There are plenty of awards for writers. These pay tribute to the skills needed to create novels, plays, poetry and non-fiction works. But there are also grants for writers. It’s these grants that can make the difference between the publication of a work and its failure to appear on bookshelves, in theatres or on television.
Fiction
Novelists, poets and dramatists may all find much-needed financial support from a grant. Some grants apply solely to unpublished writers; others are available for any authors, published or otherwise. All such grants, however, are for writers. In other words, an applicant must have a piece of writing to place before the panels that make the funding decisions.
Writers’ grants may also have a specific aim. For instance, the purpose of a grant may be to help finance a trip abroad.
Examples of grant bodies are the Eric Gregory Trust Fund; the Pearson Playwrights’ Scheme; the Somerset Maugham Trust Fund; and the Scottish Arts Council Book Awards.
The Eric Gregory Trust Fund is for poets under the age of 30. The Pearson Playwrights’ Scheme offers four bursaries a year to dramatists sponsored by a theatre. The Somerset Maugham Trust Fund helps writers under 35 to travel. And the Scottish Arts Council Book Awards are mainly for novelists who live in Scotland or who have written books that relate to Scotland.
Non-Fiction
There are almost as many grants for non-fiction authors as grants for fiction writers. For example, the Scottish Arts Council Book Awards mentioned above also apply to non-fiction works.
Many of the grants highlight one of the main problems of writing non-fiction: the time needed to conduct research. Grants such as those from the K. Blundell Trust help with this. The Trust exists to aid writers under 40 meet the costs of research. The research must relate, however, to social and economic organisation. Another body that gives grants to help with research is The Authors’ Foundation. But only published authors can apply.
Journalism
A number of grants recognise the need for journalists to have the chance to work at national level. The Laurence Stern Fellowship operates such a national work scheme, as does the Guardian Research Fellowship. What’s more, the latter not only allows journalists to publish the results of their research; it gives the opportunity to present a Guardian lecture.
Academic
Academic writers often need time and money to bring their work to fruition. Among available grants are The Fulbright Awards. These can help if the writer’s work is postgraduate and he or she needs to travel to the United States.
For UK-based authors writing about social sciences and the humanities, the British Academy may be able to assist. Its Small Personal Research Grants can provide useful funds. If a writer’s area of academic interest is national and international law, The Airey Neave Trust is worth considering. The Trust offers fellowships of up to three years.
Sample
The grants listed here are just a sample of those available. Research on the Internet or at a library can uncover many more. The library is a particularly good place to enquire because the staff may have details of grants designed to encourage local writing talent.
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