This September, Edinburgh Council approved an increase in funding for cultural partners and projects in the city funded by the Visitor Levy.
The Visitor Levy was introduced as a tourist tax in 2025 to help fund the culture sector.
This decision adheres to the city’s culture strategy for 2030 to promote Edinburgh as a cultural hub.
There will be a flat, one-off 25 per cent uplift in funding for Third Party Cultural Grant partners, totalling £1.12m. The benefitting partners include Edinburgh’s International Festival, Book Festival, and the Fringe Society.
This will only cover April 2027 to March 2028.
There will be the introduction of a new £2.62m Innovate fund to support arts organisations, with applications for the fund opening some time in the coming week.
Applicants can expect to get at most £500,000, yet this amount is explicitly reserved for organisations in partnership.
Those applying to the fund must have their project delivered before 31st March 2028 and must demonstrate how the project benefits Edinburgh visitors.
These initiatives are a part of a wider programme to fund Edinburgh’s arts which is projected to be over £25 million over the next three years.
Councillor Graham, Culture and Communities Convener stated that the funding helps all cultural partners but that it could not be at the expense of smaller organisations and hopes for a fairer approach in the future.
One student agreed with this use of funds as “the Fringe is what attracts a lot of the tourists and investment will only help.”
Image by Ulia Makoveeva for The Student
