Applications call for ANFASA Grant Scheme Scheme for Authors 2020

ANFASA, the Academic and Non-Fiction Authors’ Association of South Africa, announces the next round of the grant scheme to benefit authors of scholarly and general non-fiction works. Scholarly works are normally based on research and cover a wide range of disciplines in the humanities, social sciences, and arts. The AGSA scheme encourages young researchers, in particular, to communicate through the written word and to build their academic careers through the writing of scholarly monographs. Grants are reserved for books rather than articles, although a compilation of essays would be eligible.

What is a “general non-fiction work”? Just as an example, it could be a biography or an autobiography; a history of a town or a region or a religion; a book about music or sport or theatre; a political or social analysis; an account of everyday life in a township; a book about nursing, or cooking, or fashion, or fishes, or traditional medicines; or cars – those are just a few of the many topics supported by the ANFASA grant scheme in the past.

Grants

The ANFASA Grant Scheme Scheme for Authors provides a sum of around 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

An independent committee will assess the applications and select the most deserving. The selection committee aims to offer awards to a wide-ranging group of authors and subjects; 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 also to consider authors at all levels of education from the untutored to the degreed.