Inspire Fund

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Inspire latest: Inspiring Scotland’s communities

Following the announcement of the 13 shortlisted projects for the Inspire Fund, on 24 September 2008 the Scottish Arts Council announced its next development – Inspiring Communities. Inspiring projects that will connect people and their communities through the arts and encourage long-lasting links between people, places and ideas. Read the Inspiring Scotland's Communities press release

Shortlist for Inspire Fund announced

A site-specific event combining the arts and extreme sports in Aberdeen, a 25ft high ‘Big Man’ walking through Scotland inspiring creativity among communities, and a performance by young Asian groups in Glasgow inspired by graphic novels and video games. These are just some of the exciting, innovative projects that have been shortlisted for funding from the Scottish Arts Council’s Inspire Fund.

Launched in February, the Inspire Fund was developed to encourage the development of exciting, innovative projects to inspire and encourage the people of Scotland to take part in the arts, as part of the Scottish Arts Council’s commitment to increasing participation.

Thirteen shortlisted projects

Thirteen applications totalling over £3.7m have been shortlisted for development funding based on their innovative ideas to provide more, wider and better engagement with the arts, and their potential to meet the aims and visions of Inspire which include:

• extending the reach and nature of engagement with the arts
• ensuring quality artistic engagement
• creating potential for new, creative cross sectoral partnerships and
• demonstrating lasting outcomes to inspire arts, practice and people.

The projects selected will target a range of groups including children and young people, older people, minority ethnic groups, people with learning disabilities and communities in rural areas, which are identified as key target groups for encouraging and increasing participation.

The shortlisted applicants will each receive up to £10,000 development funding to progress their outline project idea into a fully developed project plan for consideration at Stage 2 of the application process.  While funding for shortlisted applications has been ringfenced, the process is still competitive and funding for projects will be dependent on a successful application at Stage 2, the result of which will be announced in February 2009.

The Inspire Fund was designed to be flexible, innovative and responsive to the proposals and applications received and, as such, the Scottish Arts Council has been encouraged by the level of imagination shown in project ideas. A further development of The Inspire Fund will be announced during September.

The successful organisations were

• Aberdeen City Council
• Ankur Arts Productions Ltd
• Drake Music Scotland
• Exhibitions Department, Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design
• Eden Court Highlands Ltd
• Fruitmarket Gallery Limited
• Imaginate
• ISO Organisation
• MacRobert Arts Centre
• Puppet Animation Scotland Limited
• Scotland’s Learning Partnership
• Shetland Arts Development Agency
• Ferguslie Park Housing Association

Further details are available on our shortlisted Inspire projects webpage

If you require any further information relating to Inspire please contact a member of our Lottery Department on 0131 226 6051.