Grants for Creative Writing

Last updated October 10, 2026

Grantable tracks 283 active grants for creative writing in its free grants database, drawn from foundation sources and updated daily. 166 list an award amount, with a median of $5,000.

Grants tracked: 283; from 181 funders
Median award: $5,000; middle half $2,575–$25K
Total listed funding: $12.3M; across 166 grants that list an amount
Rolling deadlines: 4; 13 with a published date

On this page: Foundation · Updated daily

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Grant	Deadline ▲	Amount
Goldfarb Family Fellowship for Creative Nonfiction Grant Virginia Center for the Creative Arts · Foundation Not published · Varies The Goldfarb Family Fellowship for Creative Nonfiction, offered by the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, provides a two-week fully-funded residency at Mt. San Angelo for writers of creative nonfiction.	Not published	Varies
ARS Essay Contest Armenian Relief Society of Eastern USA Inc · Foundation Not published · Varies	Not published	Varies
Arts for Sullivan Individual Artist Fellowships Delaware Valley Arts Alliance Inc · Foundation Not published · Varies Over $68,000 in funds distributed through Arts for Sullivan, a Statewide Community Regrants Program of the New York State Council on the Arts, to fund Community Arts projects and Individual Artist Fellowships in Sullivan County.	Not published	Varies
Let Creativity Happen! Grant Houston Arts Alliance · Foundation Not published · Up to $3K The Let Creativity Happen! Grant, offered by the Houston Arts Alliance, provides funding between $5,000 and $10,000 for innovative projects that enhance artistic expression in Houston.	Not published	Up to $3K
Literary Arts Fund Innovation Projects Grants The Literary Arts Fund · Foundation Not published · $25K – $100K The Literary Arts Fund will award at least $50 million in grants to the nonprofit literary arts field over the next five years, concluding in 2031.	Not published	$25K – $100K
MacColl Johnson Fellowship Program Grant Artist Communities Alliance · Foundation Not published · Up to $30K The MacColl Johnson Fellowship Program, managed by the Rhode Island Foundation in collaboration with the Alliance of Artists Communities, offers up to three $30,000 fellowships annually for emerging and mid-career Rhode Island writers.	Not published	Up to $30K
Betty Kinsman Fund Grant The Kinsman Foundation · Foundation Not published · Varies The Betty Kinsman Fund supports arts in Oregon and southern Washington, focusing on theatre, literary arts, and photography. Grants prioritize smaller organizations and aim to celebrate individual artists and innovative presentations.	Not published	Varies
Leon Levy Center for Biography: Dissertation Fellowships Grant The Graduate Center, City University of New York (CUNY) · Foundation Not published · Varies The Leon Levy Center for Biography at CUNY offers Dissertation Fellowships for two Ph.D. candidates focusing on biography. Open to all nationalities, applicants must have a dissertation project devoted to biography.	Not published	Varies
Literary Arts Fund Operating Grants The Literary Arts Fund · Foundation Not published · $37K – $50K The Literary Arts Fund will award at least $50 million in grants to the nonprofit literary arts field over the next five years, concluding in 2031.	Not published	$37K – $50K
PEN/John Kenneth Galbraith Award for Nonfiction Grant Pen American Center Inc · Foundation Not published · $10K The PEN/John Kenneth Galbraith Award for Nonfiction, offered by PEN America, recognizes a distinguished book of nonfiction published annually.	Not published	$10K
Teri Rogers Screenwriting Award Grant ArtsKC Regional Arts Council · Foundation Not published · $1K The Teri Rogers Screenwriting Award, presented by ArtsKC, honors the legacy of Teri Rogers by providing a $1,000 grant for a full feature or pilot script.	Not published	$1K
Minnesota Filmmaker Mentorship Grant Jerome Foundation Inc · Foundation Not published · Up to $10K The Minnesota Filmmaker Mentorship Grant offers up to $10,000 for early career film directors in Minnesota to engage in self-designed mentorships with experienced professionals.	Not published	Up to $10K
Excellence in Teaching Fellowships Grant The Loft · Foundation Not published · Varies The Loft Literary Center and the Madeline Island School for the Arts (MISA) invite nominations for the 2025 Excellence in Teaching Fellowship, offering four writers a week-long residency to work on their projects.	Not published	Varies
Film, Video, and Digital Production Grants Jerome Foundation Inc · Foundation Not published · Up to $30K The Film, Video, and Digital Production Grants provide up to $30,000 to support early career film directors from Minnesota or New York City.	Not published	Up to $30K
Adam Kolton Alaska Storytelling Grant Award Alaska Wilderness League · Foundation Not published · $20K Established in memory of Adam Kolton, the League's late executive director (2017-2021), this merit-based storytelling grant supports practicing professional storytellers of exceptional talent and ability who have experience living in…	Not published	$20K
The Adina Talve-Goodman Fellowship Grant One Story Inc · Foundation Not published · $2K The Adina Talve-Goodman Fellowship, awarded by One Story, Inc., supports early-career fiction writers who have yet to publish a book and are not enrolled in advanced writing programs.	Not published	$2K
PEN/Ralph Manheim Award for Translation Pen American Center Inc · Foundation Not published · Varies _Note: This award will be conferred next in the 2027 Literary Awards cycle._ Founded in 1922, PEN America is the largest of the more than 100 centers worldwide that make up the PEN International network.	Not published	Varies
Scholastic Art & Writing Awards The Denver Rotary Club Foundation · Foundation Not published · Varies The nation's longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for creative teens	Not published	Varies
Bronx Recognizes its Own (BRIO) The Bronx Council on the Arts Incorporated · Foundation Not published · Up to $5K For over 36 years, BCA's BRIO Award has recognized artists from a wide range of creative disciplines who demonstrate proficiency, knowledge, and intense practice in their chosen artform.	Not published	Up to $5K
Richard S. and Julia Louise Reynolds Poetry Fellowship Grant Virginia Center for the Creative Arts · Foundation Not published · Varies The Richard S. and Julia Louise Reynolds Poetry Fellowship, offered by the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (VCCA), provides fully-funded three-week writing residencies for poets.	Not published	Varies
Jean Stein Grants for Literary Oral History Pen American Center Inc · Foundation Not published · $15K The PEN/Jean Stein Grants for Literary Oral History support unique works of nonfiction that utilize oral history to shed light on significant events, individuals, or movements.	Not published	$15K
Apothetae and Lark Playwriting Fellowship Lark Theatre Company Inc · Foundation Not published · Varies A fellowship program offered by The Lark (in partnership with Apothetae) supporting Deaf and Disabled playwrights. Supports Deaf and Disabled voices in playwriting and theater creation.	Not published	Varies
Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award Tulsa Library Trust · Foundation Not published · $40K To give formal recognition, on behalf of the Tulsa County community, to internationally acclaimed authors who have written a distinguished body of work and made a major contribution to the field of literature and letters.	Not published	$40K
PEN Award for Poetry in Translation Grant Pen American Center Inc · Foundation Not published · $3K The PEN Award for Poetry in Translation, established in 1996, honors outstanding book-length translations of poetry into English.	Not published	$3K

