The Free Part of the Authors' Fund
The funding that remains when the individual remuneration has been disbursed - and the administrative costs have been covered - is called the free part of the fund.
This free part is used for various kinds of stipends and grants, on the basis of which the Swedish Authors' Fund hopes to improve working conditions for and enable well-qualified originators and translators to pursue their literary activities at professional level. The Board of the Swedish Authors' Fund disburses this funding on the basis of applications and/or proposals.
Working Grants
Openings for grants are announced twice a year, in February and August. The following individuals are eligible to apply for grants:
The works of these originators must be found in public and school libraries.
In making its decisions regarding stipends and grants, the Board balances a number of considerations: primarily literary quality, followed by need. The main emphasis is on the scope and quality of the applicant's literary production in the period since (s)he was last granted a stipend by the Swedish Authors' Fund. The larger the stipend being applied for, the higher the demands in terms of book production. There is often very stiff competition; normally only 15-20% of the applicants receive funding.
A drafting committee, of which Lisa Nordström is the secretary, processes grant applications.
The aim of the one and two-year working grants is to provide the recipient with the opportunity to concentrate on his or her literary production for a period of time. These grants are nontaxable, and are at present for between SEK 40,000 and SEK 80.000.
The five-year working grants are primarily intended to provide the recipient with the opportunity to devote him or herself uninterruptedly to his or her professional literary activities, with a fixed basic income for a number of years. These grants are usually awarded to literary originators and translators who are becoming established professionals, and applicants receiving a five-year grant have often previously been awarded a one or two-year grant. At present, the five-year grants are for SEK 94,000 per year. These grants are taxable and counted toward the national pension scheme, the pension contributions being paid by the state. It is possible to apply for working grants on two occasions every year, in February and August.
Pensions
Pensions may be awarded to authors, translators and illustrators who have a small national pension and whose production of books is regarded as sufficient from both qualitative and quantitative viewpoints.
The size of a Fund Pension is adapted to the applicant's other pensions. If the applicant's income from other pensions is in excess of 3.8 times the national base amount stipulated annually by the Government (SEK 161,120 in 2010), the Authors' Fund does not award a pension.
Benefits
Authors, translators and illustrators experiencing a financial emergency may apply for benefits from the Fund. These benefits are normally SEK 8,000 at most during a single year. In exceptional cases sums of up to SEK 15,000 may be disbursed. These benefits are non-taxable. Applications may be submitted at any time.
A special sub-committee of the Board, the benefits committee, administers the temporary benefits. Lisa Nordström prepares these cases at the secretariat.
Grants to Originators' Organizations
From the library loan compensation payments are also made in the form of grants to the originators' organizations that are represented on the Board.