2021/22 Youth Arts Residencies - Small Grants FundDelivered by North Edinburgh Arts, in partnership with Independent Arts Projects

Guidance for Freelance Artists and Creative PractitionersPublished: 2 February 2021

The purpose of this guidance is to support you, as a freelance artist, to apply for funding. The guidance accompanies the Youth Arts Residencies Small Grants Fund Application Form.

All applications must be made using the form provided. If it is more accessible for you, you have the option to submit answers to Section C and Section D in video or audio format.

Alternative formats, languages and access support

North Edinburgh Arts & Independent Arts Projects are committed to supporting applications in other formats.

If you need to apply for funds in an alternative format, or you need support to make your application, in the first instance please contact:

Sandra NewbyOffice Manager, North Edinburgh Artsadmin@northedinburgharts.co.uk 0131 315 2151 (Mon - Fri, 10am - 4pm)

About the fund

North Edinburgh Arts (NEA) is delighted to be delivering a new Youth Arts Residency programme, in partnership with Independent Arts Projects (IAP), taking place between April 2021 and February 2022.

The programme aims to empower freelance arts practitioners to take the lead in the design and delivery of accessible creative opportunities for children and young people living in Muirhouse, North Edinburgh.

The programme will ensure accessible creative opportunities continue to exist, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, for children and young people living in Muirhouse – a community facing substantial socio-economic challenges. In addition, it aims to empower freelance artists, and strengthen and broaden North Edinburgh Arts and Independent Arts Projects longer-term connections with these practitioners.

The programme will support five (5) freelance artists and creative practitioners, who will each receive:

· A £5,000 grant to go towards the lead artist’s fee, project materials and fees to engage additional freelance collaborator/s in the project.

· Access to North Edinburgh Arts spaces and/or the Community Garden to try out ideas and deliver accessible creative activities for local children and young people.*

· Mentoring, advice and training, including project delivery and producing support from NEA and IAP.

· Lead artists and collaborators will be invited to attend an introductory/training session, an evaluation session and three (3) Peer Forums held throughout the year. The Peer Forum will act as a space for sharing, training, mentoring, advice and evaluation between the artists and an experienced facilitator. A fee will be paid to artists for attendance at each of these sessions.

*Due to Covid-19 and NEA’s upcoming capital development, availability and access to space/s at NEA will vary throughout 2021/22. NEA is committed to working closely with selected artists in order to identify suitable spaces for each residency, either at NEA or suitable alternative community spaces and partner venues located within the immediate Muirhouse / North Edinburgh area.

The programme is funded by Creative Scotland through the Youth Arts Fund Small Grants Scheme; part of a Scottish Government Covid-19 Funding Package to support the arts, administered by Creative Scotland. A number of organisations across Scotland who have been awarded ‘funding pots’ through the Small Grants Scheme to distribute small grants to freelance artists, to work with children and young people across Scotland.

The grants aim to create work opportunities for freelance artists and creative practitioners and provide arts activities for children and young people, especially those most affected by Covid-19.

Proposed projects may incorporate in-person or digital delivery approaches but should take into account the challenges and opportunities of these models in relation to the local community and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Who can apply?

The fund is open to freelance artists and creative practitioners, based in Scotland, who are able to contribute to the local community in Muirhouse, North Edinburgh, through delivery of high-quality arts and cultural experiences for children and young people.2

The fund is not open to applications from organisations, local authorities, groups or clubs.The fund sets out to support youth arts practitioners who have both strong and appropriate skills in their artform and in working with children and young people.We invite applications across a range of artforms, including (but not limited to) music; dance; drama; visual arts; screen and literature.Priority will be given to applications from freelance artists and creative practitioners that demonstrate capacity to work with children and young people living in poverty or residing in areas of social and economic deprivation. For more information on the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) please visit the Scottish Government website.We would particularly encourage applications from artists living in North Edinburgh and those with experience working with children and/or young people living in the Muirhouse / North Edinburgh area.A key aim of the fund is to support as broad a range of freelancer artists and creative practitioners as possible. Therefore, we ask all applicants to engage at least one (1) additional freelance collaborator in their project.Funds will be available for awarded artists to help cover additional access costs which would otherwise create increased financial barriers, hardship and/or exclusions. Funds will be calculated and allocated against individual need.

