We are pleased to announce applications are open for the Union's Mentorship Microgrants. These grants are designed to support a strong, sustainable writing community while providing direct financial and professional assistance to members.
This program will assist writers in improving their own income-earning opportunities by developing craft and business skills. The Union will provide up to 80 member applicants with a $500 grant which can be used to:
- provide you with payment to mentor another writer, or
- allow you to pay another writer for mentoring.
Application deadline: December 18, 2022. All applicants will be notified of results in late December.
ELIGIBILITY
The applicant must be a current TWUC member and may apply for funding as a mentor or mentee. The mentorship partner may be a member or non-member, must be a writer, and must be a resident or citizen of Canada. Mentors and Mentees must be 18 years of age or older and cannot be members of the same family.
In order to benefit as many writers as possible, each writer is limited to one application as either mentor or mentee.
Tip: TWUC's Mentorship Microgrants program can provide non-member mentee participants with one point toward membership eligibility through the Extended Application process. Visit writersunion.ca/apply for details.
MENTORSHIP FORMAT
The mentorship can focus on:
- the craft of writing (reviewing part of a manuscript, working on plot development, research skills, etc.), or
- the business of writing (presentation skills, digital skills, business plan, marketing, etc.).
We would suggest that the mentorship should be approximately 10 hours in length but it is up to each mentor and mentee to agree on the exact nature and length of their mentorship. Mentorships will be coordinated directly between each mentor and mentee, and all mentorships will be conducted remotely (through email, video meetings, and/or phone conversations). Mentorships must be completed by March 20, 2023.
Find a Mentorship Partner: While you may already have a writer you wish to reach out to for this program, you may wish to browse the Union’s Member Directory to seek a mentorship partner. There are two ways to contact members:
- Use the Member Directory to check the author’s profile for an email address or phone number.
- Send an email to the author care of The Writers’ Union of Canada to info@writersunion.ca.
Please note that author contact information is intended for professional purposes only. Please respect authors’ privacy.
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
Members must identify the mentor and mentee, indicate the nature of the mentorship (craft or business), and provide a brief description of the project and anticipated results. Successful applicants will be required to submit a brief final report by March 20, 2023.
If applications exceed available funding, successful applicants will be chosen by lottery.
EQUITY INITIATIVE
As part of the Union’s Equity Implementation Plan, a portion of funding will be allocated to applications for mentorships where the mentor or mentee identifies as Black, Indigenous, racialized, LGBTQI2S, or living with a disability.
KEY DATES
- Application deadline: December 18, 2022
- Notification of results: late December 2022
- Final report deadline: March 20, 2023
- Funds distributed: Upon submission by applicant of final report
APPLY NOW
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