of the Night event of 2025. Once again they have a wonderful and radical lineup featuring Sarah M Davies, Olivia Calderón, Aditya Narayan, Dean Tsang, Biff Smith, Alma, and Muminah Koleoso and it wouldn't be Poets of the Night without a guest performer. This month they’re welcoming Cod O'Donnell. Poets of the Night is hosted at St Margaret’s House in Edinburgh.
Find out more about Poets of the Night on Instagram
Braw Bairns with Susi Briggs: Stories and Storytelling
Join author and former Scots Scriever Susi Briggs for a fun interactive session combining books, puppets and traditional oral storytelling on Saturday, February 8 at the Mitchell Library in Glasgow. This is the second session of the Braw Bairns programme and Susi Briggs will take you through this fun interactive session combining books, puppets, and traditional oral storytelling. Susi will also share words from her award-winning Scots language picture books Yum, Wheesht, and the melodic Nip Nebs series. Her original stories provide an enchanting exploration of Scots language where you will meet a singing dug, a hungry moose, a sleepy sheep, and lots of wee Scots Word Pixies. This event is suitable for bairns ages 3-9.
Book your tickets for Braw Bairns on Eventbrite
This month the Loud Poets are celebrating their 11th birthday at the Scottish Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh. Join them this Saturday, February 8 for a showcase featuring their own Kevin Mclean, Dr Katie Ailes, and Mark Gallie, with special guest 2023’s Loud Poets Grand Slam Champion RJ Hunter and live music from Loud Poets resident musician Jack Hinks. These shows are always special and a celebration of all the hard work the LP team puts into making poetry and spoken word accessible and enjoyable for the masses. From the laugh-out-loud funny, through the wonderfully surreal, to the thoughtful and emotional, Loud Poets continues to prove spoken word offers something for everyone.
Book tickets for the February Showcase on the Scottish Storytelling Centre website
Over in Glasgow, Kelvingrove Writers is back at Dram on Monday, February 10 from 6-8 pm for another excellent session of community writing. No previous writing experience is needed and KGW welcomes writers of all levels and writing backgrounds to join them for some creative writing and peer feedback. The group has grown significantly and host Josie asks that you RSVP if you’d like to join or to let them know if you can no longer make it so your space can be given to someone else.
Find out more about KGW and RSVP for February’s events on Instagram
Join the Loud Poets on Monday, February 10 for the first open mic of February. This Monday, they’re featuring poet Callum O'Dwyer. If you don’t know who Callum is, he’s a sensational poet and one of the founding members of Loud Poets. You can still sign up for Monday’s event and join Callum in sharing some poems. Entry is free and doors open at 6.30 pm for a 7 pm start.
Find out more about the Loud Poets open mic on Eventbrite
Scottish Screenwriters February Event
Join Scottish Screenwriters on Monday, February 10 at GMAC Film in Glasgow’s Trongate for a mix of table reads, workshops and networking. Tickets are £5 and can be purchased on the door, and SSW accepts cash and card payments. As part of this event, writers have the opportunity to have their scripts table read by fellow members. If you're interested in having up to 10 pages of one of your pieces table read, email it to SSW at submissions@scottishscreenwriters.com
For more information follow Scottish Screenwriters and GMAC Film on Facebook
Words & Friends: 2 Words, 2 Friends
Join me and Orémi’s Ini next Tuesday, February 11 from 6-8 pm at August_21 in Edinburgh for the latest installment of Words & Friends: 2 Words, 2 Friends. This month we’re celebrating Gal/Palentine’s with some cut-and-stick writing, so bring along a friend or come make some new ones and start your celebration of love early!
Get your tickets for Words & Friends on Eventbrite
Tapsalteerie Poetry Night: Rachel Plummer and Mae Diansangu
Join Tapsalteerie at Lighthouse Books in Edinburgh on Tuesday, February 11 to celebrate the recent publication of two new poetry books, Mae Diansangu's Bloodsongs and Rachel Plummer's Once I Carried Three Crows.
Bloodsongs shifts between English and North-east Scots in an ode to matters of the blood: queer carnality; black rage; the crude power of myth; how history is felt in the body. Offering retellings of legends and biblical stories as well as perspectives on injustices faced today, this radical debut collection marks the arrival of an exciting new voice in Scottish poetry.
Rachel's vivid and surreal Once I Carried Three Crows presents contemporary myths born from experiences such as the process of aging, disability, intergenerational relationships, body image, and sexuality. Following on from Wain: LGBT reimaginings of Scottish folktales, their collection aimed at younger readers (Emma Press, 2019), this highly anticipated new collection is Rachel Plummer's first for grown-ups.
Book tickets for Tapsalteerie Poetry Night on the Lighthouse Books website
Join Hame-ish for their special Salty Cabaret on Wednesday, February 12 at Assembly Roxy’s Snug in Edinburgh with not one, but two Hame-ish Live lineups. There’ll be several winners from the Hame-ish poetry contest in collaboration with Wendy Sara's exhibition Salty and the full lineup will be announced soon. The Snug bar will be open before, during, and after the show. Doors open at 6.30 pm, and the show starts at 7 pm.
