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
Ella T. Grasso Literary Scholarship Grant UNICO Foundation Inc · Foundation Not published · $1K The Ella T. Grasso Literary Scholarship, provided by the UNICO Foundation, offers two $1,000 awards to college students of Italian descent.	Not published	$1K
Aminah Robinson Writer/Scholar/Researcher Residency Grant Greater Columbus Arts Council · Foundation Not published · $15K The Aminah Robinson Writer/Scholar/Researcher Residency, supported by the Greater Columbus Arts Council, offers a unique opportunity for U.S.-based African American writers, scholars, or researchers.	Not published	$15K
Patron Fund Wedgwood Circle Institute · Foundation Not published · $1K – $10K Micro-grants given to emerging artists who are at a critical transition point where a grant of $1K to $10K can make a huge impact and help propel their career forward.	Not published	$1K – $10K
Mary E. Kucera Memorial Fund for New Compositions Albert Rees Davis Endowment Fund Inc · Foundation Not published · Varies Established on November 7, 2012, through a generous gift of $10,000 from the Mary E. Kucera Trust to create a special endowment sub-fund within ARDEF.	Not published	Varies
The Velma Shotwell Griffin Memorial Scholarship Fund Grant Stark Community Foundation · Foundation Not published · $500 Stark Community Foundation is one of the area’s major sources of college scholarship support— thanks to the generosity of caring individuals, families and businesses that have created scholarship funds.	Not published	$500
NRDC Climate Storytelling Fellowship Redford Center Inc · Foundation Not published · Varies The Redford Center supports the NRDC Climate Storytelling Fellowship in partnership with The Black List, NRDC's Rewrite the Future program, The CAA Foundation, and NBCUniversal.	Not published	Varies
Campbell Opera Librettist Prize Opera America Inc · Foundation Not published · Varies The Campbell Opera Librettist Prize is awarded annually to an American librettist who has exceptional talent for writing opera librettos.	Not published	Varies
Short Film Lab Moving Picture Institute · Foundation Not published · Varies Part of MPI's Rising Filmmaker Program labs that provide hands-on training and mentoring to develop film concepts through the process of developing, producing, and releasing short films.	Not published	Varies
L.I.T.T.Y. Book & Writers Club The College and Community Fellowship Inc · Foundation Not published · Varies A transformative writing program designed to help women find their voice, share their personal stories, and develop the skills to become published authors.	Not published	Varies
Clark Medallion Book Award The Thomas D Clark Foundation Inc · Foundation Not published · $1K An annual award given to a University Press of Kentucky (UPK) book that exemplifies high scholarly and literary standards championed by the late historian Thomas D. Clark.	Not published	$1K
Writers Alliance Grants The Dramatists Guild Fund Inc · Foundation Not published · $5K The Writers Alliance Grants provide $5,000 to a writer and $5,000 towards a nonprofit theater's production of that writer's new work. These grants celebrate working relationships between writers and theaters that align with DGF core values.	Not published	$5K
The Spiral Shell Fellowship Grant Virginia Center for the Creative Arts · Foundation Not published · $1K The Spiral Shell Fellowship, established in 2022 by VCCA Fellow Sandell Morse, supports writers attending the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts' residency at Moulin à Nef in Auvillar, France.	Not published	$1K
Irene Yamamoto Arts Writers Fellowship Grant Japanese American National Museum · Foundation Not published · $5K The Irene Yamamoto Arts Writers Fellowship supports emerging writers focusing on music criticism. This fellowship encourages applicants to submit writing samples that critically analyze live or recorded music.	Not published	$5K
EmersonWRITES Scholarship Boston Green Academy Foundation Inc · Foundation Not published · $30K EmersonWRITES is Emerson College's free creative writing program offering in-person and online courses in poetry, flash fiction, genre fiction, non-fiction, and other writing disciplines.	Not published	$30K
WMU Department of History: Cheryl Lyon-Jenness Writing Award Grant Western Michigan University · Foundation Not published · $350 The Cheryl Lyon-Jenness Writing Award at Western Michigan University honors outstanding undergraduate research papers exceeding 4,000 words.	Not published	$350
Philadelphia Student Mediamaker Fund Grant Independence Public Media · Foundation Not published · $1K – $2K The Philadelphia Student Mediamaker Fund, supported by the People's Media Fund, empowers students in the Philadelphia area to create digital media projects.	Not published	$1K – $2K
Margaret Frans Brady Scholarship for Arts Grant Juneau Community Foundation · Foundation Not published · Up to $10K The Margaret Frans Brady Scholarship for Arts, established by the Juneau Community Foundation, aims to support arts and education initiatives in Skagway and northern Southeast Alaska.	Not published	Up to $10K
Graton Artist Opportunity Grant Sundance Institute · Foundation Not published · Varies The Sundance Institute is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the discovery and development of independent artists and audiences.	Not published	Varies
Screenwriting Workshops Moving Picture Institute · Foundation Not published · Varies Multi-day workshops focusing on essential screenwriting skills taught by industry-leading professionals.	Not published	Varies
PEN/Jacqueline Bograd Weld Award for Biography Grant Pen American Center Inc · Foundation Not published · $5K The PEN/Jacqueline Bograd Weld Award for Biography, presented by PEN America, recognizes outstanding literary works in biography published in the U.S. during the previous year.	Not published	$5K
WV Humanities Publication Grant The West Virginia Humanities Council Inc · Foundation Not published · Up to $20K The West Virginia Humanities Council provides matching grants to nonprofit organizations focused on public humanities programming in West Virginia.	Not published	Up to $20K
Jonathan Larson Grants American Theatre Wing Inc · Foundation Not published · Varies American Theatre Wing Jonathan Larson Grants — an unconditional investment in individual emerging musical-theatre writers (composers, lyricists, and librettists) to support and safeguard their artistic careers. FLAG for detail.	Not published	Varies
Camargo Fellowship The Camargo Foundation · Foundation Not published · Varies Since 1971, the Camargo Foundation has awarded residencies to more than 1,500 individuals through its flagship program.	Not published	Varies
DGF Crisis Relief Grants The Dramatists Guild Fund Inc · Foundation Not published · Up to $15K The DGF Crisis Relief Grants provide essential financial support to playwrights, composers, lyricists, and librettists facing unexpected hardships.	Not published	Up to $15K

Showing 169–192 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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