How much can you apply for?

The overall budget for this fund is £25,000 available for grants plus £11,025 to support programme management costs. Applicants can apply for a £5,000 grant to deliver their project. All projects must be completed by the end of February 2022.

About the Partner OrganisationsNorth Edinburgh Arts (NEA), based in one of Scotland’s most deprived wards (www.simd.org 2020), offers local residents a place where they can create, explore, learn, relax, share, volunteer and have fun. With over 20 years' experience as a key cultural hub for the area, NEA provides space for professional artists, community groups and local partners to develop individual and group-based creative projects and events. There are typically over 30 hours of creative workshops on offer each week, most with a focus on children, young people and families, alongside a wide range of other community activities. www.northedinburgharts.co.uk

Independent Arts Projects (IAP) is a Leith based arts charity led by Producer Mhari Robinson. IAP presents performance projects by extraordinary artists at every stage of their careers. We work with individual artists, collaborating with them to create their best work and connecting them with people across Scotland and beyond. Successful work is accessible, fun, meaningful, and/or transformative. www.independentartsprojects.com

Getting in touch

You can get in touch with us in a few different ways. We recommend you get in touch with us before submitting your application, so we can respond to any questions you might have.

You can: · Email us at admin@northedinburgharts.co.uk with any questions you have.

· We will hold an online information session via Zoom on Monday 15 February at 12pm - this will include a talk through of the application form and what we might expect to see.

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Please email admin@northedinburgharts.co.uk if you would like to attend the session, with any access requirements. For those who cannot attend this session, this will be recorded, captioned and shared online.

· You can also book a 1-2-1 session via Zoom where you can ask questions or talk through your proposal in advance of submission.

· Any questions we receive throughout the application process will be written and saved as a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) document that will be made available via the NEA and IAP websites.

Filling out Your Application

Please read through this document before preparing your application.

Section A: Key Information

This section asks for your contact details, and some summary information about your project. It also asks you for the start and end date of your project and details of partners and collaborators.

For ‘preferred project dates’ we are looking for an idea of when you would ideally like to carry out the project / over what period of time. Some artists may want to work over a more concentrated period of time (e.g., a week / month), whilst others may prefer to run activity at different points throughout the year. Projects should work out at around 10 days (or equivalent), to be completed between April 2021 and February 2022. Make sure that you build in planning time and some time to reflect on your project at the end. Please note, final dates for each residency will be mutually agreed between NEA and selected artists.

A key aim of the fund is to support as broad a range of freelancer artists and creative practitioners as possible. Therefore, we ask all applicants to engage at least one (1) additional freelance collaborator in their project.In the ‘artform you will work in’ box please select the artform/s which best apply to your project. We need this information for monitoring purposes. This information does not affect how your application will be assessed. If your artform does not appear, please select ‘Other’ and provide further details.

Section B & C: A note on optional formatsApplicants can complete Section B & C in writing using the text boxes provided on the application form.However, if you would prefer, you have the option to submit answers to Section B & C in video or audio format.

· Please ensure all questions have been answered in the video / audio recording before submitting.

· Video / audio files need to be submitted alongside a form that has all other sections (A, D, E and F) completed.

· Please upload your video / audio file online and provide an accessible link and password below.

· Video and audio files must remain available to view online for the duration of the project and evaluation process.

Section B: Skills and Experience

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The small grants scheme sets out to fund youth arts practitioners who have both strong and appropriate skills in their artform and in working with children and young people.

