The Peggy Ramsay Foundation

The Foundation was established in 1992 in accordance with the Will of Peggy Ramsay, the well-known play agent. Her executors, Laurence Harbottle and Simon Callow, instituted the Trust by deed and the residue of her estate was the first capital.

The purpose of the Foundation

Peggy Ramsay believed that her task was the creative support of writers for the stage. The Trustees attempt to emulate that and their priority in making grants is to assist individuals who wish to make the theatre their principal place of work and have had some experience. When funds permit grants are sometimes made to organisations which have a similar purpose to that of the Foundation and some special awards, such as the George Devine and Alfred Fagon Awards and the Pearson Playwrights Scheme, are supported.

Individual qualifications to be considered for a grant

The Trustees do not read scripts so they rely on the history of an applicant. Subject to the exclusions below the Trustees will consider an application from a playwright resident in the British Isles who has had at least one full length play in English professionally produced for a run for adults or young people. By full length the Trustees usually mean a play of more than one hour and that a run implies performance for more than one week. The British Isles are deemed to include the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Isles and the Isle of Man.

Exclusions

The Trustees will not accept as qualification books for musicals, pantomime, puppet plays, foreign language plays, translations or school plays. Adaptations and plays intended primarily for children are accepted only in special circumstances which imply wider originality.

Plays in other media and scripts for film or television are not a qualification but may be relevant.

The Foundation does not support production costs or any project which does not have a direct benefit to individual playwrights or writing for the stage. Commissioning costs are usually considered as part of production costs. Fees for training or courses of any kind are not supported.

Timing and form of applications

The Trustees meet quarterly. Although applications are also dealt with between meetings a delay of at least 6 - 8 weeks must be expected for a definitive answer. Applications are usually acknowledged. They should be brief, made by the writer concerned preferably in a simple letter stating the need, the amount requested and how it would probably be spent. A full cv of the applicant not limited to writing must be enclosed. Scripts and publicity material should not be sent.

Grants

Individual grants never ordinarily exceed £5,000. Grants are sometimes made for equipment needed by qualified applicants, such as laptops, and for expenditure which makes writing possible. In every case whether a grant is made or not the applicant will be notified.

The trustees do not give reasons for their decisions but when funds are limited individuals are preferred to organisations and new applicants to repeated applications. Nevertheless repeated applications can be considered.

The Trustees

At present the trustees are G Laurence Harbottle (to whom correspondence should be addressed), Neil Adleman, Simon Callow CBE, Michael Codron CBE, Sir David Hare, Tamara Harvey, Rupert Rhymes OBE, John Tydeman OBE and Harriet Walter CBE

Address

The Foundation can be reached as follows:-

By letter to: Hanover House 14 Hanover Square London W1S 1HP
By telephone at: 020 7667 5000
By fax at: 020 7667 5100
By email to: laurence.harbottle@harbottle.com