COVID-19/Coronavirus Advice
Last updated: 14/12/2020
Support and Help from NAWE
This is a challenging time for everyone. Whether you rely on events, workshops and commissions for your income and are facing financial difficulties due to cancellations or you are directly affected by your personal health or caring responsibilities, the impact is enormous and unprecedented.
We would like to reassure you that the whole NAWE team is working to keep the impact of COVID-19 on our core membership services to a minimum. The processing of membership applications and renewals, as well as DBS checks, will continue as usual, as will our information and editorial services.
Please do continue to send us details of any workshops or courses that you are offering online or running later in the year and we’ll add these to our website listings and weekly bulletin.
In addition to maintaining our regular work, NAWE has been fortunate to secure Arts Council England Emergency Funding, which will enable us to develop some online resources, regional networking groups and other projects over the coming months.
Below you will find a list of links and resources providing support for writers and organisations affected by COVID-19 which we will update on a regular basis.
We have received a number of enquiries asking if costs relating to event cancellations can be claimed under our Public Liability Insurance cover for Professional Members. However, this policy is concerned with insuring the professional writer against any liabilities arising out of injury to third parties or damage to third party property while lecturing, teaching, or engaged in other creative writing activities rather than the event or activity itself.
In response to the current COVID-19 situation, we’ve moved the annual NAWE Conference from November 2020 to 12-13 March 2021, online. A virtual conference will be a first for NAWE and an opportunity to involve more NAWE members than ever before. We’re planning a bumper winter edition of Writing in Education for the autumn to coincide with the original conference dates, which will provide another opportunity to connect with your peers and share your practice.
Along with our peer organisations, we've been advocating for the needs of freelance writers and writers in education with funders and other sector bodies. In response to the current crisis, the sector (Society of Authors, Arts Council England, Royal Literary Fund, English PEN in partnership with the TS Eliot Foundation, Amazon UK, Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society, NAWE) has come together to create the Authors' Emergency Fund to help support authors impacted financially by Covid-19. We will continue to make the case for our members and the sector as a whole.
Please do get in touch if you have any concerns and we will do our best to help and support. All calls to the NAWE office are being forwarded so you can contact us in the usual way.
Useful Links and Resources
We will be updating this section on a regular basis.
For the latest on support for those in immediate need:
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The Society of Authors has announced that Arts Council England has donated £400,000 to supplement the Authors' Emergency Fund providing £330,000 in grants for authors affected by the COVID-19 crisis from the SoA, ALCS, RLF, English PEN in partnership with the T.S. Eliot Foundation, Amazon UK, NAWE, bringing the total to over £800,000. Open for applications.
- The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain has a Welfare Fund for members experiencing urgent financial difficulty.
- The BFI and Film and TV Charity have set up a new COVID-19 Film and TV Emergency Fund with £1 million donated from Netflix to help support the film and TV community affected by COVID-19.
- The Royal Literary Fund provides grants and pensions to writers in financial difficulty.
- The Royal Theatrical Fund provides support for people who have worked in the entertainment industry.
- The Audio and Radio Emergency Fund has been created to help those in the radio and audio sector who are facing hardship because of the coronavirus crisis.
- The Theatre Artists Fund was launched on the 6th July to support freelance professional theatre workers across the UK. Applications are now closed.
For the latest on support from funders:
- Arts Council England has offered a total of £160 million of emergency funding to individuals and organisations working in the cultural sector during this crisis. This funding has now closed. Read how it plans to support the longer-term recovery of culture and creativity (22 May). In August, it announced that it has increased the funding available to individual artists through its National Lottery Project Grants - for now, match funding isn't required and individuals can apply for time to think about their work and plan their next move - and also through its Developing Your Creative Practice programme which is due to reopen in the autumn. Rolling deadlines.
- Arts Council of Northern Ireland announced on 12 May that The Artists' Emergency Programme has been temporarily closed due to the high level of demand. This remains the case (September 2020).
- Arts Council of Wales opened for applications to a Stabilisation Fund for Individuals on Friday 29 May 2020. This closed on 15 June.
- Creative Scotland has compiled an A-Z of funding and resources available to Scotland's creative community. It has launched an updated version of the Open Fund: Sustaining Creative Development providing support for individuals and organisations. The fund is open all year round, with no deadlines and can support activity for up to 12 months. From 11 December, all applications to its Hardship Funds for Creative Freelancers will now solely be handled by Creative Scotland. The fund will temporarily close to applicants at midday on 18 December 2020 and will reopen to applications at midday on 5 January 2021. Their Bridging Bursary Fund for freelance creative professionals and parallel Screen Scotland Bridging Bursary Fund for self-employed screen sector workers have now both closed.
Guidance for those in receipt of a funding award or those in process of applying, together with general information and advice, is available from the four Arts Councils:
For the latest on government support:
- Self-employed The government's Self-Employment Income Support Scheme for self-employed people who have lost income due to COVID-19 is open for applications for phase 2 funding. Apply for a second and final grant by 19 October. Guidance also available on claiming Universal Credit and Employment & Support Allowance There is a HMRC Tax Helpline for self-employed people and businesses concerned about not being able to meet tax payments due to coronavirus. Tel 0800 0159 559
- The Scottish Government’s Newly Self-Employed Hardship Fund provided support (a one-off payment of £2,000) for those who became self-employed on or after 6 April 2019. This Fund is now closed.
- Businesses Guidance for employers and businesses on coronavirus.
For guidance for freelancers:
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The Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed (IPSE) has advice for freelancers and the self-employed
- The Creative Industries Federation has gathered together advice from across the sector to provide guidance to those in the creative industries affected by the coronavirus and its fallout.
- The Federation of Self Employed and Small Businesses (FSB) has advice and guidance on reducing the risks from COVID-19 to you and your business.
- Leapers has compiled a list of key things to consider if you're freelance and worried about coronavirus.
- The Society of Authors has information on useful resources including Advice on coronavirus and contracts and what happens if my speaking engagement is cancelled? from the legal team at Harbottle & Lewis.
- The Writers Guild of Great Britain (WGGB) has compiled a list of resources relating to health, work and financial concerns.
For the latest government guidance on COVID-19:
For advice on protecting your health and others:
For advice on how to deal with stress and protect your mental health:
- See the BBC news link about the World Health Organisation recommendations
- Mental health charity Mind has produced advice for those feeling anxious or worried about the virus.
For advice on travelling abroad: