frequently asked questions

How do I apply?

If you would like to get in touch, please email [email protected] with a very brief introduction to yourself, contact information and an example of your work. This could be in links, attachments or in the body of the email. There is no deadline as this is a rolling grant, and the grant does not expect any outcomes or reporting. If you are not awarded the grant one month, your submission is still taken into consideration for future months so there is no need to re-submit.

What type of ‘stuff’ are you looking to award grants to?

Just send us whatever you are most proud of. You could send us something you think gives us a good idea of your wider practice, a few things, or even a work in progress that you need money to complete.

What is your definition of working class?

We are very keen to make sure this grant goes to people who need it most. We expect people to only put themselves forward if they are coming from a lower socio-economic background than the successful writers we see in culture in general. We may contact a potential recipient with some questions relating to: the type of school you might have attended, the highest level of qualification achieved by parents/guardians by the time you were 18, the type of work the highest income earner of your household did when you were a teenager, and your eligibility for free school meals. These questions are based on a resource published by the Civil Service as recommended measures for employers and which we think will help us in this process. We are putting a lot of faith in the people getting in touch with us and we hope you all respect the remit here. We want to help champion a more diverse writing scene, so please refrain from applying if you know you do not need this money.

Is there a time limit or a word count you have in mind?

Any length is fine but please bear in mind that we are selecting the recipient alongside our usual workload. If something is very long, we might not be able to give it its due attention - in that case, a synopsis is very helpful.

What contact information do I need to provide?

If you do not check your email regularly, please provide a phone number as well. We would try to contact recipients via email at first but if they do not reply, we would then reach out by phone. This is because we will be announcing a recipient every month and as we have a deadline, we would have to postpone a grant and award that month to somebody else if there is no response.

Will you offer feedback?

No, we wish we could, but we are doing this on top of our usual workload and it will be a lot of work already just to read through all of the applications that come in. Hopefully we are better set up one day soon so that we can engage in a proper dialogue with everyone who does want to have a chat over email, but for now, we are very sorry that we have to say no. We wish it were otherwise.

Can I email multiple times?

Yes, if you’re emailing again to send more writing you’d like to submit for consideration, we’d appreciate it if you sent it in reply to your first email (so we can keep track of them both together in the thread). But it’s a rolling grant, so it’s not necessary to re-apply if you haven’t heard back from us immediately.

Will I hear back from you after emailing?

Unfortunately we are unable to provide a reply beyond the automated receipt email - we are just not set up to be able to write personalised replies to all of the applications that come in, sorry. If you have any questions, please check these FAQs in full before contacting us.

If I don’t hear back beyond the automated reply, does that mean my application wasn’t successful?

This is a grant that will be awarded to a different applicant every month, and we are planning on keeping a record of all emails and contact information that come into [email protected]. A lack of response on our part does not indicate a permanent rejection because we will be referring to the same growing record, as well as our own research, in order to select recipients for the grant as we go forward.

Can I email on behalf of somebody else?

As long as you have their express permission to do so, this is fine, especially as we know that finding the time to email over your work can be difficult, especially in the current economic climate; and also some people might need personal assistant support for various reasons, so just as long as you’ve got their permission, go for it.

Can I be paid in instalments?

Yes, you can be paid in instalments. We offer this option incase a lump sum would effect Universal Credit payments, etc.

How many people apply?

Between September 2020-June 2024, there are 4.5K emails in our inbox. Over that time we have had enough funding to give out one grant per month, totalling 46 as of June 2024.