Bursaries

Our workshops are intended for anyone who enjoys creative writing, regardless of their income or background.

If you are a UK resident and unable to book a place on a workshop, inspiration day or agent insights session without financial help, we encourage you to apply for one of our bursary places which are based on financial need – not writing ability.

Please check the individual listing for the workshop you would like to attend to see if a bursary is available. We regret that we cannot offer bursaries for 20-hour courses or for workshops that are part of a Festival.

Bursaries are limited and allocated on a first-come-first-served basis, so make sure you apply as soon as you can.

Eligibility

You are eligible to apply for an NCW bursary if:

• You are a full-time student or pensioner
• You are in receipt of Jobseekers’ Allowance, Disability Benefits, Income Support, Universal Credit or Working Tax Credits
• You have an income of less than £18,000 per year.

If none of these apply but you feel you are still eligible, you may be asked to submit a signed declaration outlining your circumstances.

How to apply

Please check the listing for a workshop first to see if a bursary is available. To apply for the bursary placement, email florence@nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk with the name of the workshop, inspiration day or agent insights session you would like to attend. Please also attach one of the following proofs of low income:

If you are in receipt of state benefits, please provide a copy of:

• Proof of means-tested state benefits (such as housing benefit, council tax benefit, Universal Credit, Income Support, pension credit, Job Seeker’s Allowance, or other similar benefits), or
• Proof of Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payment

If you are not in receipt of state benefits, you must send documentary evidence to fully illustrate your household’s financial situation and thereby demonstrate that you do not have the financial means to cover the cost of a workshop.

Documentary evidence can include one or more of the following:

• Recent bank statements (current / savings)
• Your most recent pay slips or proof of earnings

Applicants are encouraged to blank out sensitive information such as account numbers and sort codes, so long as it is clear the documentation refers to them personally.

You may also apply by post to:

Florence Reynolds, Programme Officer, National Centre for Writing, Dragon Hall, 115 – 123 King Street, Norwich, NR3 4QB.

You must include your contact details and the name of the workshop you are applying for.

Please post photocopies of documents, or email scanned versions, as we cannot return originals.

If you would like a confidential discussion about bursary placements and proof of eligibility, please email florence@nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk call 01603 877177 and ask for Florence.

Terms & conditions

1. The National Centre for Writing (NCW) bursary scheme is for writers who cannot afford to book onto a workshop. Bursaries are awarded on the basis of meeting the specific eligibility criteria of the relevant scheme or financial need, and not writing ability.
2. NCW bursaries are only available to writers living permanently in the UK. We are unable to offer grants to citizens of the UK living abroad. For the purposes of our policies, a UK resident is defined as a person who has their main home in the United Kingdom, who is registered with a medical practitioner in the UK, and who has been resident in the UK for 6 months out of the last 12.
3. An NCW bursary will cover the full workshop fee, but does not cover transportation, food or accommodation.
4. Travel to and from the workshop must be arranged by the bursary recipient, and all travel costs must be paid by the bursary recipient. The NCW cannot provide financial assistance with travel.
5. We can only offer one grant per person in any given year and will not be able to consider applications from those attending more than one workshop in that year. Priority is given to those who have not received a bursary or attended an NCW workshop before.
6. It is a condition of the award that bursary recipients must submit a short written case study (either by email or post) within one weeks of the end of their chosen course, describing their experience and the impact it will have on their writing.
7. Decisions will be made by NCW staff. Bursaries will be awarded solely on the basis of the financial information.
8. Applicants will be notified of the decision regarding their application promptly, whether or not they have been successful.
9. NCW reserves the right to withdraw the bursary scheme in whole or in part at any time.
10. Should a bursary recipient need to transfer a workshop booking in line with NCW’s Terms and Conditions of Booking (please see the website), the bursary award will be transferred to a course that has a corresponding bursary placement available. The bursary cannot be transferred to a workshop that is fully-booked, or whose bursary placement has already been filled.
11. Should a grant recipient need to cancel a booking, the bursary award will be withdrawn but a fresh application can be made in the future.
12. Our decisions on bursaries are final and we will not enter into any correspondence about them.
13. NCW bursaries cannot be exchanged in whole or in part for any cash equivalent, nor transferred to another person.
14. Applications from previous NCW bursary recipients who have failed to attend a course without notice or good reason will not be considered.
15. NCW reserves the right to withdraw any offer of a bursary if the conditions of the award are not met.