Who can apply?
The Royal Literary Fund’s hardship grants are for professional writers who meet the eligibility criteria outlined below.
We support writers from the following categories: fiction and non-fiction writers, biographers, poets, children’s and young adult writers, essayists, short-story writers, playwrights and scriptwriters, translators, ghostwriters and graphic novelists.
Please note that if you wish to apply for our Literary Contribution or Named Grants there are separate qualifying criteria.
If you have any further questions about eligibility, see our FAQs page or contact the Grants team.
Writer Requirements
To be eligible for a grant, you must:
- Hold 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
What is ‘literary merit’?
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.
Eligibility by Format
Your work must be professionally published or produced in the UK or Ireland and meet the following criteria:
- 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
Your work must be professionally published or produced in the UK or Ireland and meet the following criteria:
- Writers must have a minimum of two full-length works (or equivalent) to apply
- Poetry collections containing over 50 pages of written poetry 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 50 pages of written poetry (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
Your work must be professionally published or produced in the UK or Ireland and meet the following criteria:
- Writers must have a minimum of two full-length works (such as YA novels over 30,000 words);
- Or, four illustrated picture books or ‘first readers’
Your work must be professionally published or produced in the UK or Ireland and meet the following criteria:
- 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:
- hold a BBFC classification (of local authority equivalent);
- have been released in a cinema;
- and have had a UK theatrical release or have been 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
- Substantial body of paid but non-broadcast work such as participation in writers’ rooms, co-writing credits, script options or commission pilots, treatments etc, may be considered at the committee’s discretion – contact our grants team for more information.
Additional Requirements
- 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
- The Publisher must have complied with the Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003
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.
Named Grants
In addition to our general hardship grants, the RLF also offers a select amount of Named Grants. These are assessed based on specific criteria such as region, genre or career stage.
Are you eligible for benefits?
You may be missing out on benefits that could help make positive impact to your financial situation and grant application. Use the benefits calculator to find out more about what you might be able to claim.