Scottish Government Made in Scotland funding 'not enough' to cover costs for showcase performers

An Edinburgh Festival Fringe producer has warned the government's Made in Scotland showcase does not cover costs and could leave the event open only to performers who can afford it.

Alice McGrath, producer of children’s show Pekku, which is part of this year's showcase, said artists had to subsidise their work at the Fringe despite receiving government cash as the maximum grant "does not cover" expenses.

In a speech at a Made in Scotland reception in Edinburgh, she said shows needed to be “financially and environmentally sustainable”.

It is understood that the maximum grant offered to individual productions is around £25,000, however, the Scottish Government does not publish individual grants given out through the Made in Scotland showcase, only the total funding pot, which is this year £570,000.

Ms McGrath said: “[The Made in Scotland fund] helps artists to present work and raise their profile, that’s vital and must continue. But we have to talk about sustainability as part of that, financial as well as environmental.

“The cost of presenting work at the Fringe has risen sharply in the last five years. The maximum grant from Made in Scotland no longer covers all of the the expenses. It is subsidised by the artists. If we’re not careful soon the showcase could only be open to those who can afford it and I don’t know if that’s the future that we want. It undermines their work and risks losing the creative process.”

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Made in Scotland is a curated programme funded through the Scottish Government’s Expo fund that highlights high-quality Scottish performance art at the Fringe in a collaboration between the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, Federation of Scottish Theatre, Scottish Music Centre, and Creative Scotland.

This year, a total of 16 shows are taking part in the Made in Scotland showcase. Established in 2009, the initiative has supported 299 shows to date, with the onward touring fund supporting over 130 productions to visit more than 50 countries over six continents.

Culture secretary Angus Robertson. | Getty Images

Speaking in a separate panel event at venue Shedinburgh on Wednesday, Gillian Garrity, co-founder of Scottish theatre production company Raw Material, also highlighted cuts to the size of grants awarded through the Made in Scotland programme, despite the total fund rising from £540,000 to £670,000 for the coming year.

“We have the Made in Scotland showcase which is the only fund we can access to bring shows to the Fringe,” Ms Garrity told industry delegates.

She claimed the amount offered to individual companies had “gone down and down”.

“You used to be able to get £100,000 to being a show to the Fringe, now it’s £25,000,” she said. “So you have to do everything else as box office.”

Culture secretary Angus Robertson, who also spoke at the Mae in Scotland event on Wednesday morning, told The Scotsman: “As culture secretary, I have listened with great interest from last year about funding challenges and I am always sympathetic to better understanding how the sector can be better supported.”

He added: “We have just announced an increased level of funding for Made in Scotland for next year. We want to be as supportive as we can be to ensure the success of the Made in Scotland programme continues.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The Fringe is one of Scotland’s signature events. Ministers are committed to working with the Fringe Society and all partners who deliver it to help safeguard the future of the Edinburgh Fringe as a world-leading cultural asset that is built on the principle of free access for all.

“With £670,000 in support for the Made in Scotland 2026 showcase through Expo and £300,000 from the Scottish Government to the Fringe Society, almost £1 million of funding is being provided this year to support the entire Fringe network and a diverse range of performances by Scottish artists.”