Grants Programme
About Grants
We offer a range of hardship grants to professional writers needing short-term to long-term financial support. You might be facing an unexpected bill, reduced income or unable to write due to a change in circumstances, sickness, disability, or age.
Our Grants team is here to guide you through our confidential application process to see if you or your family qualify for assistance.
Watch our video to find out more.
Beneficiary Stories
Learn about the application process from our beneficiaries and how our grants have changed their lives since applying.
Testimonials
Our Named Grants
In addition to our general grants, the RLF has a selection of specific grants for writers of particular genres, regions or stages in their careers.
How we help professional writers
We can help cover basic living costs such as rent, utilities, groceries, or additional costs associated with long-term disabilities or health conditions. We can also help cover a particular or unforeseen one-off cost you cannot afford, including repairs to your home or an unexpected bill.
Every grant is donated to relieve the applicant's distress, not as a loan or for completing any literary work.
Writer Requirements
To be eligible for a grant, you must:
- Hold a UK or Irish Citizenship OR reside in the UK or Ireland
- Have at least two works professionally published or produced in the UK or Ireland that meet the criteria under Eligibility by Format
- Be the sole author of the work
- OR
- Be the dependant of a writer who meets the eligibility criteria below
The RLF is NOT able to provide grants for the following:
- Creative practice (i.e., works in progress or publication costs)
- General fundraising appeals or letters requesting donations
- Academic research, scholarships, bursaries, student or private education fees, courses, or retreats
- Self-published works or works derived from journalism
Additional Information
- Published works which have gone through a professional editorial process – where a publisher offers a contract and edits,prints, publishes, and sells the book through booksellers and other retailers, including digital platforms
- A publisher and not the author are responsible for covering all editorial, production, sales, and marketing costs
- Works must be written for a non-specialist audience (not for technicians, experts or students in a specific field)
- Works must be sold for profit – no freebies or giveaways
- The writer must have received a contracted payment in the form of advances against royalties, royalties only, or a single fee with no royalties for the works
Before an applicant is considered for a grant, the committee must pass their work for literary merit. The committee define literary merit as a benchmark of professional authorship: the demonstration that a writer is part of the literary community, with serious intent and who has, to a sufficient degree, demonstrated professional practice as a writer.
When considering literary merit, the committee will consider the writer’s output (how many eligible works they have produced), the reception of the work (whether it has been shortlisted, won any awards or has been sold abroad) and any other supporting literary activity (work as a journalist or editor, optioned screen works etc). The committee may read the work itself.
As a spouse, partner or child of a writer, you may be eligible to apply for a one-off grant towards the living costs or an unexpected expense, but you must apply within two years of the death of a writer. You may be asked for supporting documentation demonstrating your financial dependence on the writer. If a dependant is under 18, a parent or legal guardian must apply on their behalf.
To be eligible to apply for an RLF hardship grant, you must have a minimum of two works published that meet our criteria. Currently, this does not include self-published works, including works where the author has contributed to the publishing cost, e.g. hybrid contracts.
If you are a self-published author looking for assistance, we advise contacting the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), a global non-profit membership association offering advice and information for self-published authors of all levels.
We also recommend checking out our Writer Resources page for other organisations that might help you across the UK.
