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EMCC Responds to Culture Budget Protests with Open Letter

The Equal Media and Culture Centre for Scotland are deeply concerned by the recent events surrounding the sudden closure of Creative Scotland’s Open Fund for Individuals. The funding body took action to close the Open Fund due to a lack of clarity from the Scottish Government regarding £6.6m in funding allocated to the funder.

The subsequent protests, public outcry and media pressure resulted in the Scottish Government confirming the release of the funds, and Creative Scotland now plan to reopen the Open Fund for Individuals. The situation is alarming and highlights the precarity of funding in the culture sector. We know that women and marginalised communities are already affected by the lack of secure jobs and consistent, longer term funding in the sector. Sudden cuts like these will have a devastating impact on women and marginalised communities, their ability to stay within the sector, and may ultimately result in a lack of representation in the culture sector. This uncertainty comes at a time when the sector, particularly women and minority groups within it, are in desperate need of support – not a further lack of it.

EMCC Scotland calls for: 

• Assurance that the promised £25m funding for the culture sector in 2025/26 will be fulfilled
• Commitment that the pledged annual £100m investment for the culture sector will be delivered by 2028-29
• The Scottish Government to acknowledge systemic gender disparity in the culture sector. We ask that the Scottish Government actively addresses the inequality experienced by women by employing gender budgeting when designing funding solutions for the culture sector.

You can download and read our Open Letter in full below.