Call for applications: Author grants in South Africa

ANFASA says a general non-fiction work could be a book about music, sport or theatre, a biography or an autobiography, a political or social analysis, etc.

According to the association, scholarly works include research, which covers a wide range of disciplines in the arts, humanities and social sciences. The scheme seeks to encourage young researchers to communicate through the written word and build their academic careers through writing of scholarly monographs. Grants are reserved for books rather than articles, although a compilation of essays would be eligible.

Interested applicants can apply for grants here or send an -mail at info@anfasa.org.za. The submission deadline is 31 July.

“If you are currently working on a scholarly or a general non-fiction work, you are eligible to apply,” ANFASA says. “However, if selected, only ANFASA members may actually receive an award, so if you are not already a member you are urged to apply via the ANFASA website.

“The grants are intended to provide a sum of about R30 000 to be used for an author to buy time – to take leave, for instance, and devote herself or himself to writing; or to travel in order to conduct research. A grant could also be used for equipment to conduct interviews. The grants are for research and writing, and are not intended to cover the cost of publishing the manuscript, although a grant could also be used to cover some editing costs, for instance, if properly motivated.”

Selection process

An independent committee will assess the applications and make its selections. The committee aims to award a wide-ranging group of authors and subjects, and the selection process will respect the need to treat new and experienced authors equally, to bear in mind authors writing in rural as well as urban locations, and to consider authors at all levels of education, from the untutored to the degreed.

The ANFASA grant scheme aims to encourage applications from young authors at the start of their careers. Applications for books written in all the official languages will be equally considered.

Visit ANFASA official website for more.