The Mo Siewcharran Fund is delighted to announce the latest recipients of four new grant awards: writer-led theatre, Royal Court Theatre; youth-focused theatre, Boundless Theatre; Edinburgh-based network, trade and development body for the Scottish book publishing sector, Publishing Scotland; and The Association of Illustrators, the professional body for illustration in the UK and beyond. 

In its eighth year, the Mo Siewcharran Fund continues to support a range of creative organisations driven by its mission to champion people from Black, Asian and ethnically diverse backgrounds pursuing careers in publishing, music and theatre.

Since launching in 2018, the Fund has supported 61 Black, Asian and ethnically diverse trainees to access roles in publishing, theatre and music across the UK. Each grant award contributes to the salary costs for a six-month traineeship and a full programme of support from Creative Access to ensure the trainee thrives in their new role. 

The Fund’s impact can be seen clearly across the sector: two-thirds (65%) of the interns have gone on to secure a role post-traineeship, with 70% remaining in the creative industries, and three-quarters (75%) of line managers reported increased confidence working with colleagues from under-represented groups as a result of participating in the traineeship. Read our latest impact report for 2022 – 2025 here. 

John Seaton, founder of the Mo Siewcharran Memorial Fund, commented on the most recent funding round: 

“I am thrilled that the Mo Siewcharran Fund moves into its eighth year so confidently, in partnership with four exciting organisations, who, in their different ways, exemplify the values of diversity, equity and inclusion that underpin both the Fund, and the tireless work of Creative Access.”

Josie Dobrin OBE, executive chair, Creative Access, said: 

“This was one of the toughest rounds yet, with an extremely high calibre of application from many wonderful organisations. It is gratifying to see how many creative businesses recognise the value of such a targeted programme but also demonstrates the urgent need for funding for smaller organisations to create internships themselves. As ever, it’s a joy to work with John on these awards and we have now placed over 60 trainees through the Awards. The vast majority of the interns have gone on to forge successful careers in the creative industries, which represents a fantastic legacy for Mo.”

The Royal Court is the leading force for championing and cultivating playwrights. It presents work across two theatre spaces in Sloane Square and beyond, to support writers and creatives at every stage. Will Young, executive director, said:

“We are delighted to have been awarded support from the Mo Siewcharran Fund towards a production trainee role next year. The award will directly support our shared goals to support a more diverse and inclusive future talent pipeline, and the successful candidate will have an enviable opportunity to learn from the Royal Court’s world-class production teams during our celebratory 70th Anniversary season. We can’t wait to start recruitment!”  

Boundless Theatre makes space for young people aged 15–25 to create, connect, and lead the future of the arts. Adele Reeves de Melo, executive director and co-CEO at Croydon-based Boundless Theatre, said: 

“Boundless Theatre is honoured to receive support from the Mo Siewcharran Fund. The fund’s commitment to opening doors in the arts is invaluable, and we’re proud that this traineeship will help a young person from an under-represented background build a meaningful career in our industry.”  

Established in Edinburgh in 1974, Publishing Scotland is a membership body and charity that acts as the voice and networking for publishing companies, organisations and individuals in the industry. Publishing Scotland CEO, Shelia Pinder, said:  

“I had such a positive experience working with Creative Access in the past that when joining Publishing Scotland I knew connecting with your work again could enrich our EDI commitment to the Scottish publishing sector. We are looking forward to supporting deserving talent gaining experience of and building networks in the creative industries in Scotland.”

The Association of Illustrators is a non-profit, professional body championing illustrators and the illustration industry within education, promotion and campaigning in the UK and beyond. Rachel Hill, chief executive, said:  

“We are sincerely thankful to have been awarded a grant from the Mo Siewcharran Fund. With this support, we can offer a structured development opportunity to someone at the start of their career, while adding a fresh perspective that will enrich our team and outreach.” 

The Fund is once again open for other music, theatre or publishing organisations wishing to support internships for those from under-represented communities. 

The deadline for the next round is midday Thursday 25 June 2026. Those interested in applying should download the application form here. 

With 2025 drawing to a close, we’re turning the page on another year of the Creative Access book club. Our community of mentees, interns and alumni came together to discuss five books this year, spanning fiction, non-fiction, and memoir. In 2025, we sent out 158 copies across genres: from coming of age in the city streets of Oslo to hunting demons in late 19th-century Singapore. All in all, that’s 217,408 pages read by the CA community in 2025, all by authors from backgrounds historically under-represented in publishing. As ever, a huge thank you goes to our partners in publishing for supporting our book club, whether that’s supplying copies or providing spaces to host our community! 

Here’s everything we read in 2025:  

• The Formidable Miss Cassidy by Meihan Boey (Pushkin Press)  

• Back in the Day by Oliver Lovrenski (Penguin Random House)  

• Saraswati by Gurnaik Johal (Serpent’s Tail, Profile Books)  

• The Quiet Ear by Raymond Antrobus (Orion Publishing, Hachette UK)  

• Every Day I Read by Hwang Bo-reum (Bloomsbury Publishing)  

This year, we worked with five different independent and major publishers – from Pushkin Press, Profile Books and Bloomsbury Publishing to Penguin Random House and Hachette UK – to provide copies for those who attended across the year. Our tea-fuelled Zoom sessions brought together our community from across the UK, getting us through slow summer nights and cosy winter evenings – while discussions hosted in sparkling publishing offices were made complete by the smell of books and a much-appreciated snack selection.  

The Creative Access book club met in December to share thoughts on Every Day I Read by Hwang Bo-reum at the Bloomsbury offices.

In October, we gathered on Zoom to discuss The Quiet Ear by Raymond Antrobus.

“It’s a raw, beautiful and poetic piece,” one attendee told us after our chat at Penguin Random House about Lovrenski’s brutal yet tender coming of age, Back in the Day. Intimate, winding discussions of Saraswati, the debut novel by Creative Access alum Gurnaik Johal covered identity, romance and oral storytelling with qisse or Punjabi folktales. Raymond Antrobus’ transformative memoir, The Quiet Ear, opened up discussions on D/deafness and class, culture and education; while The Formidable Miss Cassidy by Meihan Boey had us battling mystery, mythology, and misadventure in turn-of-the-century Singapore. Last but certainly not least, Hwang Bo-reum’s Every Day I Read offered a reflective, slightly meta, deep dive into the vital importance of reading for pleasure (spoiler: the Creative Access cat community couldn’t agree more!).   

And finally, a huge thank you goes to our publishing partners! Providing copies, spaces to gather, and stories to celebrate makes the Creative Access book club possible, so a big shoutout is very much deserved. The same, of course, goes for our Creative Access community of readers, who always come ready to chat and bring the stories to life beyond the page. We can’t wait to see what 2026 will bring.

We’re always looking for new book club partners. As well as discussing the book, we can organise a giveaway across our socials and make sure you get plenty of coverage across our community. If you’d like to nominate a title by an author from an historically under-represented community (and you can post out 25-35 copies to attendees) please get in touch at theo@creativeaccess.org.uk.  

“Creative Access, the UK’s leading inclusivity organisation in the industry, defines underserved communities as groups proven to be underrepresented in the sector”, reports Kirklees Local TV.

Inside Maya Jama’s new partnership with Creative Access and why it matters for diversity in entertainment, media and talent management, reports The Talent Times.

Eight brilliant individuals across all sectors of the industry are celebrated in the Publishers Association’s People of Publishing campaign. This year’s judging panel included Josie Dobrin, executive chair and founder of Creative Access, reports The Bookseller.