The Book Trade Charity launches £185k appeal as cost of living crisis sees demand for grants rocket
The Book Trade Charity is launching an appeal to raise £185,000 to support members of the industry though the cost of living crisis.
During the first five months of 2022, the charity has already given out grants of more £114,000 in response to requests for financial assistance from individuals and families in need, double the usual amount applied for by this stage of the year. This money is needed to put food on tables, heat homes and put the lights on, the charity said, but with energy prices expected to go up again this winter, and inflation taking hold, it fears more people will need assistance, and wants to ensure there are enough funds so nobody has to be turned away.
Chair of the charity Jonathan Nowell said: “For 185 years The Book Trade Charity has provided vital grants and homes to colleagues in the book industry. We launch special appeals only when we need to: when there was an overwhelming need for low-cost housing or when Covid struck. The current cost of living crisis has already driven requests for grants up by 50% year on year. We are launching the appeal now to meet this demand by strengthening our core grants programme and thereby safeguarding our vital work across our industry.”
Chief executive Victoria Perry said the charity’s last appeal in 2020 “showed us how powerful it can be when the trade gets behind a campaign” and that there has “never been a more important time" to become a supporter.
“The prospect of turning away people from our grants programme is real, unless we can build our funding base now,” she said. “While we don’t wish to add to the prevailing culture of fear around inflation, it is true to say that we are already hearing from people who are scared of losing their homes and deeply worried about the cost of food and petrol. Our beneficiaries are some of the most resilient people going and we take their concerns and insights seriously. The positive news is that each and every donation received to our new appeal will make a difference and help us to change lives.”
The charity’s new president, Isobel Dixon, said it is important that The Book Trade Charity secures funding from a wider range of companies, large and small across the trade. "It’s been exciting over recent weeks to feel a rising and renewed sense of commitment and connection to The Book Trade Charity from our book trade comrades. As we meet with agent, bookseller and publisher colleagues in person again, we’re able to share news of the charity’s long-term and current work and our plans to do more. We’re determined to continue to play a vital and even more dynamic role in supporting those in need across the industry, from every role and background, and through this to help build a more a diverse and inclusive industry. We hope many more will join us and help to spread the word.”
The Book Trade Charity was founded in 1837 as The Booksellers Provident Institution by a group of senior figures active in the Victorian book trade. Throughout its history it has acted as both a safety net to help colleagues at the point of crisis, and as a springboard to help people enter the industry, relocate for the job of their dreams and gain the skills they need to realise their potential.
Nowell emphasised that the cost of living crisis needs the charity to act as both a safety net and a springboard: "It’s so important that we get young people from diverse communities around the UK into the industry and that they feel confident they can make a career in publishing, bookselling or any related trade activities. It’s particularly critical now with the cost-of-living crisis and inflation.”
Perry said the charity uses the Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s methodology to assess the gap between the minimum income guidelines as part of its grant making process, and anecdotally has noticed where there used to be a gap of a few hundred pounds, this is now “regularly” stretching to £1,000 or more. “That’s a cause of great concern for us,” Perry said.
She said the charity prides itself on being able to turn around grants in an average of five days, but needs more money to ensure it is prepared for later this year, when it expects more requests to come in.
Companies and individuals wishing to join the appeal can donate here. The Book Trade Charity said donations of all sizes will make a difference, and welcomes one-off or monthly donations of any size. Companies wishing to donate more than £5,000 should contact Nicki Cattle, finance manager, directly via nicki@btbs.org or 01923 263128. For any queries about the appeal or to discuss future support to The Book Trade Charity, contact victoria@btbs.org.
The charity said it costs £20,000 to support up to 20 families through radically increased household bills, heating and travel and car costs this year, helping them at the point of need and preventing crisis from escalating. Likewise, it costs £7,500 to fund interview costs, internship accommodation or training and CV development for at least 10 colleagues facing redundancy or struggling to find work in the trade. A donation of £2,100 allows the charity to provide more regular grants through its welfare programme, which currently supports more than 60 people with a means-tested monthly grant for one year. Just £175 per month funds a regular grant to support a colleague and their family for one year.
