Royal Literary Fund

The Royal Literary Fund provides hardship grants for professional writers in financial need, covering living costs and emergencies such as debt, illness, or income loss. Support can be one-off, recurring for two to three years, or recurring for five years (pensions). Named awards, including the Robert Holman Award for playwrights from the North of England and the JB Priestley Award for writers of promise, are selected by committee. Work must have been professionally published or produced in the UK or Ireland.

Individual professional writers—including novelists, poets, playwrights, literary translators, and children's writers—can apply if they hold UK or Irish citizenship or reside in the UK or Ireland. Applicants must have had their work professionally published or produced in the UK or Ireland. The fund prioritises those with proven literary merit and financial need, offering means-tested support. Self-published works or works derived from journalism are not eligible.

The fund does not support self-published works or works derived from journalism. It does not fund creative practice, such as projects, work in progress, or publication costs. Academic research, scholarships, bursaries, student or private education fees, courses, or retreats are excluded. General fundraising appeals or letters requesting donations are also not considered.

Grants are donations, not loans, and are means-tested based on financial need. Support can be one-off or recurring over two to three years or five years (renewable for pensions). The fund welcomes unsolicited applications from eligible writers. Named awards are selected by committee and are not open for direct application.