The Authors' Emergency Fund has been set up to support writers affected by COVID-19
LONDON, March 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- ALCS, alongside the Royal Literary Fund, TS Eliot Foundation, English PEN and Amazon UK have contributed to the fund that will be paid out in grants to writers who have found themselves financially affected by the current COVID-19 outbreak.
ALCS is a collecting society set up by writers, for writers. Paying money to writers through licensing when their works have been used is at the core of what we do. Later this week, we will pay £24 million to over 89,000 writers - and since 1977 we've paid over £500 million to writers - but these are difficult and unique times, so we wanted to see what else we could do to support all writers. While there are so many people struggling in lots of different ways from the current situation, financial support for writers is what ALCS is all about and financially the current climate is particularly worrying for those who are self-employed, which we know many ALCS members are.
We have a broad and varied membership of writers, so it was very important to us that we do something to try to help all types of writer and that any financial assistance offered was open to all. The decision our Board of Directors has taken is to focus our financial assistance on one centralised area and make a significant donation to the SoA Authors' Emergency Fund which will be there to help writers in financial need.
About the Fund
Applicants do not need to be ALCS or SoA members; it's open to all writers for whom author-related activity makes up a substantial amount of their annual income. The SoA have run this fund since 1960, so they have a lot of experience in assessing applications for this type of fund and their approach is broad, agile and fast; aiming to turn around applications within weeks.
The Emergency Fund is open to all types of writers including:
- Scriptwriters
- Novelists
- Non-fiction writers
- Poets
- Illustrators
- Literary translators
- Journalists
If you'd like to apply, the criteria for applications can be found on the SoA website: societyofauthors.org/Grants/contingency-funds
If you are an organisation who would like to help writers through this difficult time and donate to the fund, please contact the SoA at info@societyofauthors.org.
About the Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society
The Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS) is a not-for-profit organisation started by writers for the benefit of all types of writers. Owned by its members, ALCS collects money due for secondary uses of writers' work. It is designed to support authors and their creativity, ensure they receive fair payment and see their rights are respected. It promotes and teaches the principles of copyright and campaigns for a fair deal. It represents over 100,000 members, and since 1977 has paid around £500 million to writers. alcs.co.uk
About the Society of Authors
The Society of Authors is the UK trade union for all types of writers, scriptwriters, illustrators and literary translators, at all stages of their careers. It has more than 11,000 members and has been advising individuals and speaking out for the profession for more than a century. societyofauthors.org
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