Made in Scotland Onward Touring Fund

What is the Made in Scotland programme?

Made in Scotland is a curated showcase that promotes high-quality music, theatre and dance performances by artists based in Scotland to international promoters and audiences at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Made in Scotland happens with the support of the Scottish Government’s Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund, awarded to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society. Made in Scotland aims to raise the international profile of artists based in Scotland through the promotion of their work at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

What support is available for onward international touring?

As well as supporting the showcase of work during the Fringe each year, Made in Scotland has separate funding available to enable artists, bands and ensembles based in Scotland to take up new international touring opportunities for work that has been programmed as a direct result of the inviting promoter seeing the work at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

This fund exists to support costs linked to flights, freight, visas and the translation of marketing materials. Other costs should be met by the inviting promoter. We require anyone applying to this fund to be working with an international promoter who is making a clear financial contribution towards the overall costs. This fund will not support wholly self-produced and self-funded tours. 

What funding is available?

The total amount available for the Made in Scotland Onward International Touring programme will be in the region of £100,000. The funding available through this programme is limited, so support will not cover the full costs of the international presentation.

We expect proposals to demonstrate significant financial commitment from the international promoter. The maximum you can routinely apply for is £15,000. In exceptional circumstances and only following a prior discussion with a member of our team, a request for a higher amount may be considered. If you are considering an application for more than £15,000, please email [email protected]. 

Who can apply?

This fund is open to any individual or company based in Scotland who has presented a professional piece of theatre, dance or music at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe between the years 2015 to 2025 and which, as a result, was seen at the festival, and programmed, by an international presenter for the first time. Only one award per project will be made per funding year (September – August).

If you have not presented your work at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe then you are not eligible to apply to this fund. 

What are we looking for in an application to the Made in Scotland Onward International Touring fund?

This funding is designed to respond quickly to help support international invitations that artists, companies and musicians may receive directly as a result of their performances at the Fringe each year. Applications will be required to provide the following: 

• Details of the production and the international performance opportunity or opportunities. In general, longer tours will be prioritised; however, single performances or short runs may be supported if strong developmental reasons are presented in the application.
• A budget identifying all the costs involved in undertaking the international opportunity, information on what you consider to be the benefits of this international touring opportunity for you / your company, and how it will enhance your artistic vision and long-term development.
• Evidence of consideration of environmental impact. 
• A statement of support from the international promoter, or other evidence of touring opportunities, with details of the financial deal being offered.

How will decisions be made?

Your application will be assessed by the Made in Scotland partners: Creative Scotland, Federation of Scottish Theatre and Scottish Music Centre.

Over the course of the year, we will be seeking to support and encourage as diverse a range of new international opportunities as possible.

We will prioritise those applications which: 

• demonstrate significant financial support from the international promoter(s) 
• leverage the most from the opportunity and offer best value for investment
• relate to productions that are considered to be of the highest artistic quality 
• provide a significant international platform for the work and profile of the artist/company 
• demonstrate longer-term benefit for the artistic development of the artist / company / musician.

Key information to be included in your application

In order to understand who you are and what you’re trying to achieve with your project, we need certain details from all applicants to this fund. This information is required in order for your application to be considered eligible for assessment:

• All supporting documentation must be submitted at the time of application. Please ensure that the application form makes clear where you have attached supporting material or provided a link to it. 
• You must complete both the budget summary section in the application form and provide a more detailed budget attachment. See the next section for more details. 
• You must provide a statement of support, or other relevant evidence, from an international promoter in relation to the touring opportunity. This should include details of the financial deal being offered. 
• You must check or tick the disclaimer box on the application form to confirm that you have read and understood the Guidelines and standard Terms and Conditions.

What information should you include in your budget?

As part of your application, we require you to submit a budget which clearly indicates the income and expenditure associated with taking up this international invitation to present your work.

We do not expect to see original production costs. We need to see evidence of which costs and fees are being contributed by the inviting promoter. Made in Scotland Onward International Touring support is geared towards supporting the cost of international travel, freight and visas (where required). In some cases these specific costs may be covered by the inviting promoter, in which case other directly associated costs may be supported to a similar financial level.

Your budget information must balance – this means your total costs add up to the same figure as your total income. If you are including any in-kind support in your income, then this must be given an approximate financial value and must also be balanced in your budget, meaning that the value you give it appears in the relevant section in your costs. Please note all costs you use should be in full pounds only – any costs in pence must be rounded up to the nearest pound.

How to apply

To apply, please complete the Onward Touring application form.

If you need any support in completing your application, please contact [email protected]. 

Deadline and timescales

While there are no deadlines for this fund, and you can apply at any time (until the budget is fully allocated), you must apply at least eight weeks before you are due to travel. This funding is designed to help support international invitations that artists, companies and musicians may receive directly from their performances during the Fringe each year, and we aim to give you a decision on your application within eight weeks of receipt of your application.

Further advice and information

If you require further information on this fund, contact: [email protected].

We aim to respond to all enquiries very promptly. If you would like us to call you, please send your contact number and we’ll arrange to contact you as soon as possible.