Access and Support
Screen Scotland is committed to offering clear and accessible application processes that are open to everyone. We have several ways of supporting you in making an application.
Alternative Formats and Languages
Our published materials, including funding guidance and application forms, can be made available in other formats as required.
We can accept applications and supporting materials which are written in English, Gaelic or Scots.
To request materials in other formats or languages contact our Enquiries Service by emailing: [email protected]
If you are a d/Deaf BSL user, you can access our services with the Contact Scotland-BSL programme. Visit www.contactscotland-bsl.org for more information.
Access Support
We can help cover the cost of services that support you in applying for our funding. Access support is available to individuals or the lead applicant of a group who are defined as disabled under the Equality Act 2010, such as:
To find out what support is available, and how to request it please visit the Access Support section of our website .
If you have any questions, email us at: [email protected]
Contacting our Enquiries Service
If you require technical support, further information or have any other queries, contact our Enquiries Service by emailing: [email protected]
What is the Professional Development Fund?
This fund provides support for freelance individuals working within Scotland’s film and TV sectors to access training, mentoring and other professional development activities in order to grow and diversify the workforce.
The fund prioritises:
Skills Shortages
The fund prioritises activity associated with developing skills for the following roles:
Production (Producers, Line Producers, Unit Production Managers, Production Managers and Production Coordinators)
Underrepresented Groups
The fund priortises applications from people who self-identify from one of the following underrepresented groups:
Women, in particular, women in areas of directing, camera, post-production and VFX
For more information, please see Creative Scotland’s Equality Matters and Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion in the Screen Sector .
Eligibility
Who can apply?
Freelance individuals based in Scotland working within Scotland’s film and TV sectors, who can demonstrate their work undertaken in the sector and have at least 2-3 credits.
We will prioritise people who have not received developmental support from Screen Scotland in the past 12 months.
Whilst the primary focus is supporting freelancers, applications from individuals working in small and/or growing screen businesses may be considered if a strong case for public funding is made and there is a cash contribution from the applicant’s employer to the budget.
You must have a UK bank account in your legal name, and the name on your application must match your bank account. We cannot pay into an account with a different name, and more details can be found on the Applicants Legal Name section of Creative Scotland's website . We understand that some applicants may use a chosen name. We are updating our system to allow for this and will update the guidance once changes have been made.
Who cannot apply?
What activity can I apply for?
You can apply for a range of professional development activities, both nationally and internationally.
The proposed activity should:
Therefore, you must be able to demonstrate how the proposed activity will build on your work and experience to date to advance your career. Work carried out while a student is not considered relevant experience.
We will support the following types of activity:
Please note, this list is not exhaustive, and other types of developmental activity will be considered, including those which accommodate particular access needs, provided they meet the eligibility and assessment criteria for this fund.
Your activity should address development needs and skills gaps within your chosen field and the wider Scottish screen sector. You should reference known skills gaps and industry standards, see for example A Skills Audit of the UK Film and Screen Industries .
What this fund does not support
If you have any questions regarding your eligibility for this fund, please contact our Enquiries Service by emailing: [email protected]
How much can I apply for?
You can request between £250 and £5,000 (excluding any personal access costs).
Within your application you should provide:
Requests above the maximum amount
Access Costs
Project and Personal Access Costs
We want to make sure our funding is accessible to everyone. That’s why we support access costs - essential non-artistic expenses that help people take part in your project, regardless of their personal circumstances or access needs.
Project Access Costs
These are costs that help other people (such as participants, collaborators or audience members) take part in your project. You should include these costs in your budget. Examples of eligible costs include:
Personal Access Costs
These are costs related to you and your team’s access needs for those who are defined as disabled under the Equality Act 2010. These might include reasonable adjustments or support to help you or your team members fully participate. All types of access not related to disability are considered project access costs.
Key points:
For more information on what is and isn’t covered under access costs, please visit the Access Support section of our website .
Access to Work
Disabled (inclusive of d/Deaf, chronically ill and neurodivergent) practitioners are encouraged to apply for Access to Work for access support to make applications and carry out their work.
