Authors' Contingency Fund

The Authors' Contingency Fund, established in 1963 by donations from authors and supporters, is administered by the Society of Authors to provide immediate financial relief to professional authors facing hardship. Its core mission is to act as a safety net for writers, illustrators, literary translators, scriptwriters, poets, and journalists whose author-related income forms a significant portion of their livelihood, addressing crises like lost income, illness, failed projects, or urgent expenses. Guided by compassion, confidentiality, and peer understanding—assessed by fellow professional authors—the Fund embodies solidarity within the creative community, partnering with organizations like the Authors Licensing and Collecting Society and English PEN.

It funds emergency hardship grants for short-term crises threatening professional continuity or essential living costs, prioritizing demonstrable need and career impact among active UK-based professionals or British citizens. Beneficiaries must show writing as their principal income source; ineligible are editors, copywriters, salaried writers, or those primarily supported otherwise. No organizations or charities qualify—grants go exclusively to individuals.

Applications are unsolicited and accepted year-round via email (grants@societyofauthors.org) using a downloadable form with personal details, publishing history, need statement, and evidence; decisions occur within two weeks, with payments in ten working days. Typical grants range up to £2,000 (averaging ~£1,500; £400,000+ across 273 awards in 2023). Exclusions include project funding, publication costs, tuition, time-to-write, or core/ongoing support; repeats limited to every four years unless acute. Distinctively, its rapid, peer-led, UK-focused intervention uniquely safeguards authors' livelihoods from unforeseen shocks, distinguishing it as a vital lifeline for literary professionals in crisis.