Made in Midlothian Youth Arts Small Grant Scheme
Creative Scotland have awarded Made in Midlothian £30k for a Youth Arts Small Grant Scheme. The social enterprise will create much needed paid work opportunities for local arts practitioners.
Made in Midlothian (MiM) has been awarded £30,000 from Creative Scotland’s Youth Arts Small Grants Scheme, as part of the Scottish Government Covid-19 Emergency Fund to support the arts. Colin Bradie, Interim Head of Creative Learning at Creative Scotland said, “This funding will support Made in Midlothian to empower freelance arts practitioners to deliver activity across the community, and bring meaningful creative experiences to children and young people, whose well-being has been so severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
MiM will work in partnership with Midlothian Voluntary Action to deliver the fund. They will support artists in applying and connecting with local groups to provide arts activities. “It is fantastic news for Midlothian to receive some much-needed arts funding for children and young people and local artists. We look forward to working in partnership with Made in Midlothian through the duration of the funding. “ says Natalie Thomson, Development Officer at Midlothian Voluntary Action.
“With MVA, we plan to deliver an inclusive and accessible programme of amazing projects. Artistic expression will foster healing and connection, as it always does,” adds Shondra Riley, Managing Director of Made in Midlothian. MiM will produce a digital showcase in March 2022 to celebrate the creations from the programme.
The Youth Arts Small Grants Fund will open on 25 January 2021. For more information on how to apply, visit www.madeinmidlothian.com/mim-youth-arts-programme
About Made in Midlothian C.I.C.
In June 2019, six female entrepreneurs noticed a lack of opportunity to buy quality, handmade, products in their local community. They knew there were many artists in the area. They launched Made in Midlothian (MiM) and coordinated events featuring local crafts, food, art, music and literature.
With the impact of COVID-19, MiM understood its effect on the arts community and adjusted its work. They began providing tailored support to local creatives with small businesses and providing paid creatives for online music videos, book readings and podcasts. In September 2020, MiM launched an online marketplace that showcases local artisans selling authentic products made in Scotland.
