British Council partners with Speaking Volumes on new grant for international work

Independent literature organisation Speaking Volumes is partnering with the British Council on a new pilot scheme, Beyond Literature Borders, which will offer four grants of £7,000 each to UK-based organisations to develop and deliver new literature projects with international partners. 

To apply, organisations must be “diverse-led and/or working with underrepresented voices and with limited or no experience of working internationally” organisers said. They will be expected to work with a partner based in one of 44 different countries listed which range across continents — from Nigeria to North Macedonia and from Syria to Sri Lanka. 

As well as the £7,000 grant, Beyond Literature Borders organisations will have the support and advice of both the British Council and Speaking Volumes for their year-long projects. The awardees will be encouraged to use this opportunity to develop further international work in the future. 

Sinéad Russell of the British Council said: “We are delighted to be collaborating with Speaking Volumes on this new international grants opportunity. We know that building connections and collaborations with peers worldwide can be transformative and we hope that this pilot programme will support a wider diversity of literature organisations to benefit from the opportunities presented by international working.” 

Sharmilla Beezmohun, co-founder of Speaking Volumes, added: “We relish the chance to add to our experience by helping to run this pilot programme, where we’ll also be able to pass on many of the valuable lessons that we’ve learned from our own international projects.” 

Applications are open from 12th February to 12th April 2024. More information can be found here.