This is available regardless of earnings or hours and is not impacted by other benefits. This support can help cover some of the extra costs of carrying out your job, or travelling to, from and during work is you are disabled.
When can I apply, and how long will it take to get a decision?
When can I apply?
There are no deadlines for this fund, meaning you can apply at any time throughout the year, subject to available budget allocations. Please check our website to ensure you are using the most up-to-date version of the funding guidance.
You can apply up to two weeks before the activity is scheduled to begin.
If you apply with less than two weeks before the activity begins, your activity will be deemed ineligible.
If you are waiting for acceptance on a course and/or need funding in advance, we encourage you to apply to the fund early, even before your place has been confirmed.
How long will it take to get a decision?
Decisions will take up to two weeks from the date we receive your application form and consider it complete.
Please note, successful applicants will be notified ahead of their activity but are unlikely to receive their funding within the minimum two-week window.
How to apply
All applications to the Professional Development Fund must be made through Screen Scotland’s Online Funding Portal .
For information on how to register, access and complete the application form, visit: my.creativescotland.com/user-guide .
To register an account, visit: my.creativescotland.com/signup
If you are already registered, log in to the portal at my.creativescotland.com/login
Step by step guide
Register or log in:
New users register at: my.creativescotland.com/signup
Existing users login at: my.creativescotland.com/login
Access the Application Form
Once logged in, select Professional Development Fund application form.
Click on ‘Apply Now’ to begin your application and complete the form as instructed.
Complete the form
Follow the instructions to complete the form using this guidance.
You can save your application and return to it at any time.
Access Support
If you need access support during the application process, click on the ‘Access Support’ button. This will inform the support team of your requirements, and you will be contacted as soon as possible.
Submit your Application
After submitting, you will receive a confirmation message with a reference number.
If you do not receive this email, check that you have submitted the application, and then contact our Enquiries Service by emailing: [email protected]
Important notes:
What criteria will we use to assess your application?
We will assess applications based on:
Your application
Within the application form, you will be asked for the following information:
Supporting Materials
You should submit the following materials, alongside your completed application form:
Budget
You should provide a detailed, balanced budget covering the expenditure for your activity, including:
For support with your budget, please visit the Help With Your Budget section of Creative Scotland’s website.
Decision Making Process
Stage 1: Submission and Eligibility Checks
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: Funding Decision
If successful, you’ll receive:
An award letter with grant conditions (if applicable) and a funding agreement
Details of any conditions that must be met before funding is released (e.g., proof of additional funding, insurance, or project milestones).
Recommendations to help achieve your project goals (these are optional).
If unsuccessful, you will receive feedback to strengthen your future applications.
You can reapply for the same project if the reasons for it previously being unsuccessful have been addressed.
Payment and Conditions:
Stage 5: End of Project
If you have any questions about your funding agreement, conditions or recommendations, please contact your assessing officer.
Appendix 1: Legal and Compliance Requirements
Terms and Conditions
For the full Terms and Conditions of Creative Scotland funding, please visit our website .
Subsidy Control
Screen Scotland, as part of Creative Scotland, must comply with Subsidy Control legislation. Learn more on the Subsidy Control webpage .
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. Information on how to exercise these rights is contained in our Privacy Notice 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 .
Complaints
As an organisation, we will always listen to and respond to any concerns that you may have. If you would like to make a complaint about either the service you have received from Creative Scotland or the way we have handled your application, we have a process that you can use.
Please note that Creative Scotland does not have an appeals process and for this reason, we are unable to accept complaints that relate solely to the decision we have made rather than how we have made it. For more information, please visit the complaints section of our website .
Freedom of Information (FOI)
Creative Scotland is committed to being as open as possible. We believe that the public has a right to know how we spend public funds and how we make our funding decisions. For more information, visit the Freedom of Information section of our website .
We are listed as a public authority under the Freedom of Information Act (Scotland) 2002. By law, we may have to provide your application documents and information about our assessment to any member of the public who asks to see them under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. We may not release those parts of the documents which are covered by one or more of the exemptions under the Act.
Please see the Freedom of Information website at www.itspublicknowledge.info for information about the Act generally and the exemptions. We will not release any information about applications during the assessment period, as this may interfere with the decision-making process.