Showing 145–168 of 282

About grants for creative writing

Grants for creative writing support fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction through fellowships, residencies, and project funding. The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Creative Writing Fellowships award funds to published writers in prose and poetry on an alternating-year cycle, judged anonymously on artistic merit. State arts councils, literary foundations, and writing organizations provide additional fellowships, awards, and residency support for writers at all career stages.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much money do grants for creative writing award?

Of the 283 grants for creative writing Grantable lists as of October 10, 2026, 166 publish an award amount. The median listed award is $5,000, and the middle half fall between $2,575 and $25K. The largest is $7.5M. Amounts are each grant's stated maximum, so a typical award can be smaller.

Which funders offer the most grants for creative writing?

By number of active listings, the leading funders are Pen American Center Inc (20), The Dramatists Guild Fund Inc (10), Moving Picture Institute (7), South Arts Inc (7), and Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (6). In all, 181 funders have at least one active grant in this category.

When are grants for creative writing due?

Of 283 grants listed, 4 accept applications on a rolling basis, 13 have a published upcoming deadline, 81 run on a stated cycle (such as annual or quarterly) without a published date, and 185 don't publish a deadline, so check the funder's site.

What grants are available for creative writers?

Creative writers can apply for fellowships and grants that provide time and resources for writing, research, travel, and career development. The NEA Creative Writing Fellowships support published writers in prose and poetry, and state arts councils, literary nonprofits, and private foundations offer additional fellowships, project grants, and residencies for fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction.

Who funds individual writers?

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is a leading federal source of fellowships for individual creative writers, awarding support based on the artistic excellence of a writing sample. State arts agencies, regional arts organizations, university programs, and private literary foundations also fund writers directly through fellowships, prizes, and residencies.

Do I need to be published to apply for writing fellowships?

Many competitive fellowships, including the NEA Creative Writing Fellowships, require a record of publication to demonstrate that an applicant is a working writer. That said, opportunities exist for writers at all stages, including emerging-writer awards, residencies, and project grants with lighter eligibility requirements, so it is worth checking each program's guidelines carefully.

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