The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society has announced the launch the second year of the Keep it Fringe fund, an initiative to support Fringe artists to realise their professional ambitions, originally launched in 2023 by the Fringe Society’s honorary President Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
In March 2023 the UK Government announced funding for a capital project for the Fringe Society. In ongoing discussions with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), £1Mn of this has since been allocated to support a two-year UK Keep it Fringe fund, with 360 bursaries* of £2,500 to support artists to bring their work to the Fringe. Of the funding announced, £900,000 will go directly to support artists over two years, with £50,000 per year used to support administration and payment to freelance assessors involved in the process, as well as accessibility and event support for funded artists at Fringe-time.
The Fringe has a vision to give anyone a stage and everyone a seat: an artist's background shouldn’t prevent them from being able to showcase their talent at the Fringe. Experimentation and audience development have been at the heart of the festival for decades; put simply, without artists there would be no Fringe.
In 2023 more than 670 artists applied for 50 bursaries available through the Keep it Fringe fund. While this funding won’t make or break an artist's experience at the festival, it is hoped that it will remove some of the financial pressures that can impact whether an artist takes part. In extending the value of the fund, and securing it for two years, the Fringe Society hopes it will offer some certainty to artists.
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer MP said: "The Fringe has launched the careers of countless comedians, writers and actors, giving emerging talent a golden opportunity to showcase their work to new audiences at the largest arts festival in the world.
"In order to protect this talent pipeline and nurture the next generation of British artists, we want to ensure performers can afford to stage shows at the Fringe. This funding will improve the festival's accessibility for performers and allow more artists to realise their ambitions at the festival."
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Honorary President, Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said “All artists need is financial support and to otherwise be left alone to come up with whatever they are compelled to say. To have the Government support this fund is to feel the sun come out from behind a cloud. Thank you to the Fringe Society for endlessly campaigning for artists and thank you to those in Government for recognising the cultural importance of the Fringe and the artistic freedom that defines it.”
Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: “We are absolutely delighted to announce the continuation of the Keep it Fringe fund thanks to generous support from the UK Government. With a vision to give anyone a stage and everyone a seat, we recognise that for many, the financial challenges of putting on a show can prevent some artists from coming to the festival. This funding will enable the Edinburgh Fringe to be more accessible than ever to artists from across the UK and will level the playing field for many.
“In a time of uncertainty for the cultural sector, this funding has allowed the Fringe Society to establish an artist fund for the next two years, and for that we give our sincere thanks to the UK Government.”
This is the second year that the Keep it Fringe fund has run, and the Fringe Society’s ambition is to provide direct financial support for Fringe artists every year. Applications for 2024 will open on 11 April 2024.
* 180 bursaries per year will be available via this funding.