In this section of the application, you can outline your approach to working with children and young people as an arts practitioner. Tell us more about the skills and experience you have that relate to your project. You can show how you have gained these skills by telling us about relevant training and similar projects you have run.

You may want to use a bullet point list to summarise these - we will also have your CV for information. Section C: Project Details

In this section you can tell us how you know there is a need for this project and whether you have worked with this group of young people before.

Let us know how children and young people will join the project and how you see the project positively supporting and helping young people.

We would also like to hear about children and young people having their voices heard, so they can influence the project.

In this section you should also let us know about the activity you are planning with young people. Let us know how many children and young people are likely to take part in the different activities you will offer.

All activities must be provided free to children and young people.

“Plan B”

In light of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, and NEA’s evolving capital development plans, it is essential for all applicants to consider how they might adapt their proposed project in case of lockdowns, building closures or other disruptions.

Please note, NEA will work closely with all selected artists to develop robust risk assessments and contingency plans in the lead up to their project, which will be reviewed on a regular basis in line with guidance from the Scottish Government.

Applicants can find more information on the current situation on the Scottish Government website.

Your Project Timeline

Selected artists will have access to North Edinburgh Arts spaces, the Community Garden and/or alternative community spaces for c. 10 days (or equivalent) to try out ideas and deliver accessible creative activities for local children and young people between April 2021 and February 2022.

The project timeline should outline key activities for your project. Include proposed timeframes, stages / milestones for planning, building relationships, marketing, evaluating and sharing in your project timeline. 

Your Availability

We ask for a note of your availability here, which will be used as a reference for scheduling, but final dates for each residency will be mutually agreed between NEA and selected artists.

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All your project activity must be completed by the end of February 2022. Evaluation and reporting on your project will take place in March 2022.

Section D: Priority Groups

The fund aims to support children and young people in a range of priority groups. These groups are listed below and in the application form.

On the application form you should select all the priority groups you are going to work with.Please note, all projects will take place at North Edinburgh Arts, or in the surrounding community of Muirhouse, North Edinburgh. Muirhouse is an area ranked as one of the most deprived wards in the city and the country, in Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (www.simd.org 2020). Therefore, the priority group ‘[children and young people] living in poverty or areas of social and economic deprivation’ has been pre-selected for all applicants.The priority groups are young people:

· living in poverty or areas of social and economic deprivation. For more information on the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) please visit the Scottish Government website.  

· experiencing or at risk of experiencing harm and neglect · who are looked after (as defined by the Children (Scotland) Act 1995) and care leavers

(as defined by the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014). For more information please visit the Scottish Government website.  

· in the early years (0-5) of their life  · from Black and/or Minority Ethnic backgrounds  · who have a disability and/or additional support needs  · at risk of offending or have previously offended  · who are young carers (as defined by the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016) and/or

young parents  · experiencing or at risk of homelessness, or who have been homeless  · experiencing mental ill health 

You should indicate how you will work with North Edinburgh Arts to reach children and young people in these groups. If you plan to work in partnership with additional organisations and/or community groups for this project, through referrals or other means, please provide details of how this will further enable you to reach children and young people in these groups.

Inequality means that children and young people may experience both physical and psychological barriers to taking part in activities. It is important to think through potential barriers and how to create equal access to the project.

· Will young people think that the project is for them? · Will they have access to any digital equipment needed? · Who can support young people to participate and how will you reach them?

It may be helpful to talk this through with project partners before completing your application.

In this section we would also like to understand how you will work with NEA and IAP (and any other partners, if applicable) to take time to stop and reflect on progress during the project and how you will evaluate the project together.

Please tell us about when you will reflect and your methods for exploring whether the project is a success.

Section E: Budget

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Your budget should include income and detail of your project expenditure.

The income section should state the grant requested from the Small Grants Scheme, and any other sources of funding (you do not need additional funding in order to apply). Please indicate if these are cash or in-kind contributions and ensure in-kind is accounted for in both income and expenditure. 

