Earlier this year, we were successful in securing multi-year funding for creative and cultural organisations from Creative Scotland – just over £82,000 in 2025-26, and (to be confirmed) around £98,000 in each of the following two years (2026-2027 and 2027-2028). This award resulted from an intense period of voluntary activity behind the scenes by the current AAS Board Members, building on years of track record and activity among current and past AAS Members, Board Members, Advisors and supporters.
If you were wondering where we’d gone recently, that’s where. We’ve now emerged and are very much looking forward to new adventures with our Members and supporters!
As part of our application, we used responses from AAS Member surveys and case studies (thank you for completing those vital questionnaires or interviews!) as well as knowledge of the wider craft sector to develop a plan of activity for AAS to deliver across 2025-28. This included an exciting programme of public- and member-facing activity to support professional and professionalising makers, and the wider ecosystem we operate within. It also included transformational support for the foundations of the organisation, which have survived predominantly on voluntary activity for the past 30+ years, with some paid activities supported in more recent years through external project funding and membership fees.
Throughout all of this, we’ve been considering how AAS functions as a membership organisation, ‘run by and for makers.’ Prompted by discussions following the case study research of craft membership organisations undertaken by Rosemary James-Beith, we’ve been thinking about the organisation as a garden – a community of practice that we all have collective responsibility for; each bringing different skills and expertise to bear according to seasonal needs, capacity and demands (of the organisation and of our own craft practices / businesses); with all of us benefitting from the fruits of the labour. Preparing soil, planting seeds, nourishing plants, harvesting, composting, getting messy – bringing collective knowledge for collective benefit. Seeing growth as something changeable, mutual and reciprocal.
This new funding officially kicked in on 1 April 2025. Like most new recipients of multi-year funding, AAS were awarded around 65% of what we requested, and have spent the time since the announcement thinking about what of the proposed activities and actions we want to prioritise and can achieve. Our first priority has been securing roles for the people we need to run the organisation effectively, allowing for the additional workload that comes with the funding – finances, community coordination, and communications. Our second has been developing plans for a re-invigorated programme of Connecting Makers, offering opportunities across the coming year for members to share expertise and learn via paid opportunities, networking and peer support; online and in-person. We’re really excited to roll this programme out soon, so please keep an eye on your inboxes, the AAS website and our social media channels. Other exciting developments are also afoot.
Annual General Meeting 2025
Hear about all of the above and more, ask questions and get involved at our upcoming Annual General Meeting taking place online 10:00 – 12:00 on Friday 25 April 2025.
Join the AAS Board of Trustees
With spaces available on the AAS Board, we welcome applications for those who wish to be part of our adventures to help shape our activities and learn more about how we support the craft sector in Scotland as we embark on our 2025-2028 adventures.
