VACMA Scotland: Free grant session on 30 September

Scottish visual artists and craft makers considering a VACMA grant can join a free online information session on Wednesday, 30 September. The VACMA Scotland Online Information Session will run from 10:30am until noon UK time on Microsoft Teams, with sign-up details available on the VACMA webpage.

Creative Scotland is holding the workshop as applications open for fixed bursaries of £500 and £1,000. The grants are intended to help artists and makers develop their creative practice, acquire skills or pursue work that could support the next stage of their professional development.

The event is aimed at prospective applicants across Scotland. It offers a chance to learn about the application process before the autumn deadline at 5pm on 20 October 2026.

A closer look at the £500 and £1,000 bursaries

VACMA applicants choose between two fixed funding levels according to the activity they are proposing. Supported work can include mentoring, professional skills development, research into new ideas, residencies and the purchase of essential equipment.

The programme can also fund experimentation with sustainable and renewable materials. That range means applicants are not restricted to producing a finished artwork: the proposed activity may instead build knowledge, test a technique or create the conditions for further work.

Previous recipients show how differently the bursaries can be used. Orkney artist Sheena Graham George received support for specialist research and travel, which contributed to later exhibition and publication opportunities. Jeweller and designer Marion Miller used her award to access specialist one-to-one jewellery training, helping her develop a collection and exhibit work made with the technique.

Creative Scotland Visual Arts Officer Sarah MacIntyre said the grants give artists and makers space to explore ideas, strengthen skills and experiment with new approaches. Funding comes from The National Lottery through Creative Scotland.

Local partners deliver the scheme across Scotland

VACMA is a devolved partnership fund rather than a single centrally administered award. Creative Scotland works with 16 schemes delivered by local authorities and arts organisations, covering 23 local authority areas across the country.

Participating areas include Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, the Highlands, Orkney, Shetland, Fife, Ayrshire and the South of Scotland, among others. Local partners provide partnership income and in-kind support while administering applications in their areas.

This local structure affects the application timetable. Although the national announcement identifies autumn and winter deadlines, individual schemes may accept applications at only one of them. Prospective applicants therefore need to check the website of the relevant VACMA partner before planning their submission.

A second workshop precedes the winter deadline

Artists unable to attend in September will have another opportunity on Wednesday, 13 January 2027. That free Microsoft Teams session is scheduled from 2pm to 3:30pm UK time, ahead of the winter application deadline at 5pm on 2 February 2027.

The two-session schedule gives applicants a workshop before each national deadline:

Creative Scotland says full session information and registration instructions are available on the VACMA webpage. The supplied announcement does not specify accessibility arrangements, so anyone requiring additional provision should check the event information when signing up.

What prospective applicants should do next

Artists and makers can first identify the VACMA scheme operating in their local authority area, then review its criteria and confirm which deadline it uses. They can also select the £500 or £1,000 award level that best matches the proposed activity before attending the online workshop.

Registration is required through the sign-up details published on the VACMA webpage. For the autumn funding round, the final confirmed submission point is 5pm on 20 October 2026, although applicants must verify that their local partner is accepting applications at that deadline.

Source: Creative Scotland News