Funding opportunities
DG Unlimited is a membership organisation, and one of the most vital elements of sustaining a creative practice is trying to ensure stable funding to support professional self development, new projects or collabroations.
You can find current funding opportunities from DG Unlimited and our funding partners here. Please check this page regularly, we will update it as and when relevant funds become available. Please also let us know if you are aware of a great funding opportunity your fellow members would be interested in.
Expand Horizons
Application Guidelines
Please read these guidelines carefully before applying.
Expand Horizons is DG Unlimited’s new award. It replaces the previous Innovate, Create, Cultivate Award Fund. The Awards are currently funded by DG Unlimited., supported in part by our partners Dumfries and Galloway Council.
Expand Horizons are awards of up to £500 for creatives. Specifically:
1. Young creatives from 11 – 18 years old. (Rising Star Members)
2. Emerging creatives or or students 18+ (Comet Members)
3. Established practitioners or freelancers of any age working in the creative sector in Dumfries and Galloway. (Meteor Members)
Applicants can be engaged in any creative practice but must be able to demonstrate exceptional talent in their chosen creative area and a clear commitment to continuing and improving their creative practice.
The Awards can be used to contribute toward the costs associated with attending galleries and exhibitions, professional events, professional development seminars or workshops, conferences, or as a contribution toward the costs required to visit other events, artists or projects anywhere in Europe.
Scottish Events FUnding
The National Events Programme is one of EventScotland’s core funds. The fund is designed to help deliver the National Events Strategy, Scotland The Perfect Stage. The fund also supports the strategic development of events. It has been created to support live public facing sporting and cultural events. These must take place outwith the local authority areas of Edinburgh and Glasgow. They must also drive domestic tourism within Scotland.
The National Events Programme is designed to support innovative new projects and activity at events. These elements will need to meet the programme criteria. Awards of between £5,000 and £25,000 are available to events. Events will need to align with the key impact areas outlined in our National Events Strategy, (you can download the National Events Strategy Summary below or download the full strategy via the link below). They must also have delivery budgets of more than £20,000 and attract over 1,000 in-person attendees. Finally, they must showcase Scotland’s key event and tourism assets.
Events are assessed on their merits. The EventScotland team will look at ways the event will create a positive impact for the host region and Scotland as a whole. Events are assessed on their viability and event management experience as well as the five impact areas:
- economic, tourism and business
- brand, identity and reputation
- media and profile
- social and cultural
- sustainability
An event’s ability to deliver against these impacts will determine any EventScotland offer.
Round 54 of the National Funding Programme will close at 12 noon on Monday 23 June 2025.
Round 54 covers events taking place between Saturday 1 November 2025 and Tuesday 31 March 2026.
CREATIVE SCOTLAND
FUNDING
Funding for creative sector individuals and organisations is one of Creative Scotland’s key roles, supporting the wide range of activity initiated by organisations, artists, writers, producers and other creative practitioners in Scotland.
There are have separate strands for organisations and individuals, so they are not in competition with each other for funds. These strands have separate budgets and applications are considered by separate panels.
PLEASE NOTE THE FORM AND GUIDELINES FOR CREATIVE SCOTLAND FUNDING HAS BEEN UPDATED. THE APPLICATION FORM IS NOW AN ONLINE FORM.