Festival Fortnight 2021 Small Grants launched
9th March 2021
FF Partner Handbook, event listings and small grants now available!
After last year’s disappointment, LEAP Sports are over the moon to launch the event listing and small grants scheme for Festival Fortnight 2021, Scotland’s annual LGBTIQ+ sports festival. Festival Fortnight (FF) aims to increase the visibility and participation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ+) people in Scottish sport, and provides opportunities to raise awareness of LGBTIQ+ and wider equality, inclusion, and human rights issues within the world of sport and physical activity.
The festival takes place between 17th - 30th June and provides something for everyone, featuring a combination of sporting, cultural, academic, social, and recreational events. LEAP coordinates these events and can support organisers by offering advice and promoting events widely through the Festival Fortnight website and our social media channels.
LEAP Sports can also offer community, sport/physical activity and youth groups a small grant to support activity during Festival Fortnight. These are designed to help cover the costs of events run as part of the festival. This year we are offering two types of financial support:
- Up to £250 for sport/physical activity and community group events.
- Up to £100 for youth groups.
To apply for a small grant, you will need to fill in one of our online forms for either (1) sport and community groups or (2) youth groups, providing information on your event. If you do not require financial support, you can list your event here.
Festival Fortnight events have traditionally been live and in-person. This year we ask those interested in hosting an event to consider whether their idea could be delivered virtually instead. 2020 has taught us how to get creative online, but where there is no virtual alternative, we still encourage you to list your in-person event or apply for a small grant and we can keep an eye on progress together. Only time will tell whether we can have the hybrid festival we hope for, that’s why this year’s listings and small grants have no deadline and will be assessed on a rolling basis.
Despite the complications COVID poses, running an event for Festival Fortnight is beneficial in a number of ways. Every group or organisation is different, but you might find FF aids you in attracting more LGBTIQ+ members, helps you show solidarity with the LGBTIQ+ sporting community, increases your awareness of the issues at play, or facilitates celebration of LGBTIQ+ participation and identity. Reasons for participating are numerous and diverse. We want to ensure that both organisers and LEAP are able to realise their aims and have produced a Partner Handbook to guide you through the process.
