An arts charity that supports young creative people has announced its closure today, after running out of funding.

Ideastap will close on June 2 after running for six years, despite having tens of thousands of members, and supporting a large number of arts organisations, including A Younger Theatre.

It has also awarded over £2 million in funding for arts projects across the UK.

James Hopkirk, editor of Ideastap, said: “I feel very sad about the closure.

“I think we’ve built something quite special and we are going out at the top of our game when we have just under 200 thousand members.

“We are helping so many people, so it is sad that we have to close.  But, we are hoping to go out on top and with as much of a bang as possible.

“So these last few months will be as fun for our members as possible.”

The charity has had to close after the funding has run out from their chairman’s trust.

Despite efforts to find more funding, including from the Arts Council, and to run as a self-sufficient organisation, the charity will now be closing its doors in around three months.

Peter de Haan, the founder and Chairman of Ideastap, said: “We’ve worked tirelessly over the last 12 months to confirm future funding for our operations.

“It is with great sadness and reluctance that we have reached this decision.

“What the IdeasTap team have achieved over the last six years has been nothing short of astonishing, and clearly if it’s possible to secure funding we would love nothing more than to continue this work.”

Ideastap, among other things, helps people in the creative world find funding for their projects, provides online workshops to young arts professionals, and advertises relevant jobs.

Jake Orr, founder of A Younger Theatre, said: “IdeasTap have supported A Younger Theatre for the last two years, partnering on projects such as our Edinburgh Young Critics Scheme and Incoming Festival, and offering continued support in our growth as an organisation through office provision.

“The arts landscape will have a gap in it without the work of IdeasTap to support and nurture young people finding their paths in the arts.

“We are all deeply saddened at the loss of such a vital resource. Young people have continually been squeezed through the cuts to the arts, IdeasTap became a beacon of hope for many.”

The organisation will continue to run as normal until June, and all commitments that have been made will be honoured.

All open briefs can still be applied for, and the final date for a crowd funding project is on March 16.

Ideastap is an arts charity that supports young creative people. To read more from Chairman Peter de Haan click here, or for more information on the closure click here.