2025 International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition - Creative Contributions - Application Form

CULTURE AND WELLBEING SERVICE - FLEXIBLE FUNDING

APPLICATION GUIDELINES

2025/26 DIVERSITY & INCLUSION FUND

2025 UNESCO International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition - Creative Contributions 

INTRODUCTION

The UNESCO International Day of Remembrance, is an annual opportunity to reflect on the historic causes, methods and consequences of slavery. The City of Edinburgh Council formally introduced the event to its annual civic calendar in August 2023 following a unanimous all Council approval of the Report and 10 Recommendations by the Edinburgh Slavery and Colonialism Legacy Review Group chaired by Sir Geoff Palmer.

Since its introduction, the UNESCO International Day of Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition ahs offered multiple opportunities for artists and creatives to contribute their reflections and interpretations of the impact and legacy of the slave trade on past and present Edinburgh and Scotland. With this funding opportunity, Edinburgh Slavery & Colonialism Legacy Review Implementation Group wish to commission three pieces of original creative work to be performed at St Cecilia’s Hall, Edinburgh on Friday 22 August 2025 in the evening as part of the commemoration events around the UNESCO International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition.

All types of artistic performance including music, dance, and spoken work or any combination are welcome. The theme of the submissions is Expressions of Freedom and complete artistic freedom is assured. Each performance piece will take between 5 and 10 minutes to perform.

The fee for the production and performance of each piece is £2,000 and can be allocated to cover artists’ fees, materials, equipment hire, production and rehearsal costs.

The deadline for submissions is Wednesday 21 May 2025 at 23:59 GMT.

For more information, please contact Beata Skobodzinska, Senior Cultural Development Officer, at beata.skobodzinska@edinburgh.gov.uk

To apply please complete the form available from the link below. Please note that late submissions will not be accepted.

All applications will be reviewed by the Edinburgh Slavery & Colonialism Legacy Review Implementation Group members and dedicated Council officers.

BACKGROUND

Edinburgh, a world leading cultural capital, is home to an eclectic mix of diverse narratives, art forms, and creative practice. Our residents across the city should feel the benefit, the challenge and the inspiration this meeting of local and international talent brings and their diversity should be reflected in and connected to the programmes on offer.

This funding opportunity is has been allocated as part of the Diveristy and Inclusion Fund 2025/26 in line with the city’s Culture Plan to deliver wider access to Council cultural funding opportunities and continues the Council’s core role in ensuring Edinburgh is a city of creative opportunities. Our cultural activity and offer continues to be a crucial contribution to the city’s success as an exceptional place to live and work.

FUNDS AVAILABLE

A total budget of £6,000 is available offering grant awards of £2,000 to each selected creative project proposal. 

Please note that all project facilitators, artists, creatives, managers involved in the project delivery are expected to be remunerated as per industry rates. Only in special circumstances when project partners declare that they do not require to be paid for their work and their contribution towards the project delivery is in-kind they can be involved on a no-fee basis.  Links to industry rates, as recommended by industry bodies, are listed below:

Scottish Artists Union

BECTU

ITC

UK Theatre / Equity Commercial Theatre Rates

UK Theatre/ Equity Rates for Subsidised Managers (in receipt of public funding)

UK Theatre/Musicians Union

UK Theatre / Writers Guild

Scottish Society of Playwrights

Musicians

UK Theatre/ BECTU/Equity Choreographers

UK Theatre/ BECTU/ Equity Designers/Resident Designers

Set and Costume Designers

Lighting Designers

UK Theatre/ BECTU/ Equity Directors

The Society of Authors

DEADLINE: Wednesday 21 May 2025 (23:59 GMT). Late applications will not be accepted.

Please note that the funding award for successful applications will be issued in one payment (100%) on receipt of a signed funding agreement.  

You will be advised w/b 9 June 2025 if your application has been successful by email.  Funding payments to successful applicants will to be made within 4-6 weeks from the date of notification of a successful funding application.

WHO CAN APPLY?

• Projects must have an ethnically diverse lead artist / creative and take place within the City of Edinburgh boundary with Edinburgh-based partners. No international submissions are eligible.
• Independent ethnically diverse artists and creatives registered as self-employed or sole traders are eligible to apply in partnership with other independent practitioners. The lead artists will be asked to provide their UTR number confirming their self-employment status.
• Only one application per partnership / idea can be considered.
• Those in receipt of the Diversity and Inclusion Fund are eligible to apply as long as they present, or are part of, a new partnership/project for consideration. 

EXCLUSIONS

Applications cannot be considered:

• for projects already started or planned to start before the decision is made, unless it is the next stage of a previously completed phase of work;
• if received after the deadline date; and
• if the project cannot be presented at the event on 22 August 2025.

Funding cannot support:

• Revenue costs or permanent posts;
• Press events or launches;
• Equipment purchase or capital projects;
• International travel or accommodation costs;
• Projects which primarily take place outside Edinburgh.

HOW TO APPLY

Please read these guidelines carefully.  Applications must be submitted using the online application form.

Please contact Beata Skobodzinska beata.skobodzinska@edinburgh.gov.uk if you require advice on your application.

Before starting this application online, please download a blank PDF application form for your preview.  

Links to the previous activity of the Edinburgh Slavery and Colonialism Legacy Review Implementation Group as well as the Citywide Culture Strategy 2023-2030, Council Grant Conditions and Privacy Notice are also available in the Related documents section.

APPLICATION PROCESS AND AWARDS PANEL

Submitted application forms will be acknowledged via email. Applications will be considered by members of the awards panel, comprising of specialist independent advisors and Council officers. All project proposals will be reviewed regarding the outlined creative concept, collaborative work model, envisaged learning/impact and budget planning.  The assessment panel will assess all eligible projects on a scale from 0 to 4 per following guidelines.

The panel will meet within 2 weeks of the fund deadline, and you will be informed by email of the outcome within further 2 weeks of the meeting.

MONITORING AND REPORTING

If successful, the project partners will be notified of the award recommendation for their acknowledgement. The funding award agreement reflecting the project proposal and any potential adjustment will be signed and the award release within 4-6 weeks from the date of the award notification.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES AND ACCESS

Once you have submitted your application form, please complete the Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form.

If you require this application in Braille, large print, audiotape or need to be provided with other access support such as scribing, please contact the Cultural Development on Culturaldevelopment@edinburgh.gov.uk. 

Privacy Notice

To deliver Council services we need to collect, store, use, share and dispose of personal information. This is known as data processing. When we collect personal data, we must tell you why we need it, and what we will do with it. This information is called a privacy notice. The Privacy Notice link takes you directly to the City of Edinburgh Council’s privacy notice.  Here we explain how we process your personal information as a Council.