What is the Screen Education Fund?
The development of Scotland’s future screen sector begins with education. Giving young people the chance to engage with screen content helps build creativity, confidence, and a wider understanding of the industry.
Screen Scotland wants everyone in Scotland to have the opportunity to make or collaborate in the making of a film, TV programme, or content. We believe talent is everywhere, and creating opportunities for that talent to develop is our priority. Screen education not only introduces people to filmmaking, but also builds creative and critical thinking, teamwork and communication skills, and a sense of community.
Screen education isn’t just for schools or education institutes – it can happen anywhere. It plays a vital role in expanding access to film and screen learning for people of all ages across Scotland. It also expands to include education in every context, increasing its reach, depth and inclusivity for children, young people and adults across Scotland.
The Screen Education Fund supports projects that help make screen education more accessible, inclusive and sustainable. Applications should align with the fund's key priorities:
The fund is designed for innovative projects with the potential to develop increased understanding of formal, informal and non-formal screen education and supports learning in schools, communities, and other non-traditional settings - wherever screen education can thrive.
Screen Scotland aims to put screen education where it belongs, at the heart of learning. Screen education is a fundamental right for everyone, and our aim is to inspire and equip all people across Scotland to be able to access, enjoy, understand, create, explore and share film and screen throughout their lives – for learning, for life and for work. Find out more about Screen Scotland’s vision in our Strategy to 2030/31.
Who can apply?
Individuals, organisations and other constituted groups based in Scotland whose proposed activities meet the fund criteria.
Applications should be submitted by one lead applicant, with letters of commitment from any named partners.
How much can I apply for?
You can apply for between £1,000 - £25,000 per project.
Projects can last up to 12 months.
When can I apply?
There are no deadlines for this fund and applications will be accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year.
How long will it take to get a decision?
Decisions will take up to eight weeks from the date we receive your completed application form with all the information required to make a full assessment.
If you apply less than eight weeks before your project starts, your application will be deemed ineligible.
What can the funds be used for?
Funding can be used to support a range of costs in planning and delivering your project, such as:
This fund cannot support costs relating to:
How to apply and supporting materials
Applications to the Screen Education Fund should be made through the Application Form available on Screen Scotland’s website and submitted by email to
[email protected]
Before applying, all applicants must ensure they have read these fund guidelines and the application form in full.
Please ensure you have read the information on who can and cannot apply to this fund and ensure you and your project are eligible before starting an application.
If you cannot access the internet to make an application, or need additional support, contact our Enquiries Service by emailing: [email protected]
Supporting materials
In addition to the application form, you must submit the following supporting materials:
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A detailed budget created using Microsoft Excel, with all costs clearly broken down, including all guaranteed and pending partnership funding, stating whether this is cash or in-kind.
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A copy of founding legal documents, for example Articles of Association, Trust Deeds, or written constitution. Please note the level of information you need to provide will depend on the intended scale of your project and the amount you are applying for.
Please note that the failure to provide any required supporting material may result in delays within the assessment process.
If you have any questions about the fund or its processes that are not addressed within the guidance or application form, please contact Screen Scotland’s Education Team - with Screen Education Fund Query in the subject line - by emailing [email protected]
Addressing the criteria
Within your application, you must clearly demonstrate that the project meets the following criteria:
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Has clear goals: Set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Timebound) objectives for what the project will achieve.
Evaluating your project
If you receive funding, you’ll need to evaluate your project to understand its impact and improve future work.
What you need to do:
Key questions to consider:
When developing your evaluation strategy, ask yourself:
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What do you want participants to have gained by the end of the project? Will they:
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recognise and appreciate skills involved in the creation of a text?
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be better at whatever they’ve been learning to do?
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be able to talk about what they’ve learned?
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feel inspired to go and do something else as a result?
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develop an improved attitude/approach to learning?
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develop confidence, leadership or any other life skill?
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be interested in investigating the further study and/or employment related to the work?
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How will you know you have achieved your objectives?
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How will you assess the impact on participants and learning?
Example evaluation questions
These example questions have been designed for your use and as guidance when developing your project evaluation.
For educators and the project team:
For participants:
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What personal strengths did you develop? (Dealing with challenges, building positive relationships, managing a project, developing confidence etc.)
Strategic Priorities
Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)
EDI is about fairness and cultural entitlement. It is also about creating the conditions for excellent art to be produced.
Experience shows that organisations that embrace EDI are more successful creatively, as they recognise the rich artistic and creative opportunities that diversity and inclusion offers, as well as being more economically viable and sustainable.
It makes good business sense to offer flexible working environments, to diversify audiences and better reflect the changing population of Scotland today.
As a public funder, Screen Scotland are committed to ensuring that opportunities are provided for all, including those who fall into the nine protected characteristics groups as set out in the Equality Act 2010:
Additional underrepresented groups can include one or more of the following:
EDI within projects funded by Screen Education
Screen Scotland is committed to promoting equality by:
When applying you are encouraged to:
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Create a welcoming environment: Show respect for diversity by being consistent, constructive and well-informed (learn about other people, keep abreast of current issues and learn and question the language of discrimination), and by creating a non-threatening, social environment.
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Ensure clarity of intention: When hiring for roles regarding recruitment and interviewing practices (e.g. trainee roles, specialist tutors and mentoring) and offer of interventions for primary caregivers (e.g. job-share opportunities, childcare and flexible working arrangements) to address underrepresentation.
Your application must show how you will track progress in relation to EDI by:
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Collecting feedback: Consider different ways of gathering qualitative data (survey responses, focus groups, interviews, meetings etc.)
Applicants must ensure they have an Equality Statement and at least one of the following:
We encourage you to review your EDI policy and practice, with a focus on improvements that create lasting change. Conducting an Equality Impact Assessment of your organisation/group will help clarity your goals and ensure a strong commitment.