Eligibility by Format
- Writers must have a minimum of two full-length works (or equivalent) to apply
- Books that are over 30,000 words are considered as full-length works
- The committee accepts fiction and genre-specific non-fiction, including biographies, translations, ghost-written works, and graphic novels
- Contributions to anthologies where multiple writers are credited shall be considered as supporting work but are not eligible for consideration
- Writers must have a minimum of two full-length works (or equivalent) to apply
- Poetry collections over 40 pages long, for which the writer is credited as the sole author, are considered full-length works
- Collections of short stories, essays or articles will only be accepted where the writer is credited as the sole author of the work
- Works under 40 pages (e.g. pamphlets and chapbooks) are usually considered supporting work and not eligible unless a writer can demonstrate a body of work equivalent to at least two long-form works
- Contributions to anthologies where multiple writers are credited shall be considered as supporting work but are not eligible for consideration
- Writers must have a minimum of two full-length works (or equivalent) to apply
- Illustrated picture books and Young Adult fiction (except ‘first readers’) are considered full-length works
- ‘First readers’ shall be weighted as half of a full-length work
- Writers must have a minimum of two long-form (or equivalent) works to apply
- Professionally produced dramatic works with a running time of 30 minutes and over are considered long-form works
- Works under 30 minutes or works where the writer is credited as the episodic writer but is not the originator of the storyline (e.g. long, running radio or television serials) are considered short-form works
- Films must have been released in a cinema and have had a UK theatrical release or be available on a recognised streaming platform for at least seven days within one calendar year
- Stage Plays must have played no fewer than two weeks in the UK within one calendar year
- Radio Plays must be broadcast on a recognised national UK or Irish radio station (e.g. BBC Radio 4) or a recognised streaming service (e.g. Netflix)
- The writer must have received a fee in line with the Writers Guild of Great Britain (WGGB) collective bargaining agreement rates
- Work as part of a writers’ room shall be considered supporting work and may be eligible at the committee’s discretion
Enquire about a Grant
Contact Info
Justine Palmer
Grants
Royal Literary Fund
3 Johnson’s Court
London
EC4A 3EA
+44(0)20 7353 7150
Access Support
Printed and large print versions of our application form are available. If you require additional support to complete your application, please contact the Grants team to discuss how we can help you.
Yes, we can accept applications from legal guardians, carers (with signed, written confirmation from the author) or those with Lasting Power of Attorney.
Yes, we do support the dependants of writers. You may be asked for supporting documentation demonstrating your financial dependence on the writer. If a dependant is under 18, a parent or legal guardian must apply on their behalf.
No, we don’t give personal loans or grants towards completion of any literary work. RLF hardship grants are given as a donation towards the removal of distress for the applicant.
The RLF committee passes applicants for literary merit before they can consider a grant. All our grants are means-tested, and the whole household income is considered part of the application. As part of this confidential application process, you will be asked to provide details of your publishing history, details of your income and expenditure and supporting documentation. You may also be asked to send copies of your published work.
You will also be invited to discuss your application and circumstances with a staff member. Grants are given as a donation towards the removal of the distress of the applicant and not as a loan, nor for the completion of any literary work.
We support writers from the following writing categories:
- Biographers
- Children’s and YA authors
- Essayists
- Non-fiction writers
- Novelists (including ‘genre fiction’)
- Playwrights
- Poets
- Scriptwriters
- Translators
- Writers of short stories
- Ghost-writers
- Graphic Novelists
Unfortunately, we are not able to currently accept the following writing categories:
- Illustration
- Performance poetry
- Academic works, textbooks or technical manuals
- Blogging
- Work as a critic or journalist
- Work as an editor or compiler
- Works under contract but not yet published
- Self-published works (including works where the author has contributed towards the cost of publishing i.e. hybrid contracts)
To be eligible to apply for an RLF hardship grant you must have a minimum of two works published which meet the criteria listed here. At present, this cannot include self-published works (including works where the author has contributed towards the cost of publishing i.e. hybrid contracts).
If you are a self-published author looking for assistance, we suggest taking a look at Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), a global non-profit membership association for self-publishing authors. Their website is full of information and advice for self-published authors of all levels.
You can find more information about this organisation and many others on our Writer Resources page.
To be eligible to apply for an RLF hardship grant you must have a minimum of two works published which meet the criteria listed here. At present, this cannot include works derived from journalism.
If you are a journalist looking for assistance, we suggest taking a look at the Journalist’s Charity, a resource for journalists across the country. Their website offers support, advice, and financial assistance.
You can find more information about this organisation and many others on our Writer Resources page.
The Grants Committee meets 11 times a year to consider applications. The grants team will be able to confirm at which meeting your application will be considered once all relevant materials and documents have been received.
We aim to process first-time applicants within two months of receiving all relevant documents and materials, and one month for returning writers.
All applications are assessed by the RLF committee, which meets 11 times a year. Once you have supplied all the relevant materials and documents to support your application, the RLF’s Grants team will be able to confirm when your application will be considered.