Scotland continues arts sponsorship scheme
23rd March 2010
The Scottish government has maintained its commitment to supporting the cultural world through the New Arts Sponsorship Grants scheme, which encourages companies to subsidise the arts.
Fiona Hyslop, Scottish culture minister, announced that an additional GBP 300,000 in government funding has been earmarked for the initiative to use over the coming year.
Launched in 2006, the grants match business sponsorship of an arts organisation with government funding and have resulted in almost GBP 3 million being channelled into cultural projects in Scotland.
Ms Hyslop said that the scheme has had an impact throughout the arts world - from festivals to museums - and in genres as diverse as opera, literature, theatre and dance.
'Despite the economic climate, attendances at cultural events and arts venues are holding up well. I encourage businesses to consider arts sponsorship as a rewarding way of adding value to their business and to Scottish culture,' she added.
The English arts world received further government support last week, when Thames Gateway minister Shahid Malik announced that a GBP 13 million skills academy for the theatre industry will be created in Thurrock.