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The offer of £3m to set up a new arts venue in the current climate is not to be sniffed at.

So understandably when the Scottish Community Foundation asked for submissions for their one-off Arts Funding Prize, two years ago, they were inundated with ideas.

From established arts organisations to local projects, they were narrowed down to three - and then today, to one.

Edinburgh sculpture workshop's submission for an international research and funding facility, alongside their upgraded existing workshops was the one which wowed the judges.

Tucked away in old railway sidings in the capital's Newhaven area (just behind the much more obvious waterfront development) it's in urgent need of love and attention.

Outhouses are cramped and draughty.

Heavy machinery and the obscured location mean it's hardly ever visited by the public.

But all that should change with a new design by Sutherland Hussey architects which will include viewing areas alongside the cycle path, a cafe, and a tower to remind the local community that it's very much there and open for business.

Work will begin in January but while the prizewinner has been made public, the one thing that won't be revealed is the identity of the mystery donor.

The Scottish community foundation - a charity that supports philanthropic giving - will only say that the donor is UK-based and hasn't worked with them before (ruling out Sir Sean Connery and JK Rowling).

Edinburgh has its fair share of bankers and business men and women - but most would surely want the publicity for their business, if not for themselves?

Only a handful of the charity's senior people know the identity and they're sworn to secrecy.

The Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop know only that the donor is pleased with the choice of winner, and that when their building opens to the public in 2013, he or she may be among the first visitors.