How are funding decisions made?

Scottish Book Trust funds a set number of sessions every year - generally around 1,200. This is calculated on the average cost of a  session during the previous year, and the total funding granted to Scottish Book Trust by the Scottish Arts Council.

After the deadline has passed, all applications are assessed at a two day panel meeting which comprises representatives of Scottish Book Trust (Head of Programme, Children's Programme Manager and Live Literature Co-ordinator) and a representative of the Literature Department at the Scottish Arts Council.

You will receive notification of whether your application has been successful or unsuccessful within one month of the deadline.

When the panel assesses applications they will take into account:

• Imagination  - We like to fund interesting, imaginative sessions which show a commitment to the promotion of readership, and writing

• Your local authority area - We aim to fund events and projects which reach as wide a range of people as possible and funding is spread throughout every local authority in Scotland

• Clear outcomes - We want to fund sessions which have a clear and demonstrable benefit. We want to know how many people will benefit from the events and how. We also like to know how the session fits in with any other activity you're planning and whether it will have a legacy

• Your history of funding - Decisions are not affected by whether or not you have received funding in the past. However, we will consider whether you have used sessions well in the past and provided us with evidence of this (completed evaluation forms and suchlike). Equally we will take on board any past misuse of funding (unused sessions without good cause, delays in payment, negative feedback from a LLF visitor)