The Rebecca Swift Foundation is recruiting for a new Chair and two new Trustees to support our national work advocating for and championing UK-based women poets.
The Rebecca Swift Foundation is the only UK-based charity to focus on the advancing the craft, creativity and wellbeing of women poets. We are currently one year into a two-year funded programme for women poets thanks to Arts Council England, with over 1,000 women poets engaging with our events, services and support networks through the Women Poets’ Network. We are looking for a Chair to help us grow beyond the current funding period and to match our strategy with our ambitions to support as many women poets as possible whilst remaining true to our ethos. RSF’s services are low-cost or free wherever possible, in recognition of the fact half of the women poets we work with are living in or have experienced financial precarity. We are therefore particularly keen to hear from candidates with experience in fundraising, governance, and leadership.
While the charity is based in London, our current board is based around the country and we meet online. Our Women Poets’ Network has members in every part of the UK, and our current Creative Associates are working closely with women poets in London, Wolverhampton, and Newcastle where we are establishing connected in person hubs.
Job Role: Trustee (voluntary, 3-year term)
Deadline: 9am BST 15th September 9am BST
Interviews: online week commencing 13th October
Application: by email to (please read How to Apply below)
About Us
The Rebecca Swift Foundation is a registered charity whose mission is to nurture the craft, creativity and wellbeing of women poets in the UK. Our free-to-enter Women Poets’ Prize saw submissions from over 2,000 women over three cohorts in 2018, 2020 and 2022 with alumnae featured in the Guardian and Telegraph, and our ACE-funded Women Poets’ Network, set up in 2022, now has over 1,000 members across all parts of the United Kingdom. In 2022, we hosted the first Women Poets’ Festival in partnership with the National Centre for Writing, and are actively looking into partnerships and collaborations that uplift women poets and bring their work to new audiences. To date, over 2,500 women poets have been directly impacted by our work by submitting to our Prize, becoming a Member, or attending one of our events which include CPD offerings, open mics, networking opportunities, and informational webinars helping women poets to gain and hone practical skills in order to sustain their creative practice. In 2026, we will be publishing a Women Poets’ Anthology, in partnership with Fly on the Wall Press and edited by Jennifer Wong.
What We are Looking For
We are specifically looking for a Chair with fundraising experience who can help take the charity into the future with a focus on financial sustainability. Business planning and strategy experience are essential, as well as a real passion for poetry and women. Ideally, candidates applying for the position of Chair will have had prior experience on a non executive board. Please note that RSF is a micro charity, run by dedicated volunteers and a part time project manager.
We are looking for dedicated new Trustees with a good working knowledge of the literary landscape, who can help us bring advocacy to our work and build vital connections with agents, publishers, festivals and programmers. Candidates with skills in income generation and community development are welcome as we look to build our membership and create new offers to make connections between our Network and the industry, and we are open to hearing from candidates who feel their skills are in alignment with our work and ethos.
Trustees do not themselves have to be connected to the world of poetry, but an interest in literary creativity is vital, and we welcome approaches from those invested in other sectors in the championing of women’s voices. The Foundation encourages an inclusive culture and our programmes are open to all women poets aged over the age of 18, including trans women poets.
Trustee Responsibilities:
• Attendance at quarterly Board meetings and a commitment to join relevant working groups as appropriate (Board meetings are currently held virtually: applicants from all parts of the UK are welcome)
• Agreeing and monitoring RSF’s strategic direction and plans and ensure that it pursues its charitable objectives
• Ensuring that RSF functions within the legal, charitable and financial requirements of a charitable organisation and strives to achieve best practice
• Ensuring the financial stability of the organisation and the proper investment of funds through individual donations and any public grants
• Appointing the Project Manager and any other future staff of the Foundation
• Using specific skills, knowledge and experience to help the Board of Trustees reach sound decisions
• Promoting and upholding the values and activities of the Foundation
Becoming a Trustee:
For the role of Chair, we welcome applications from those with prior experience of sitting on a non executive board: working knowledge of charity governance is essential.
For Trustees, we welcome applications from those with and without previous Trustee experience. If you are new to governance positions and interested in this role, we are happy to provide training or resources in order to ensure you feel confident and fully briefed in the responsibilities of UK charity Trustees.
To apply for Chair or Trustee, you may be based anywhere in the UK, and you must have the right to work in the UK.
The following Eligibility guidelines are based on current Charities Commission requirements. Upon being offered the position, the selected candidates will need to sign a Directors’ Consent form which confirms their eligibility to become a Trustee. We have outlined the eligibility criteria here.
Eligibility:
You must not act as a Trustee if you are disqualified under the Charities Act, including if you:
• Have an unspent conviction for an offence involving dishonesty or deception (such as fraud);
• Are bankrupt or have entered into a formal arrangement (e.g. an individual
voluntary arrangement) with a creditor;
• Have been removed as a company director or charity Trustee because of wrongdoing.
Terms of Appointment:
• Trustees are appointed to a 3-year term of office, and there is the possibility of serving for a further 3-year term. A third and final term may be served only by special resolution.
• You will be expected to attend four Board meetings a year, with the potential for further working group meetings, training and events as appropriate.
• Whilst the role is unpaid, pre-agreed travel and other reasonable expenses will be covered by the Foundation.
How to Apply:
Please send a CV and a short covering note explaining why you’d like to become the new Chair or a new Trustee of the Rebecca Swift Foundation. If you are applying with one of the above stated skill-sets, please make this clear in your application.
Applications should be sent by email to by no later than 9am BST Monday September 15th 2025.
If you would like a confidential chat ahead of applying, please email using the subject header ‘FAO AKI SCHILZ: RSF TRUSTEE’ – this will be flagged for the attention of our founder who will get back to you.
Please note that our Project Manager works one day a week for RSF. We will confirm receipt of your application when we are able. Thank you in advance for your patience.