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
SIP (Set in Philadelphia) Screenwriting Competition Greater Philadelphia Film Office · Foundation Not published · Varies A screenwriting competition for feature length or TV pilot-length screenplays.	Not published	Varies
Idaho Commission on the Arts: The Folk and Traditional Arts Fellowship Grant Idaho Commission on the Arts · Foundation Not published · $5K The Idaho Commission on the Arts offers January 2026 Fellowships to support Idaho artists and writers in their pursuit of artistic excellence.	Not published	$5K
New Work (NW) The Bronx Council on the Arts Incorporated · Foundation Not published · Varies New Work (NW) supports individual Bronx-based artists with grants for arts projects and creative endeavors.	Not published	Varies
Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize Grant The Academy of American Poets Inc · Foundation Not published · $25K The Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize, established in 1975, awards $25,000 to the best book of poetry published in the U.S. the previous year.	Not published	$25K
Escape to Create (E2E) Residency Grant Escape to Create (E2C) · Foundation Not published · Varies Escape to Create (E2C) Residency is a unique multi-disciplinary creative retreat in Seaside, Florida, established in 1993.	Not published	Varies
Onondaga County Poet Laureate CNY Arts Inc · Foundation Not published · Varies A poet laureate program for Onondaga County. Specific details about award amounts, deadlines, and eligibility criteria were not provided in the available content.	Not published	Varies
Crisis Relief Grants The Dramatists Guild Fund Inc · Foundation Rolling · Varies Emergency grants designed to help writers facing financial crises or urgent hardship situations. To provide financial assistance to writers experiencing unexpected hardship	Rolling	Varies
CALT Black Appalachian Storytellers Fellowship Grant Mid Atlantic Arts Inc · Foundation Not published · $5K The CALT Black Appalachian Storytellers Fellowship, supported by the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, celebrates and preserves the rich traditions of Black Appalachian storytelling.	Not published	$5K
Writer in Residence Grant Idaho Commission on the Arts · Foundation Not published · $5K The Writer in Residence Grant, offered by the Idaho Commission on the Arts, is a prestigious biennial award recognizing literary excellence among Idaho writers.	Not published	$5K
Florida Talks Book Festival Grants Florida Humanities Council Inc · Foundation Not published · Varies	Not published	Varies
Artist Support Grants Regional Cultural and Performing Arts Development Commission · Foundation Not published · Up to $3K Direct funds for individual artists' projects, needs, and creative opportunities in all artistic disciplines. Encourages creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship, and sustained commitment to artistic work.	Not published	Up to $3K
BGDM Black Directors Grant Brown Girls Doc Mafia Inc · Foundation Not published · $10K	Not published	$10K
Shredder’s Studio Art Scholarship Community Foundation for Nantucket Inc · Foundation Not published · Varies The purpose of the Fund shall be to provide scholarships to fund all or any portion of the college tuition of any graduate of Nantucket High School pursuing a degree in fine arts and/or art therapy. _You can learn more about this…	Not published	Varies
FAWCP Writing Fellowship Grant Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown Inc · Foundation Not published · $10K The Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown offers a prestigious Writing Fellowship for emerging writers.	Not published	$10K
Maine Artist Fellowship- Literary Arts Grant Maine Arts Commission · Foundation Not published · $5K The Maine Artist Fellowship in Literary Arts recognizes the exceptional talent of Maine artists across various writing genres, including fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.	Not published	$5K
Herbert Warren Mason Fellowship Grant American Society of Overseas · Foundation Not published · $5K The Herbert Warren Mason Fellowship, established in 2017 by the American Society of Overseas Research (ASOR), supports scholars, poets, and artists in retelling ancient and medieval myths from the Near East and Mediterranean.	Not published	$5K
Leon Levy Center for Biography: Sloan Fellowship Grant The Graduate Center, City University of New York (CUNY) · Foundation Not published · $72K The Leon Levy Center for Biography offers the Sloan Fellowship, which supports the writing of biographies about figures from science or technology.	Not published	$72K
WNDB: Walter Dean Myers Grant Program We Need Diverse Books · Foundation Not published · $2K The Walter Dean Myers Grant Program, established by We Need Diverse Books, offers $2,000 grants to promising unpublished diverse writers and illustrators.	Not published	$2K
Back to Better: Creative Resilience Grants Centre Foundation Inc · Foundation Not published · $3K A one-time $3,000 grant program providing independent artists and creative sole proprietors financial support to stabilize their practice and adapt to post-pandemic challenges across Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, and Huntingdon Counties…	Not published	$3K
Individual Grants 2026 Putnam Arts Council · Foundation Not published · Varies The Putnam Arts Council offers grants for individual artists in 2026. The Putnam Arts Council (PAC) is a not-for-profit arts service organization chartered in 1963 by the NY State Department of Education.	Not published	Varies
Artist Fellowships Regional Cultural and Performing Arts Development Commission · Foundation Not published · $20K Recognizes artistic excellence and honors the work of seasoned artists, advances the work of mid-career artists, and nurtures the work of developing artists.	Not published	$20K
Will Glickman Award Grant Theatre Bay Area · Foundation Not published · $4K The Will Glickman Award, presented by Theatre Bay Area, honors the best new play premiering in the San Francisco Bay Area each year.	Not published	$4K
Arts Fund: Specialty Field Scholarships - First Nations Australia Writers Network (FNAWN) Writer in Residence USA Fellowship American Australian Association · Foundation Not published · Varies The Arts Fund supports emerging or early career artists pursuing or planning to pursue artistic development in the Australia to USA and USA to Australia direction.	Not published	Varies
For Us, By Us Filmmaker Incubator Filmmakers Collaborative · Foundation Not published · $2K This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.	Not published	$2K

Showing 193–216 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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