Creative Scotland offer a toolkit available to support the development of an EDI Action Plan. While it is designed for Multi-Year Funded organisations, it contains valuable guidance for other practitioners and organisations.
Access requirements
When developing your project, you must fully consider the access requirements that will be needed to make it as inclusive as possible. These could include:
Environmental Sustainability
Screen Scotland is committed to sustainability and encourages Scotland’s cultural sector to reduce emissions, adapt to climate risks, and support a fair transition to a net-zero future. We aim to use our influence to engage the public in climate action and help the film and screen sector drive positive change.
We will assess how your project:
Applicants are encouraged to:
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Cater sustainably: Use local suppliers, provide and clearly label dietary options (e.g. vegetarian, halal), prioritise healthy portions, and reduce food waste.
Learn more about Creative Scotland’s approach to Environmental Sustainability.
Fair Work
We expect fair pay, respect, and opportunity for all workers in your project. Fair Work is defined in line with Scottish Government Fair Work First guidance.
In your application, we expect to see:
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Fair Work being applied to everyone you work with, including all staff, freelancers, volunteers, consultants, and speakers/performers. Fair Work principles can also be extended to partners and participants, depending on the scope of your project.
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How Effective Voice operates in your organisation and this project, including how you provide channels for of workers to speak individually and collectively, the right to be heard for the purpose of open, constructive dialogue and routes such as trade union recognition.
Learn more about Creative Scotland’s approach to Fair Work.
International
Applicants funded by the Screen Education Fund may have aspects of their work which aspires to or incorporates international reach.
If you are planning on working internationally during your project, in your application you should consider:
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What rationale there is for international working within your project (cultural, economic, engagement, collaboration etc.)
Learn more about Creative Scotland’s approach to International.
Decision Making Process
Stage 1: Submission and Initial Checks
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If incomplete, you’ll be notified and given a short period to provide the missing information. If you do not do this, or if you do not meet the eligibility criteria for the fund, your application will not be assessed. You will be notified of this, and of the reasons why, by email.
Stage 2: Assessment
Stage 3: Recommendation
Stage 4: Decision
Payment and Conditions:
First payment (typically 75% of the award) is made once:
Final payment is made after:
Stage 5: End of Project
For the full Terms and Conditions of the funding, please visit our website. If you have any questions about your funding agreement, conditions, or recommendations, contact your assessing officer. Please note, for larger or multi-year awards, payment terms may vary.
Expectations of projects awarded funding
If you receive funding through the Screen Education Fund, you must:
At the end of your project, you should:
Safeguarding and Dignity at Work
Safeguarding
Safeguarding ensures that participants and employees, are protected from harm, abuse and exploitation. Guidance on safeguarding when working with children, both in-person and online, is available on our website.
If your work involves children, young people or vulnerable adults (either in-person or online), you must have a safeguarding policy in place, and we would encourage you to take expert advice on this – our Creating Safety guidance can help, and other organisations such as NSPCC also have guidance for individuals undertaking this work. All individuals involved should be members of the PVG scheme run by Disclosure Scotland.
Dignity at Work
Everyone working in Scotland’s creative and cultural sectors is entitled to be treated with dignity and respect, whether they are an employee, freelancer, contractor, board member or volunteer. Creative Scotland does not tolerate bullying, harassment, or victimisation under any circumstance, and expects the same of any organisation that we support with public funding.
Those applying for activity that involves employing other people should ensure that they have appropriate safeguards in place to ensure dignity at work, including approaches to ensure best practice in areas such as equality and diversity, harassment and bullying, disciplinary procedures and whistle blowing.
Creative Scotland has produced guidance on what we mean when we describe dignity at work and what our expectations are of those we fund. You can read this on our website.
While we are primarily a funding body rather than a regulator, we expect all grant recipients to adhere to safeguarding and dignity at work standards. Failure to do so could result in payments being suspended or grants withdrawn.
Data Protection
Creative Scotland requires some personal information about you/your organisation to consider your application for funding. Without this information we will be unable to process your application.
If you would like to see a breakdown of the personal information we require, why it is required, what we do with that information and how long we keep it, please refer to our Privacy Notice on our website.
Creative Scotland may share your personal information with third parties to comply with the law and/or for our legitimate interests and/or the third parties concerned. Where the personal information you have provided to Creative Scotland belongs to other individual(s), please refer to our Privacy Notice. Please ensure you share this Privacy Statement and Creative Scotland’s Privacy Notice with the respective individual(s).
You have some rights in relation to the personal information that Creative Scotland holds about you under data protection law. Our Privacy Notice contains information on how to exercise these rights, or you can contact our Data Protection Officer.
If you have any concerns with how we have processed your personal information, you should contact our Data Protection Officer in the first instance, as we would welcome the opportunity to work with you to resolve any complaint. If you are still dissatisfied, you can submit a complaint to the Information Commissioners Office.
Subsidy Control
As a public body Creative Scotland must comply with the subsidy control rules in the Subsidy Control Act 2022 and Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the UK Government and the European Union. More information can be found on the Subsidy Control page of the UK Government website.
Any award made through this fund will require the recipient to acknowledge that the grant comes from public funds and confirm that the support provided is compliant with the Subsidy Control rules.
Where applicable, the recipient must agree that Creative Scotland will publish information relating to the grant and that the recipient will keep reasonably detailed records to demonstrate compliance with the Subsidy Control rules and shall provide a copy of such records to Creative Scotland upon reasonable request.
If it is deemed to be non-compliant with the Subsidy Control rules, the recipient may be required to repay the entire grant (and any other sums due) immediately.
