Being a writer on your own without external support can be quite challenging, both

financially and editorially, especially if you are a low-income individual.

That's where bursaries and grants for writers come in handy.

Authors often require financial aid or a bursary for writers. We see it very common in

education; students ask for financial support because they cannot afford

college. And yet we forget that these grants also exist for writers. Here are some of the best ones.

Creative Scotland

The Scottish Government and the National Lottery are the two principal sources of

money for the arts, screen, and creative industries that Creative Scotland

distributes. They support organizations across Scotland and assist with

individual development, idea funding, new work and projects, and specialized

activity delivery with partners.

One of Creative Scotland's core financing programs, the Open Fund for Individuals, supports a wide spectrum of activities launched by artists, authors, producers, and other

creative practitioners in Scotland. This fund's overall budget for 2021/22 is 5 million pounds.

Artists and creative practitioners who are self-employed or freelance in Scotland and

are at least 18 years old are eligible to apply. You can apply for anything from £500 to £100,000. There are no application deadlines for this fund; you can apply at any time.

Small research grants from the BA/Leverhulme Foundation assist primary research in the humanities and social sciences. These grants, worth up to £10,000 and valid for up to 24 months, are given to cover the costs of expenses incurred as a result of a

specific research project.

Career stage: Postdoctoral or equivalent research.

The eligible ones to apply are postdoctoral scholars (or equivalents) who are

residents in the United Kingdom. Co-applicants can be from anywhere in the

world, but the Principal Applicant must live in the UK on a regular basis.

The Emerging Voice Fellowship offers a five-month virtual intensive mentorship program for early-career writers from traditionally underrepresented populations in the publishing

sector. The program is dedicated to advancing the careers of Black writers, and

it assists Indigenous, people of color, LGBTQ+, immigrants, disabled writers,

and those who live outside of urban areas. The ultimate goal is for the publishing and media businesses to diversify. Applicants must be 21 years old or older.

Applicants do not

require to be permanent residents or citizens of the United States, but

they must remain in the country at the time of application and throughout

the term of the fellowship.

Applicants must

not hold a master's degree in fiction, creative nonfiction, or poetry.

Applicants cannot

have one or more books published by large or independent publishers,

university presses, or established presses, nor may they have a book under

contract with a publisher.

The Hughes Fellowships in Creative Writing for the 2022-2023 academic year have been announced by the English Department at Southern Methodist University. Two fellowships will be awarded by SMU, one in poetry and the other in prose (fiction or creative nonfiction). Each fellowship will cover a period of two years.

Fellows will be required to make significant work on a major project, teach one

creative writing course every semester, and participate in the department's

intellectual and creative life as well as the greater literary community in

Dallas.The annual salary is $50,000 including benefits.

Each Hughes Fellow will be expected to live in the Dallas region for the school year

and have no other career or academic obligations.

Only writers who

have earned an MFA or Ph.D. in creative writing within the last five

years, or who plan to do so by August 2022, are eligible.

Applicants with

second novels published or under contract will not be considered for the

Hughes Fellowships, as they are intended to help new writers.

Conclusion

Getting financial support for low income writers is entirely possible. These are some

of the best bursaries for writers and grants, the most prestigious ones. But

there are many more - it's all a matter of looking around and getting informed!