About What We Do Scotland Microgrants From buying materials to covering transport costs, renting space to hosting an exhibition, community-based creative groups across Scotland have been making astute use of small grants from Creative Lives. With money from the Scottish Community Alliance's 'Pockets & Prospects' fund, Creative Lives administered two rounds of funding in 2021/22, with a third due in summer 2023. Microgrants of £300 have been given to 54 creative groups across Scotland via two rounds: Together Again grants to help groups re-start after Covid Keep on Creating grants to help groups meet rising costs Craft & Coffee @ Goudies were delighted to receive the microgrant from Creative Lives. We bought some items that we could make and hopefully sell at a local craft fayre, and invested in a microwave, microwave kiln and glass. We very much appreciate the microgrant which kept us going in supplies for almost a year! The Abbey Theatre had been closed for almost two years when were eventually allowed to open back up. As everything had been untouched and unused for so long, when we turned the lights on most of the bulbs blew! We also had to put in hand sanitiser stations around the premises. The grant from Creative Lives has gone a long way in allowing us to reopen and put on productions again. As well as helping groups cover costs for tangible items and services, we've been delighted to find that the act of applying for funding, receiving the money and spending it has had a positive impact on the way groups operate. Hoy Youth Hub purchased acrylic and watercolour paints, pencils, paper, canvases, jewellery, felting kits and crochet kits, clay and a mini potter’s wheel. The engagement level was amazing, everyone came and had a go. Our grant request was entirely driven by the young people based on what they wanted to try, and it has sparked their imagination and ideas for future projects and shown them that their voices are heard. Here are the groups we've helped so far - click on the name to read about their activities and how the grant helped them. Abbey Theatre Club, Arbroath Adventure Circus SCIO, Perth Arria Voices, Cumbernauld Arts4All, East Kilbride Belhelvie Community Trust, Aberdeenshire The Brock, West Lothian Castlemilk Cooks Up Memories, Glasgow COAST Autism, Hamilton Craft & Coffee @ Goudies, Maybole Creative Hands, Ullapool Creatively Exploring Gigha, Isle of Gigha Curious Pilgrims, Shetland Dalmellington Brass Academy, East Ayrshire Dounby Art Group, Orkney Dundee Dramatic Society, Dundee Dunfermline Junior Chorus, Fife EcoCD, Castle Douglas, Dumfries & Galloway EKTA Elderly Care Forum, Glasgow Feis air an Oir, North Sutherland Feis Spe, Badenoch & Strathspey Fèis Taigh Dhonnchaidh, Isle of Lewis Fraserburgh & District Men’s Shed, Fraserburgh Grey Matters Active Ageing, Helensburgh The Hidden Gardens, Glasgow Hoy Youth Hub, Orkney Inch Park Crafties, Edinburgh In Print, Glasgow Inspiring Families Development Network Scotland, Renfrewshire Jura Music Festival Committee, Isle of Jura Knit ‘n’ Natter, Dundonald, South Ayrshire Knit and Natter, Craft and Chatter, Forth, South Lanarkshire Krafty Hookers, Falkirk Kingdom Theatre Company, Kirkcaldy Laughs & Lullabies, Stenhousemuir Lochgelly Band, Fife Magic of Showbiz Drama Group, East Renfrewshire Mainly Music Ruchill, Glasgow Moffat Youth Theatre, Dumfries & Galloway Oban Open Draw, Oban Orkney Art Club, Orkney Performance Collective Stranraer, Dumfries & Galloway Ridge, Dunbar, East Lothian RIG Arts, Greenock Roots & Growth, Black Isle The Sad Song Club, Edinburgh SambaYaBamba Youth Street Band, Glasgow Sewing2gether All Nations, Paisley Sharpen Her: the African Women's Network, Glasgow Spit it Out, Edinburgh Stewarton Bands Support Group, Stewarton Stornoway Thespians Youth Drama, Isle of Lewis Survivor Arts Community, Glasgow Triple Act Theatre & Arts, Ardrossan Writers Ink, Glasgow [Main image: Feis Spe participants rehearse in Carrbridge Village Hall; Above right: participants of the Writers Ink group in Glasgow] Manage Cookie Preferences