If you are a poet, solo musician, or duo music act with plenty of material to draw from and want to enquire about taking part in a future show, email yerhame.ish@gmail.com
Get your tickets for the Hame-ish Cabaret on Brown Paper Tickets
One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This: An Evening with Omar El Akkad
The Lighthouse Bookshop team invites you to join them on Wednesday, February 12 to welcome Omar el Akkad to Edinburgh for an evening of essential truths and reckonings, visions, and honesty. Over the past twenty years, award-winning novelist and journalist Omar el Akkad has been reporting from the ground zeros of war and social justice issues - from Black Lives Matter protests to climate change and Wars on Terror. His debut non-fiction book chronicles the author’s realization, precipitated by the slaughter in Gaza, that much of what the West promises is a lie.
It is a moral grappling with what it means – as a citizen, as a father – to carve out some sense of possibility during these devastating times. This is a book for those that have tired of moral emptiness. This is a book for everyone who wants something better. In the spirit of solidarity, this event will double as a crowdfunder for Suhail and his family in Gaza. You can find out more and donate to the crowdfunder here. A percentage of ticket and book sales will also be donated.
Book tickets on the Lighthouse Books website
Writing the Mountains with Merryn Glover
Go for a wander with author Merryn Glover to gather words and ideas for writing about nature on Saturday, February 15. You’ll explore Glen Nevis and draw from your senses to craft poetry and short descriptive pieces. No previous writing experience is necessary. All writing materials will be provided, but please wrap up warm with appropriate clothing and footwear for whatever conditions the day may bring. A spare jacket or mat to sit on will also be useful. In the event of terrible weather, the workshop will be held indoors for some or all of the day. Writing the Mountains is a Creatives workshop, hosted by the Scottish Mountaineering Press.
Get tickets for Writing the Mountains on Eventbrite
The Chicken Coop Writing Group
That’s right, tickets for this month’s Chicken Coop Writing Group are available now. Join me and the Good Egg community on Tuesday, February 25 for an evening of writing and book swapping at Lost in Leith Bar & Fermentaria. This month, we’ll be leaning into love, from bonding with your BFFS to sharing meals with your favourite people, we’ll be writing about how love and care carry us through tough times and presents us with delicious moments of joy.
Get your tickets for the Coop on Eventbrite
Open calls for writers & writing
Only Poems Mag is open for submissions for their Poem of the Month series. They’re looking for poetry on the theme of Love & Sex. Send them only one of your passionate, hot, and lovely poems. The POTM will be accompanied by a contributor’s and editor’s note and a custom piece of artwork and you’ll be paid $33 if you’re successful. The deadline for submissions is Friday, February 7.
Submit your work on Submittable
Edinburgh City of Literature is open to applications for a public-facing residency based at the Edinburgh Writers’ Museum. The Mary Ratcliff Writer’s Room is a space for women in the Writers’ Museum, on the first floor of a space dedicated to writers in the heart of Edinburgh’s literary quarter. The City of Literature is looking for applicants who are willing to help them shape and mould the opportunity during its pilot phase. This opportunity is in partnership with the Society of Authors in Scotland, and aims to reach across the writing community to women authors who would benefit most as in the past women have fought to get their names mentioned as writers, and their works published. The application deadline is 5 pm, Friday, February 21.
Learn more and apply for this opportunity on City of Literature’s website
The Antimysogyny Club April 2025
The Antimysogny Club is open for submissions of feminist writing and visual art for their April 2025 issue. They accept poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and all kinds of visual art. TAMC interprets the word feminist loosely and in a variety of ways, for example, they accept work ranging from illustrations highlighting street harassment and essays on the intersection of misogyny and fatphobia, to poems about reproductive rights and any other creative work that explores feminist resistance to misogyny. The deadline for submissions is March 7.
Read the guidelines on TAMC’s website
Gnashing Teeth Publishing is open to submissions of poetry, micro fiction, and artwork on the theme of sex, sexy, and sexiness. They want steamy, hot, shy, adventurous, true stories, fantasy, groups, solo, partners, whatever makes you quiver. You can submit your words and art to submission@gnashingteethpublishing.com with SEXXY/YourName in the subject line. The deadline for submissions is March 31.
Read the guidelines on Gnashing Teeth’s website
Thanks for reading!
It’s nice to share positive news about the creative sector with you all after a whole year of worry and stress. 2024 was challenging for many arts and creative workers - including myself - and it was hard to see the successes in front of us when so much was uncertain.
Funding is never guaranteed, but when it is granted it changes lives.
So here’s to all the organisations that will change lives and all the ways the scenes will flourish and inspire new and established artists and creatives alike. We need you now more than ever. Your work is vital and I can’t wait to see what grows from these seeds.
And with that, let me just say… It feels like it’s going to be a good year!
Until next time, enjoy the collective victory and take care of each other,
Naomi
P.s. 新年快乐！巳巳如意，生生不息！蛇年大吉！Wishing you all a Happy Lunar New Year! May the year of the snake bring you all blessings and growth. Here’s to your health, happiness, and good fortune in 2025.
P.p.s. You can still book tickets for Words & Friends on Eventbrite (while they last) or if you’d like more opportunities to write with a curious and creative community you can become a paying newsletter subscriber and get access to our twice-monthly free community writing groups