Arvon Grants: The David Pease Fund
Our grant fund is named in affectionate memory of David Pease, Arvon’s National Director from 1973-2000, who ‘grew Arvon from a small charity to a national literature organisation’. David was committed to ensuring an Arvon course should be available to as many people as possible, and it was under his visionary leadership that the grant fund was created.
For our tutored online and residential writing courses, we offer a Low Income Grant. Unfortunately we cannot offer grants for untutored retreats, Clockhouse Retreats or Arvon Plus courses. If you can’t attend an Arvon course without some financial help, we encourage you to apply. With Low Income Grants, you can apply for any amount up to the full course fee. Grant funds are released on a quarterly basis. Please note that you cannot reapply if you have received an Arvon grant in the past 5 years.
Please note that all grant funds for courses running up to the end of 2026 have now been allocated.
Sign up for our weekly newsletter for grant fund release dates straight to your inbox.
Can I apply for a grant?
Yes if:
- You are on a low income
- You are a UK resident (for the last 6 months or more)
- You are over 18
- You have not received a grant from us in the past 5 years
See here for full terms and conditions
Which courses are eligible for grant funding?
- 5 night tutored residential courses
- 3 night tutored residential short courses
- Online Writing Weeks and Writing Months
Which courses are not eligible for grant funding?
- Untutored residentials, such as Writers’ Retreats and Clockhouse Retreats
- Arvon Plus courses
- Online Writing Days and Masterclasses (see the FAQs below for other types of Arvon funding and concessions)
How do I book a place?
- You can book a ‘grant applied’ place on any course as soon as it appears on our website. Course options are here (scroll down for later dates).
- You cannot apply for a concession and a grant, so please skip the concession option when booking a grant place.
Please be aware that there are only 2 grant places per course and they can go very quickly. If both places have already been reserved, you will be unable to book without paying a deposit.
To check if grant places are still available, please email: grants@arvon.org
When should I submit my application?
Grant funding is released quarterly every year, as follows:
- January-March courses: applications open in October
- April-June courses: applications open in January
- July-September courses: applications open in April
- October-December courses: applications open in July
If you have made a booking with a ‘grant applied’, you will be emailed with an application link when the funding is released (see the dates above).
How does the application process work?
- We will assess all applications that we receive and award funding to those we feel are most in need of financial support, in that current quarter.
- If you are unsuccessful, you may reapply for a grant for a different course, in a future quarter. You will need to submit a new form for each application.
If you need the application form in a different format or would like some additional assistance to complete it, please contact grants@arvon.org.
FAQ: Arvon Concessions, Grants and Other Financial Support
What different types of financial support does Arvon offer?
- Arvon Grants (the David Pease Fund). This covers residential Writing Weeks and Arvon at Home (online) Writing Weeks and Writing Months. It does not cover Untutored Retreats, Clockhouse bookings, shorter courses, such as Writing Days or Masterclasses. Funds are released quarterly as follows:
• Early January for April-June courses
• Early April for July-September courses
• Early July for October-December courses
• Early October for January-March courses
An application form is required for these grants and there is a specific period each quarter during which you can apply. Further information, our terms and conditions and an application form can be found here: https://www.arvon.org/writing-courses/grants/ - Fully funded places for Online Writing Days. There are 2 fully funded places allocated to each OWD. To apply, please contact arvonathome@arvon.org with details of your financial situation and we will let you know if a place is available. There is no application form as such.
- Concessions. There are concessions available for many of our residential and online
courses but a limited number is allocated to each course, apart from Masterclasses, which have unlimited concessions. To apply, tick the ‘concession’ option when booking online and, subject to availability, the partial discount will be applied. For most courses this is a 30% discount but for Masterclasses it’s a 50% discount. There is no application form. Further details are here: https://www.arvon.org/writing-courses/prices-booking-information/
If there are no concessions remaining for your chosen course, you can check alternative options by emailing grants@arvon.org - Free Masterclasses. Tick a box to apply when you book online. These are limited to 3 per person per year.
- Special Grants. We usually have special grants available each year, which are separate from the main (David Pease) grant fund and often have different criteria. You can get information about these by signing up to our weekly e-newsletter here:
https://www.arvon.org/mailing-list/
How many times can I apply for funding?
There are some limits on this.
- Low Income (David Pease) Grant funds are only open to those who have not received a grant from Arvon in the past 5 years. We are oversubscribed so prioritise new, or previously unsuccessful, applicants. After 5 years you may reapply.
- We can award one fully funded Online Writing Day per person per year.
- There is no limit on the number of concessions you can apply for but please
remember that by taking up a concession place, it does mean another writer won’t
receive one, so we ask that you limit this to a few per year. - Free Masterclasses are limited to 3 per person per year.
Can I combine different types of financial support?
You cannot combine an Arvon grant with a concession for the same course, it must be
one or the other. However, you are welcome to combine an Arvon grant or concession with
an external grant, or other source of funding.
Do I have to be a UK resident to apply for funding?
Low Income (David Pease) Grants and most Special Grants are only available to UK
residents. Fully funded places on online writing days and masterclasses, and concessions on all courses are open to anyone, including international applicants.
Can I transfer my grant to another course or person?
If you have a good reason for transferring your grant to a different course, we are happy
to consider this but would not normally transfer a grant more than once. Please contact
grants@arvon.org about this. We cannot transfer a grant from one person to another. Each
person must submit their own application at the appropriate time (see Low Income Grant
information above).
Can I get help completing my application form?
If you are having any difficulty completing your application form and need our support,
please contact grants@arvon.org
Can I receive and complete my application form in a different format?
We will provide the application form in a different format for you, wherever possible.
Please contact grants@arvon.org to discuss your requirements.
Alternative sources of funding
- The Society of Authors administers a number of grants for writers
- The Royal Literary Fund offers a range of grants to professional writers seeking short-term to long-term financial support who unable to write due to a change in circumstances, sickness, disability or age.
- Ideal for the short story writer or poet, the Scottish Book Trust aims at supporting new writers
- With some funding coming from partners it’s worth having a look at Creative Scotland
- Royal Society of Literature Brookleaze Grants supporting writers from novelists, playwrights, poets, to short story writers who need time away from their normal lives
- Arts Council Grants fund projects that are all about engaging people, aiding Artists and Art Organisations
- Developing your Creative Practice is a new development fund designed to support independent creative practitioners
- Franics W Reckitt Arts Trust Fund for playwrights supports residential stays by professional artists, writers, composers and others for short periods away from home for holidays, convalescence or quiet working time
- Peggy Ramsay Foundation gives money to theatre writers in order to afford them the time and the space to write
Support the Grant Fund
Grants are funded by generous donations from supporters and our fundraising work. Want to support the Arvon Grant Fund? Learn about how you can donate and keep Arvon #OpenToAll.
Late availability concession pricing
Aged 18-25 or receiving certain state benefits? You could qualify for our late availability concession pricing, giving you a half-price discount on selected courses.