Originally established in 1986*, today Culture & Business Scotland (C&BS) is a charitable organisation supporting the nation’s cultural and economic wellbeing by connecting culture and business sectors.
We do this by representing, celebrating and championing the value and impact of cultural experiences on all of our lives; by building relationships to enable, inspire and support exciting and mutually beneficial cross-sector relationships; and by developing knowledge, skills and expertise to meet both individual and organisational development needs.
Read our current Annual Report and Strategic Plan to see how our work with culture and business organisations, across public, private and third sectors, supports a number of Scottish Government Strategic Objective and National Outcomes. We have a shared ambition to create a successful Scotland, with opportunities for all, through increased and sustainable economic growth.
Equality, diversity, inclusion, fair work and sustainability lie at the heart of everything we do, and our values as an organisation are:
*A potted history: In 1986, we were the Association of Business Sponsorship of the Arts (ABSA). In 1999, we became Arts & Business and, in 2011, Arts & Business Scotland. In 2023, to reflect our growing remit with heritage as well as arts organisations, we became Culture & Business Scotland.
To represent and celebrate the value and impact of cultural experiences on all of our lives, we:
To enable, inspire and support exciting and mutually beneficial cross-sector relationships, we:
To meet both individual and organisational development needs, we:
Bringing a wide range of skillsets, experiences and areas of expertise, our team, our Board and our training and facilitation experts are committed to building strong connections between culture and business organisations.
As a small organisation, we rely on a number of partners who play key roles in helping us to deliver against our vision and mission. Our unique approach to partnership working enables us to capture and amplify views and opinions on the importance of embedding business into culture and creativity into business.
Looking for more information about our work? Follow this link to access our most recent Annual Report, our current Strategic Plan and other planning and policy documents.
Why not become part of our nationwide network of culture and business organisations?
Keep in touch with what’s happening in the Culture & Business Scotland community and further afield, and don’t forget to share your own news with us too!
Posted 18 April 2024
Having invested over £3 million in almost 170 business and culture sector partnerships across Scotland since 2017, the Culture & Business Scotland Fund (C&BS Fund) is returning for its seventh year with a renewed focus on boosting collaboration between the two powerhouse sectors.
Posted 04 December 2023
Last week, our Chief Executive David Watt appeared in Scottish Business Insider, discussing why it’s so important for the culture and business sectors in Scotland to come together to move away from subsidies and build a sustainable future.
Posted 20 November 2023
The Bill for this Act of the Scottish Parliament – which makes changes to the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 – was passed by the Parliament on 28th June 2023 and received Royal Assent on 9th August 2023. The key provisions of the 2023 Act are not yet in force and the 2005 Act remains unchanged, for now. No action is needed at the moment, but OSCR will provide guidance and advice for charities over the coming months.