Rebecca Swift Foundation calls for 'urgent' donations

Throughout October, the Rebecca Swift Foundation is running a crowd-funding campaign to raise “vital funds” needed to “continue serving their growing community of women poets.”

The Rebecca Swift Foundation opened its doors in 2018 to create opportunities for poets for professional development, with fairly paid work for women poets. It was set up in memory of Rebecca Swift, editor, novelist, diarist, poet, and founder and director of The Literary Consultancy (TLC) from its foundation in 1996 until her early death in April 2017.

Since launching, its work has impacted more than 3,000 women poets, including through the free-to-enter Women Poets’ Prize, the UK-wide Women Poets’ Network, and the hybrid Women Poets’ Festival. Its mission, across everything they do, is to “advance the craft, creativity, and wellbeing of women poets.”

In a statement explaining the reasons behind the fundraiser, the organisation states: “The current environment for small charities is extremely challenging. In order to help keep the RSF building a loving home for women poets, they need to explore longer term, multi-year funding solutions. But doing this takes time, and money. Currently, they rely on the generosity of individual donors and a small but ambitious volunteer team.

“Their priority is keeping their work going and their doors open, so that they can continue to work with and support women poets who need them. Critically, they know that the thing their community most values is how accessible their offers are. With almost half of their women poets telling them they are experiencing or have experienced financial precarity, they are determined to keep user costs down, without compromising the quality of what they provide. Every donation, no matter the size, makes a meaningful impact on the lives of women poets. Join the Rebecca Swift Foundation as a supporter and be a catalyst for positive change.”

Kirsten Luckins, project manager for the Rebecca Swift Foundation, said: "Over the past two years project managing the Rebecca Swift Foundation, I’ve seen first-hand the positive impact our work has had on the lives of so many women poets. We’ve brought together a vibrant community that genuinely connects poets in every part of the UK, but it’s a very difficult time for small charities right now and so we’re having to take urgent steps to ensure we can continue providing accessible support and our unique online programme."

Donations can be made here.