Strategic Events and Festivals Fund

Save and Continue Function

You will have the option to save and continue with your application using the button which appears on the bottom of each page from page three (Your Event and Organisation Part 2).
You can return to your form at any point using the link provided in the email sent when your progress is saved. 
You will be asked to set up a PIN which you will need to enter each time you access the form.

Before You Start

You will need to upload the following documents to your application therefore please have these ready before filling out the application:

1. Constitution or Articles of Association 
2. Business and Marketing Plan/s
3. Environmental Management Plan
4. Full Profit and Loss Audited Accounts for the two years

Introduction

• The introduction page provides links to information and guidance.
• Please read and confirm agreement of the terms and conditions of the Privacy Policy.

Your Event and Organisation Part 1

• Please provide basic details of your event/festival and organisation, including contact information.
• If your organisation employs or contracts staff, you must confirm that your organisation pays the Real Living Wage and supports all employees to have a voice at both a collective and individual level.Top of Form  For more information please visit The Fair Work Framework - The Fair Work Convention.

Your Event and Organisation Part 2

• Please provide the total cost of your event/festival and how much you are applying to the Strategic Events and Festivals Fund for.  You can only apply for up to 20% of your total event/festival costs.
• Summarise your event/festival and include a detailed outline of the proposed programme of activities.  More detail is required from new events including evidence of need and information about the skills and experience of board members.
• Tell us why you are applying to the fund, what costs you are specifically applying for and how it fits with the aims of the fund.  Please give a full description of spend.  The fund aims to support events/festivals to add value, and increase resilience, sustainability and growth. 
• Please tell us for how many years your event/festival has been running
• Confirm that your organisation does not have any outstanding debts to the Council in relation to the event or festival.  If your organisation does have a debt a box is provided to explain the situation regarding the outstanding debt. However, your application will not progress if there is not a justifiable reason for this debt.

The Strategic Fit of Your Event

• You should check the boxes provided to say which strategic pillar your event/festival best aligns with.  Use the space provided to describe how your event aligns with Argyll and Bute Council’s Economic Strategy, as well as the Culture Heritage and Arts Action Plan and the Event Scotland National Events Strategy.  All Applicants should provide a description and if you are applying for more than £5,000, we require more detailed information. Please find the documents below.

Argyll and Bute Council’s Economic Strategy

Event Scotland National Events Strategy

Culture Heritage and Arts Action Plan

Argyll and Bute’s Outcome Improvement Plan

Your Audience

• Tell us how many attendees are expected and confirm if your event/festival will attract international visitors. If you are applying as a large-scale event/festival you will be expected to show that a significant percentage of your attendees, come from out with Scotland and be able to provide a detailed breakdown on the make-up of your attendees. Please highlight this section within your business plan.  Similarly, if you are applying for a larger amount based on the uniqueness of your event, with the ability to attract new visitor markets to the area, you will be expected to show how your event appeals to new or emerging markets.

Economic Impact

• Please complete your forecast of the economic impact your event will have. You should think about how many visitors you anticipate, how many tickets they might buy and what impact they might bring to the area, in terms of spend at the event, spend on food and drink and accommodation. At the bottom of the table, you should add all the anticipated spend and this will give an indication of the total economic impact. This should take into consideration your economic impact figures from the previous year if you have them.

Community/Cultural Impact

• Please demonstrate whether your organisation provides opportunities for the community to be involved.  Please note that volunteer involvement is an essential eligibility criterion, and events run entirely by volunteers will score highest in this category. 
• Confirm whether your event or festival will support Gaelic Culture and explain how.
• Tell us whether the event of festival will be held in an area of disadvantage and provide details.  Areas of disadvantage are within the top 20% most deprived places in Scotland, and which can be found using Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation data (SIMD Deciles 2020 map data). 
• You must confirm whether you require a PVG check for the event/festival.  Please note that this is the responsibility of the event/festival organiser to confirm.

Promotion

• You should provide a breakdown of who your event/festival marketing is aimed at.  Please consider how to you see to promote your event/festivals out with Argyll and Bute to UK and international audiences.

Finance

• Please complete the anticipated Income and Expenditure.  Please note that this budget breakdown MUST balance.  A budget breakdown which does not balance means your application will be ineligible. Please ensure you show what you are requesting funding from SEF for. 
• Due to the limited funds available and the desire to support as many events as possible, you are reminded that there is no guarantee of securing SEF funding, nor is there a guarantee that should you be successful that you will secure the full amount requested. It is therefore important to consider, and to show, an element of contingency within your Budget Breakdowns. Funds will only be provided to event organisers on the basis that the event is guaranteed to happen and that sufficient measures are in place to mitigate against any risk of the event not taking place.
• You must complete the funding profile for your event/festival, showing any other funding that you have applied for. Please note that any Strategic Events and Festivals award will be notified in February 2025.

Risk

• Please provide details on how you will manage risk, and health and safety legislation. If you have a risk assessment document, please upload.

Checklist

• Constitution or Articles of Association

Please note only not-for-profit organisations are eligible to apply.  If you have submitted this information to the fund in the last three years only supply a copy if there have been amendments.

• Business and Marketing Plan/s

Please provide a copy of your Business and Marketing Plan/s relating to the event/festival.  Where business plans extend beyond the scope of the event, please highlight the relevant pages and chapters in respect of your application. Applications will not be considered without this information. Plans must be current and relevant, i.e. prepared within the last two years.

• Full Profit and Loss Audited Accounts for the last two years 

You must submit audited accounts for the last two years.  Please note we can also accept accounts submitted to OSCR.  Reserves must be shown with any other calls on the reserves, i.e. any ring-fenced funds identified. Audited accounts will be independently assessed by an accountant as part of the scoring process.

• Environmental Management Plan 

Please attach your environmental management/ action plan to demonstrate how you are reducing the carbon footprint and waste impact of your event/festival.  Please find advice on this here Event Sustainability Advice | VisitScotland.org. 

Declaration

• Please tell us if you are interested in supporting and promoting the Argyll and Bute Gift Card. By answering yes, you are agreeing to be contacted by email by the team with more information.  The Argyll and Bute Gift Card works in the same way as a gift voucher, however, allows the recipient to shop in a range of businesses and experiences available in Argyll and Bute.  It is an innovative way of keeping spend local, to support local traders and benefit the local economy.   The Gift Card is part of the nation-wide Scotland Loves Local campaign which looks to encourage people in Scotland to think local first and support businesses in their local towns and communities. 
• Please sign the declaration to confirm all the information provided is accurate and that you are authorised to submit the application on behalf of your organisation.