Royal Literary Fund

Royal Literary Fund Founded in 1790, the RLF helps writers in financial need and annually delivers over £7 million in grants, education, community & workplace programmes.

The Royal Literary Fund (RLF) is the world’s oldest literary charity dedicated to supporting professional writers in financial difficulty. Our mission is to enable writers to keep writing and to share their skills with others. Each year, the RLF distributes over £5 million through grants and a range of education, community, and workplace programmes. Our Fellowship scheme has created paid opportuni

ties for more than 750 professional writers at over 100 universities and institutions across the UK, and our online magazine WritersMosaic is dedicated to celebrating and showcasing writers of the global majority. Through the support of many writers over the centuries, the RLF has been able to provide both short- and long-term hardship grants to writers, whether facing an unexpected bill, reduced income or unable to write due to a change in circumstances, sickness or disability. Beneficiaries have included Anna Burns, Margaret Busby, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Joseph Conrad, James Joyce, Hanif Kureishi, DH Lawrence, Doris Lessing, Edith Nesbit, Mustapha Matura, Edna O’Brien, Mervyn Peake, Ali Smith, Bram Stoker and Dylan Thomas. For more information visit www.rlf.org.uk

Our grants are designed for writers facing hardship, at all stages of their writing lives. Visit our FAQ page to find ou...
21/08/2026

Our grants are designed for writers facing hardship, at all stages of their writing lives. Visit our FAQ page to find out if they could help you: https://bit.ly/RLFsFAQ

BE AWARE OF SCAMMERS CLAIMING TO OFFER WRITERS WORKWe have received reports of a suspicious emails offering paid writing...
18/08/2026

BE AWARE OF SCAMMERS CLAIMING TO OFFER WRITERS WORK

We have received reports of a suspicious emails offering paid writing work to some of our RLF writers. Any unsolicited email should be treated as suspicious, and anyone can be a target of these scams.

If you receive an unsolicited offer like this, we suggest you do the following:
Do not reply, never open attachments, or follow links, even if they appear to be from a known contact.
Do not provide personal or financial information, make payments or purchase equipment or software.
Verify the sender independently using contact details from the organisation’s official website—not those given in the email.

​Please alert us of any suspicious emails and remain cautious about unexpected offers of work, even when they refer to your relationship with the RLF.

For further guidance you can check out the FCA website: https://www.fca.org.uk/consumers/protect-yourself-scams

17/08/2026

🎧 RLF's Collected: The Podcast 🎙

Internationally acclaimed author Val McDermid has written more than 40 books. In our latest podcast episode, she joins fellow crime writer and band mate Doug Johnstone to discuss how the publishing industry has changed, the novel she had to run away to write, and becoming lead singer of The Fun Lovin' Crime Writers in her sixties. Plus, why she's having more fun with more genres than ever.

Listen to the full episode here:
https://podcast.rlf.org.uk

14/08/2026

Our grants are designed to support professional writers during times of hardship. In our latest podcast Head of Grants, Justine Palmer, explains how they could help you.

Watch the full webinar on YouTube or visit our website https://www.rlf.org.uk/

Sameera Steward is an acclaimed screenwriter, RLF beneficiary and JB Priestley recipient, who previously took part in 20...
12/08/2026

Sameera Steward is an acclaimed screenwriter, RLF beneficiary and JB Priestley recipient, who previously took part in 2025 Dramatic Writers Roundtable, here she considers the reality of making a living as a screenwriter in 2026. As Sameera says, ‘if you’re in screenwriting long enough, you learn that much of the real work happens long before money even considers changing hands.’
Read the full article here: https://www.rlf.org.uk/posts/a-constant-state-of-creative-triage/

06/08/2026

How can the RLF support writers through life's challenges?

In our latest webinar, Justine Palmer, Head of Grants at the RLF, explained how the grants programme supports writers at every stage of their careers, from unexpected life changes to long-term financial challenges.

Watch the full webinar on YouTube or find out more about the RLF's grants programme via our website: https://www.rlf.org.uk/.

03/08/2026

RLF Writers’ News – August 2026 ✍️​

Publishing Highlights:​
📖 Celebrating new publications from Garry MacKenzie, Zoë Howe, Jim Beckett and Penny
Boxall.​

Broadcasts:
📻 Christopher Hill’s new radio play, Sunbird is on BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday 4 August at 14:15.
📻 Bethan Roberts’ new audio drama A Portmeirion Love Affair with Life is on BBC Radio 4 on Thursday 6 August at 14.15.
📻 Helena Attlee‘s The Fire in the Mountain will be BBC Radio 4’s Book of the Week from Monday 10 August.

​
Collected: Live:​
📚 The Cutting Room Floor: The Writer as Editor at Collected Books in Durham on Monday 3 August, 7.30 – 9pm.
📚 How does writing change the writer? at Stroud Library on Thursday 27 August, 2 – 3pm.

Eents & Appearances:​
📅 WritersMosaic director Colin Grant will be at the South Bank Centre on Wednesday 26 August, 7.45pm to discuss his new book, What We Leave We Carry.

Awards:​
🏆 Congratulations to RLF Fellow and former beneficiary Gwendoline Riley and WritersMosaic contributor Chloe Aridjis, whose novels have been long-listed for The Booker Prize 2026.

Read the full roundup: https://www.rlf.org.uk/posts/rlf-writers-news-august-2026/

03/08/2026

🎧 RLF’s Collected: The Podcast 🎙️

Author and RLF beneficiary Davina Quinlivan joins Sonia Faleiro to discuss writing Possessions, her acclaimed ’imaginative memoir’ exploring decolonisation, academia and identity, told from the standpoint of growing up the child of Anglo-Burmese parents in Britain. Plus, Davina discusses featuring the fantastic in non-fiction, how class affects access to books, and shifting attitudes to Englishness in the work of writers with migrant heritage.

Also featuring readings by writers Lauren J. Joseph and Kenny Emson.

Listen to the full episode here: https://podcast.rlf.org.uk

🎭 Let the games begin: what it's like to write the Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony ✍️What role does a writer play in...
29/07/2026

🎭 Let the games begin: what it's like to write the Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony ✍️
What role does a writer play in creating a Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony?
RLF Fellow Maeve Clarke reflects on her experience as part of the Creative Team for the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, from researching Birmingham's history and shaping the ceremony's narrative to the challenge of telling a story without words.
Read the full article here: https://www.rlf.org.uk/posts/let-the-games-begin-what-its-like-to-write-the-commonwealth-games-opening-ceremony/

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3 Johnson’s Court
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EC4A3EA

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5pm
Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm

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+442073537150

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