A limited number of small-medium sized grants are available to UK registered charities and literary organisations that promote the creative arts for the public benefit, especially literature, whether fiction, non-fiction drama or poetry.
The Charlotte Aitken Trust is a relatively new charity, founded in 2020, that is dedicated to the support of literature, writing and reading. It is funded by the estate of the celebrated literary agent Gillon Aitken (1938-2016) in the name of his only daughter Charlotte, who died in 2011 at the age of 27. The Chair of the Trust is the British author and journalist, Sebastian Faulkes CBE.
Previously, the Trust has provided funding for:
- Book prizes
- Playwrights, theatres and touring companies
- Literary festivals
- The infrastructure of artistic organisations and buildings of national importance, and
- Schemes that champion and promote creative writing in schools.
The Trust is expected to open to grant applications today, Wednesday 1 April, with a deadline of Thursday 30 April 2026.
A further application window is scheduled to open on Tuesday 1 September and close on Wednesday 30 September 2026.
Organisations interested in seeking grant support should complete the ‘Contact form’ on the Trust’s website.