Professional Development Support

Professional Development Support offers paid, supported development for Edinburgh-based freelance performing arts professionals.

For reference only - this scheme has now closed

EPAD’s Professional Development Support programme will provide paid, supported development for fifteen Edinburgh-based freelance performing arts professionals in 2023/24. 

The programme is part of the Practice Support Fund, a partnership between EPAD, Creative Edinburgh and the City of Edinburgh Council to support freelancers working in Edinburgh’s creative industries and performing arts sector. In the first two years of the fund, 230 freelance practitioners received grants of between £500 and £1000. 

EPAD’s Professional Development Support programme is open to professional freelance performing arts practitioners at any stage of their career who live in the City of Edinburgh Council area. Recipients will receive a personalised programme of contact with an experienced professional, known as a Supporter, who will help them to develop their practice in specific ways in a series of sessions over a period of several months.

If you are eligible, you will be able to apply from 24th July. The deadline is 10.00am on Wednesday 6th September.

You can read the full guidance here.

If you work in the wider creative industries sector rather than the performing arts, our partners Creative Edinburgh offer a range of mentoring programmes for creative practitioners and freelancers. More information can be found about this here. Please note that if you have been accepted as a mentee onto Creative Edinburgh’s Practice Support programme, you are not eligible to apply for this opportunity with EPAD.