Annual culture funding
We provide annual funding for a number of cultural organisations who are responsible for preserving and promoting Scotland's arts, culture and heritage. These are as follows:
Read more about what each of these organisations do below.
Creative Scotland
Creative Scotland is the national public body for Scotland's culture and creative sector.
We provide funding to Creative Scotland to deliver a range of support, including its principal Multi-Year Funding programme, which provides core funding to organisations in the sector. The additional £20 million funding provided by the Scottish Government in 2025 to 2026 has allowed Creative Scotland to more than double the number of organisations in receipt of core funding to 251. This will lay the foundations for resilience, innovation and further development in the sector across the whole of Scotland.
We also work with Creative Scotland to deliver a range of targeted interventions focussing on policy goals. These include the Youth Music Initiative, Festivals EXPO Fund, and Culture Collective.
Creative Scotland also delivers support through the National Lottery, mainly its Open Fund which supports a wide range of creative and developmental activity.
Visit Creative Scotland's website.
Historic Environment Scotland
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) is the lead public body for investigating, promoting and caring for Scotland's historic environment. It is also Scotland's largest operator of paid visitor attractions.
We sponsor Historic Environment Scotland to:
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work with partners to implement the collaborative national historic environment strategy, Our Past Our Future
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conserve and manage over 300 properties in care, such as Edinburgh Castle, and ensure public access to them
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care for over 45,000 objects in its collections and over a million historic photographs, drawings and more in its archives
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advise and regulate on issues affecting scheduled monuments, listed buildings, Inventory gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory battlefields
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carry out research, including surveying, conservation science, physical and digital archiving, and evaluation of the historic environment’s social and economic impact
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distribute grant funding of circa £13 million annually to support our historic places
Historic Environment Scotland combines the functions previously performed by Historic Scotland and the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS).
Visit Historic Environment Scotland's website.
National Collections of Scotland
The National Collections of Scotland care for, develop, research and display of Scotland’s cultural heritage. Our continued support for the National Collections has allowed them to maintain free access to their world class collections, thereby ensuring that no-one is prevented from engaging with Scotland's art, culture and history.
The National Collections of Scotland are:
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National Galleries of Scotland, including the National Gallery, the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, and the Scottish National Galleries of Modern Art
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National Museums Scotland, including the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, the National Museum of Flight in East Lothian, the National Museum of Rural Life in East Kilbride, and the National War Museum Scotland at Edinburgh Castle
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National Library of Scotland, Scotland's largest library and its only legal deposit library, providing free access to more than 14 million items
The National Records of Scotland
National Records of Scotland (NRS) looks after Scotland's national archives, maintains statutory registers and runs Scotland's census.
The National Records of Scotland is expanding access to records through onsite services and the ScotlandsPeople website.
The National Records of Scotland supports the archive sector in Scotland:
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grant-funding the Scottish Council on Archives
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grant-funding The Lind Foundation, 2024 to 2026
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partnering with the Scottish Council on Archives, to deliver the Scottish segment of the UK Archive Accreditation Scheme
Architecture & Design Scotland
Architecture and Design Scotland (A&DS) is a national champion for good architecture, design and placemaking. A&DS works to embed good design processes that deliver high-quality, cost effective and sustainable buildings and places. With a role as a centre of excellence for design, and supporting the development of the architecture sector in Scotland, A&DS works to embed the benefits of creativity and good design for social, economic and environmental outcomes.
Museums Galleries Scotland
Museums Galleries Scotland is the national development body for Scotland’s museums and galleries, supporting the sector through strategic investment, advice, advocacy and skills development on behalf of the Scottish Government. Museums Galleries Scotland recognises 430 museums and galleries managed by 275 organisations. The sector is diverse in size, reach, and governance models. Independent and civic museums have a wide geographical reach ensuring access to culture and heritage in communities across Scotland.
Museums Galleries Scotland is delivering the £4 million Museum Futures programme, developed in partnership with the Scottish Government and The National Lottery Heritage Fund. The programme will help museums embed the collaboration, innovation and organisational sustainability needed to enable positive strategic change across the museums sector so that these vital organisations can continue to enrich our local communities now and for generations to come.
The Industrial Museums
We provide support to three industrial museums – the National Mining Museum Scotland, Scottish Maritime Museum and Scottish Fisheries Museum – to ensure access to Scotland’s important industrial history.
V&A Museum of Design Dundee
V&A Dundee is Scotland’s design museum, on a mission to inspire and empower through design. Designed by architect Kengo Kuma, V&A Dundee is at the centre of Dundee’s reimagined waterfront and has become an integral part of Dundee, the UK’s only UNESCO City of Design.
We invested £38 million in capital costs towards the £80 million construction of the V&A Dundee, and support V&A Dundee with an annual grant.
National Performing Companies
Scotland's five National Performing Companies make a significant contribution to cultural life in Scotland, across the UK, and internationally.
The five National Performing Companies are:
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National Theatre of Scotland
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Royal Scottish National Orchestra
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Scottish Ballet
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Scottish Chamber Orchestra
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Scottish Opera
These companies are supported directly by the Scottish Government through core funding and an international touring fund.
Read more about the work of the National Performing Companies on their websites.
Scottish Library and Information Council
The Scottish Library and Information Council is an independent advisory body to the Scottish Government on library related matters, which provides leadership and advice to Scottish Ministers, local authorities, and the wider libraries sector.
Since 2020 to 2021, we have provided funding to the Scottish Library and Information Council as recognition of the importance of our public libraries.
This includes £450,000 for the Public Library Improvement Fund (PLIF) which enables libraries to undertake a wide range of pioneering projects within communities. Around £200,000 of this is allocated annually to individual projects, allowing the sector to innovate and further develop services in line with the public library strategy.
Through the 2025 to 2026 budget, the Scottish Library and Information Council has been funded to create a Single Digital Platform which directs people to Scotland’s public libraries. This will ensure equitable access to information and reading material across Scotland.
Sistema
Sistema runs Big Noise education programmes across six communities in Scotland. Big Noise uses music and nurturing relationships to help children and young people realise their potential and targets communities with the greatest need. Sistema’s engagement with the most disadvantaged children and young people, including those with additional support needs, is directly pushing forward our priority to eradicate child poverty.
Inspiring Scotland (Creative Communities)
Creative Communities, first announced as part of A Culture Strategy for Scotland, is an initiative which will support and empower individuals and communities to further develop their own cultural activity.
The programme is being delivered by Inspiring Scotland and will explore new models of community-led and participatory arts activity which will make a positive contribution to the lives of people and communities across Scotland.