You can apply for 100% of your project costs through this application, however including other income (cash or in-kind) can strengthen a proposal. A partner organisation may, for example, be contributing staff time to the project. This can be listed as an in-kind contribution.

Please make sure that you let us know the daily rate you and other artists are paid. Please note, artists must be paid at industry rates. You can find further information on the Creative Scotland website.

Expenditure can include artists fees, equipment and resources to complete the project. Equipment should not account for more than 15% of your project grant.  It is good practice to include a project contingency of approximately 5%.

Section F: Supporting Information

All artists must include separate documents listed as supporting material.If you don’t provide these your project will not be eligible for support. You should include the supporting documents as email attachments with your application.

These include:· A copy of your current CV. This helps us to understand what you have achieved so

far in your practice, your training and track record. You may also include your artist statement.

· Evidence of your PVG scheme membership - this is a fixed condition for all lead artists. If you do not have a current membership, please indicate if you need support in applying.

· Letters or emails of support from partners organisations outlining support and their involvement in the project (optional).

Letters of support should state how the partner will work with you to ensure the project is a success, and that they are ready and able to support you to work with children and young people.

What happens to your application?

Your application will go through a selection process.

It will only be eligible to be considered for funding if you have filled out all sections and have attached the supporting documents to your email.

An eligibility check will also cover whether you are working with the priority groups and are an artist with experience of working with children and young people to deliver youth arts activity.

The decision-making process consists of: · Eligible applications will be sent to panellists for review· Panel discussion and decisions made · Decisions and feedback communicated to applicants · Unsuccessful applicants can book a feedback phone or video call with one of the panel

to discuss their proposal.

Key dates for the fund:

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Fund opens for applications Tuesday 2 February 2021 Information session (Zoom) 12pm, Monday 15 February 2021Bookable 1-2-1 surgeries w/c Monday 15 February 2021Fund closes for applications 11.59pm, Wednesday 10 March 2021Decisions communicated to applicants 6pm, 31 March 2021Funds distributed to awardees 6pm, 30 April 2021Final reporting due 6pm, 28 February 2022

The panel will be made up of: Co-chairs

· Genevieve Kay-Gourlay, Depute to Director, North Edinburgh Arts· Mhari Robinson, Executive Producer, Independent Arts Projects

Invited panel members· Caroline Donald, Head of Learning and Engagement, Edinburgh International Festival · Sally Price, Freelance Artist and Youth Arts practitioner· Vicky Nyanga, North Edinburgh Arts community member

 Networking and training activity Networking and training are an important element of the Youth Arts Residencies programme. All session dates are TBC but will take place between April 2021 and March 2022. Dates will be mutually agreed with selected applicants.

· Session 1: Peer Forum Introduction & Training · Session 2: Peer Forum Sharing · Session 3: Peer Forum Sharing · Session 4: Peer Forum Sharing · Session 5: Peer Forum Evaluation

Evaluation and reporting An End of Project Monitoring Form will be provided to all selected artists in advance of their project start date, in order to ensure you are prepared to collect the relevant qualitative and quantitative information required to report on your project.

Use of Your Information North Edinburgh Arts, in partnership with Independent Arts Projects, takes your privacy and data protection rights seriously. We are fully committed to handling personal information in accordance with the current data protection legislation and best data protection practices. This means that your personal information will be:

1. Processed lawfully, fairly, and in a transparent manner. 2. Collected for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes. 3. Only collected so far as required for our lawful purposes. 4. Kept as accurate and up to date as possible. 5. Retained for a reasonable period of time, in accordance with our retention policies. 6. Processed in a manner which ensures an appropriate level of security.

We will use the information provided in relation to your application for assessment by our panel and discussion around eligibility for the Youth Arts Residencies programme. If you are successful in your application, we will use your data for programme management purposes such as marketing, administration and evaluation.

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To find out more about how we process personal information, why we process it and the steps we take to keep it secure, please see North Edinburgh Arts Privacy Policy.

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