The Scottish Arts Council is the principal channel of public funding in Scotland, which also distributes Lottery money to the arts in the region. SAC works at an international, national and local level and aims: (i) to develop and improve the knowledge, understanding and practice of the arts; (ii) to increase accessibility of the arts to the public; and (iii) to advise and co-operate with other bodies and organisations with similar interests. SAC provides professional development grants to assist individual artists and other arts professionals. These include (amongst others) funding for training courses, conference fees, travel to see work, research, residencies and exploring opportunities for future projects. Many of SAC's grants programmes enable applications to be fast-tracked and decisions for these are usually made within four weeks of receipt. Those whose proposals involve more than one art form should identify the main art form and contact their help desk for advice.

Awards for All is a Lottery grants scheme aimed at local communities with awards ranging from £500 to £5,000. Awards for All can fund projects that enable people to take part in art, sport, heritage and community activities, as well as projects that promote education, the environment and health in the local community. Grants are distributed via offices based in the four regions of the United Kingdom - England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland . It is possible to apply at any time, though it is advisable to apply well in advance of the project start date. The application form is simple and a decision will be given within three months at the most (depending on the region).

The Big Lottery Fund was created from an amalgamation of the former New Opportunities and Community Funds as a new lottery money distributor. The Big Lottery Fund provides grants for charities, the voluntary sector, health, education and the environment. It is also able to fund large-scale regenerative projects.

The Heritage Lottery Fund only funds projects that take place in the United Kingdom. Its aim is to support work designed to care for the heritage and to help people to experience it, ie building repairs and conservation work; buying items, land or buildings which are important to the UK's heritage; and making it easier for people to gain access to and enrich their experience in heritage. The Heritage Lottery Fund will also support activities that will increase people's understanding and enjoyment of the UK's heritage. These activities must be on top of the normal work of an organisation and be completed within five years.

Arts & Business (A&B) exists to help business people support the arts and help the arts inspire business people. It can give advice on arts sponsorship and help to develop project partnerships between business and the arts through its New Partners Programme.

The National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA) invests in UK creativity and innovation. Set up by Act of Parliament in 1998, NESTA uses the interest on a National Lottery endowment to pioneer ways of supporting and promoting innovation and creativity across science, technology, the arts and learning. NESTA was created to invest at the highest point of risk, and offers individuals, groups and small businesses the time, space, money and support to push at the frontiers of knowledge and practice. It invests in a diverse range of people and projects - including scientists, inventors, engineers, medical practitioners, educators, artists, writers, film-makers and musicians.

UnLtd administers the Millennium Awards which are available to individuals (not organisations) for projects that benefit the community. Level One awards are between £500 and £5,000 and Level 2 awards are between £5,000 and £15,000. UnLtd also provides a support package which includes training and networking opportunities to successful applicants.

UK trusts and foundations prefer to fund those areas which government funding cannot fully cover, such as one-off projects, access to services for disadvantaged, minority groups and experiments using new methods to tackle existing problems.

Alongside its civil society work, the Commonwealth Foundation also has a mandate to support arts and culture in the Commonwealth. The Foundation recognises the value of cultural and artistic expression to national life, and the central place of culture in development. It currently supports cultural exchange through a range of programmes.

The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation provides grants to professional arts organisations or professional artists working in groups. The aim of its Arts Programme is to support experimental research and development activities.

In addition to its Main Grants Programme, the Clore Duffield Foundation funds performing arts education initiatives aimed at children and young people (aged 0-18) across the UK through its Clore Performing Arts Awards (previously the Small Grants Programme). The Awards will be worth a total of £1 million to the sector over a five-year period from 2005 to 2010. The Clore Duffield Foundation has launched these Awards with the chief aim of providing children and young people with opportunities to experience performing arts education at its best.

The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation provides grants to organisations which aim to improve the quality of life for people and communities in the UK. Its grants programme has four strands: Arts and Heritage; Education; Environment and Social Change; and Enterprise and Independence. Proposals that benefit audiences and artists outside of Greater London are particularly welcomed.

The Foyle Foundation provides grants for charitable organisations throughout the UK whose core remits cover the arts, learning or health. Grants average between £5,000 and £20,000. In terms of the arts, the Foundation’s aim is to widen the opportunity to enjoy and be stimulated by the performing and visual arts, and to foster creative endeavour. Projects that focus on access to the arts, new audiences, touring, festivals and arts education will be considered.

The British Council showcases UK arts and culture in 109 countries globally. It is a commissioning body, not a funding body. The British Council chooses work that it thinks will have the greatest impact on overseas audiences in a particular country. It does not fund work taking place in the UK. Staff in the UK are constantly updating their information on the UK arts scene - those wishing to bring their work to the Council's attention should contact the relevant art form department.

The only funding scheme run by the British Council is the Grants to Artists scheme, run by the Council's Visual Arts Department. If you are a visual artist resident in the UK then the British Council may be able to help you with the costs of transporting work to an exhibition in a gallery abroad. The scheme is competitive and is administered with guidance from their Visual Arts Advisory Committee and British Council Directorates overseas. This scheme is not open to artists exhibiting in the UK.

The Association of Charitable Foundations (ACF) promotes good practice among trusts and foundations and seeks to educate the public about their work. ACF's website contains useful tips on how to apply for funds and a list of charitable organisations.

The Directory of Social Change (DSC) publishes a wide range of books on fundraising, trusts, foundations and sponsorship, and also offers a subscription-only searchable database of grant-making trusts. A complete list of DSC publications can be downloaded here.

UK Fundraising is a website dedicated to providing information on fundraising for charities and voluntary organisations.

Grantsearch is a 3,000-strong database of all grants available in the UK and Europe which can be purchased.

Access-funds.co.uk offers a range of services to help the British charitable and non-profit sector fundraise. These include E-mail services and training courses. The site also contains directories of funding programmes and guides to funding.

Euclid provides European and international information, research and consultancy services to the cultural sector, including details of European funding.

Artquest gives advice and lists opportunities for visual artists in the UK. It also offers extensive information on funding sources from the UK and overseas.

CharitiesDirect.com is a good, easy-to-use site giving information on UK charities and grant-giving, which includes a trust and foundation search facility by name or type, and summarises trust activity, area of interest and size. Useful as you don't have to log in or be a member to do a search.

funderfinder develops and distributes software to help charities and not-for-profit organisations find trusts who will potentially give to their organisation. It has an alphabetical list of trusts with links to home pages.