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Frequently asked questions

This page contains frequently asked questions about funding. Click a question to view the answer.

More questions and answers related to literature (on a wide variety of other subjects) can be found our FAQs page.

I want to study in the UK can you give me a grant?

The British Council does offer funding for international students who wish to study at postgraduate level. If interested, you should apply to the British Council office in your country of origin [ http://www.britishcouncil.org/where ]

It may prove useful to consult reference books which list possible sources of funding such as Macmillan's The Grants Register, the Charities Aid Foundation's Directory of Grant-Making Trusts, or The Directory of Social Change’s A Guide to the Major Trusts. If you are based in the UK the librarian in your local reference library should be able to advise you on locating these and other similar publications, which should aid you in your search for funding. Your nearest British Council office should also have a copy of these publications

Alternatively you could browse through the following websites which list sources of funding as well

The leaflet Grants to study in the UK is available from

The Directory of Social Change
Stephenson Way
London NW1 2DP
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7209 5151
E-mail: info@dsc.org.uk
Website: http://www.dsc.org.uk

The Commonwealth Institute has a good list of grants:

Commonwealth Resource Centre
Commonwealth Institute
Kensington High Street
London W8 6NQ
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7603 4535
Fax: +44 (0)20 7602 7374
E-mail: information@commonwealth.org.uk
Website: http://www.commonwealth.org.uk

I would like a grant to study at Masters level in the UK – I am British.

The British Council is unable to provide funds for British Nationals to study in the United Kingdom. You could consult the following reference books which list private sources of finance:

  • The Grant Register (Macmillan)
  • Directory of Grant-Making Trusts (Charities Aid Foundation)
  • A Guide to the Major Trusts (Directory of Social Change)

These publications should be available in your public reference library.

You could also try contacting the

British Academy
10 Carlton House Terrace
London SW1Y 5AH
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7969 5200
Fax: +44 (0)20 7969 5300
E-mail: secretary@britac.ac.uk
Website: http://www.britac.ac.uk

Booktrust have an information sheet on Grants, Awards and Bursaries for Writers

Booktrust
45 East Hill
London SW18 2QZ
Telephone: +44 (0)20 8516 2977
Fax: +44 (0)20 8516 2978
Website: http://www.booktrust.org.uk

I have just written a novel and would like a grant to help me get it published.

We do not have any funds to help with publishing costs. You need to contact publishers to see if they are interested in your novel and if they are then you should not need to pay to have your novel published. British literary publishers are listed in the Writers’ and Artists' Yearbook (published annually by A & C Black) with an indication of the type of books that they publish.

Addresses and contact details for publishers are available from:

I am writing a novel and need a grant to help me to finish it.

We do not have funds for this. If you are based in the UK you could try contacting the Arts Councils as they sometimes provide grants to authors

Arts Council of England
14 Great Peter Street
London SW1P 3NQ
Tel: +44 (0)20 7333 0100
Fax: +44 (0)20 7973 6590
E-mail: enquiries@artscouncil.org.uk
Website: http://www.artscouncil.org.uk

Arts Council of Northern Ireland
MacNeice House
77 Malone Road
Belfast BT9 6AQ
Telephone: +44 (0)28 90 385200
Fax +44 (0)28 90 661715
E-mail: publicaffairs@artscouncil-ni.org
Website: http://www.artscouncil.ni.org

Scottish Arts Council
12 Manor Place
Edinburgh EH3 7DD
Telephone: +44 (0)131 226 6051
Fax: +44 (0)131 225 9833
E-mail: help.desk@scottisharts.org.uk
Website: http://www.sac.org.uk

Arts Council of Wales
9 Museum Place
Cardiff CF1 3NX
Telephone: +44 (0)29 2037 6500
Fax: +44 (0)29 2022 1447
Website: http://www.artswales.org

Welsh Books Council
Castell Brychan
Aberystwyth
Ceredigion
Wales SY23 2JB
Telephone: +44 (0)1970 624151
Fax: +44 (0)1970 625385
E-mail: castellbrychan@cllc.org.uk
Website: http://www.wbc.org.uk

I have been invited to a conference overseas, can you help with the funding?

I want to research a book overseas, can you help with the funding?

The British Council may be able to consider a request for assistance with your travelling expenses to an overseas destination if the request comes from a host institution and is addressed to our office in the country concerned. This is because we can only fund such visits if there is going to be a benefit to the host institution (and to the host country) and if it is in line with local priorities, providing that the funds available for that country are not already fully committed. The names and addresses of the British Council offices are available from our website:

I am planning to translate a book by a British author. Can you provide me with a grant to do so?

Unfortunately we do not have any funds available for the translation of books. If you can find a publisher for your book they can obtain grants for publishing translations. The Literature Department of the Arts Council of England provides grants to publishers for translations.

Arts Council of England
14 Great Peter Street
London SW1P 3NQ
Tel: +44 (0)20 7333 0100
Fax: +44 (0)20 7973 6590
E-mail: enquiries@artscouncil.org.uk
Website: http://www.artscouncil.org.uk

Another organisation that provides grants for publishers of translations is the Inter Nationes e.V.

B-23, Kennedyallee 91-103
D-53175 Bonn
Germany
Telephone: 0049 228 880 385
Fax: 0049 228 880 457
E-mail: info@inter-nationes.de
Website: http://www.inter-nationes.de

I have translated a book by a British author and would like help to publish it.

We cannot help you to publish your book and suggest that you contact publishers directly.

British literary publishers are listed in the Writers’ and Artists' Yearbook (published annually by A. & C. Black) with an indication of the type of books that they publish.

Contact details for publishers are available from:

  • Booktrust - list of UK publishers
  • Publishers Association
    29B Montague Street
    London WC1B 5BW
    Telephone: +44 (0)20 7691 9191
    Fax: +44 (0)20 7691 9199
    E-mail: mail@publishers.org.uk
    Website: http://www.publishers.org.uk
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