Best Grants for Creative Writing in Tennessee

Professional creative writers and other working artists in Tennessee can receive unrestricted fellowships to support their artistic careers. Tennessee Arts Commission supports writing and literature in Tennessee by awarding $5,000 Individual Artist Fellowships in categories such as literary arts, media, visual, craft, dance, music, theatre, and folk/traditional arts to artists for whom art income is a significant livelihood source.

The Ella T. Grasso Literary Scholarship, provided by the UNICO Foundation, offers two $1,000 awards to college students of Italian descent. Candidates must submit an original essay or short story celebrating their heritage while being enrolled in a full-time, accredited U.S. college for the 2026-2027 academic year. This initiative highlights UNICO's commitment to supporting educational endeavors and preserving Italian culture within America.

Tennessee nonprofits and government units in rural, isolated, or small communities can access funding for Southern artist projects through South Arts’ Arts in Rural Places Grant, with awards up to US $3,000 for artist fees. Organizations presenting creative writing, literary, or other arts programming must provide a dollar-for-dollar cash match and include at least two public activities.

South Arts Inc

Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, South Arts is a nonprofit regional arts organization empowering artists, organizations, and communities, and increasing access to arts and culture.

In partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the State Arts Agencies of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee — with additional funding from other public and private donors such as the Doris Duke Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and Mellon Foundation — South Arts supports artists and organizations through a rich and responsive portfolio of grants, fellowships, and programs. Why? Because South Arts believes that the arts elevate the region, increasing connectedness and inspiring meaningful change in the process.

Our mission: Advancing Southern vitality through the arts.

Arts in Community Grants

Program Description

Arts in Community Grants are designed to support deeper engagements between Southern communities and artists. Through these grants supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, we aim to increase access to the arts, expand audiences for artists, and broaden our reach. Eligible projects require a Southern artist/company visiting another Southern state for public activities, offering access to arts programming by professional artists. Funding supports Southern film directors, traditional artists, visual artists, performing artists, or writers:

• film (documentary, fiction, experimental, and animation),
• traditional arts (music, dance, storytelling, and visual arts/crafts),
• visual arts (crafts, drawing, experimental, painting, photography, sculpture, and mixed media),
• performing arts (theater, music, opera, musical theater, and dance), and
• literary arts (fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry).

Projects require an artist or artist ensemble and a host or partner organization. Project must include at least two in-person or live, virtual public activities – both a public presentation (a film screening, performance, reading, or exhibition) and an educational/community engagement activity (a workshop, demonstration, lecture, facilitated discussion, or master class). The grant requires a dollar-for-dollar cash match.

Public charities in the Southeast working on history, English, literature, law, agricultural education, or historic preservation can seek funding for operating, research, program, or publication needs. Watson Brown Foundation provides support largely for southern studies and related college-level programming, which may benefit Tennessee organizations focused on writing and literature; typical awards are US $33,000.

Individual writers and literary arts organizations in Tennessee and the broader South Arts region can apply for South Arts’ Literary Arts Grants, awarding up to US $5,000 for creative writing projects. Funding supports new work, research, community engagement activities like readings or festivals, and professional development such as workshops, conferences, retreats, or residencies.

Nonprofit and governmental arts presenting organizations in Tennessee can receive up to US $1,000 to support staff or guest artists’ travel and fees for professional development and artistic planning. With a mission to strengthen arts presenters, South Arts provides funding for conferences, festivals, workshops, virtual trainings, and planning meetings across disciplines including writing and literature.

Nonprofit and community organizations in Tennessee can apply for Tennessee Arts Commission’s Arts for All grants, awarding up to US $18,000 for arts projects that expand access and participation. Eligible projects may include writing, literature, and other art forms that engage people with limited exposure to the arts and reduce participation barriers.

Independent nonprofit literary publishers, small presses, and other literary arts organizations in Tennessee can apply for South Arts’ Literary Arts Grants for Publishers, offering up to US $5,000 for contemporary creative writing projects. Funding supports creation, publishing, and community engagement activities featuring Southern writers across poetry, fiction, drama, creative nonfiction, and young readers’ literature.

Literary Arts Project Grants

As part of its Literary Arts Initiative, South Arts is pleased to announce Literary Arts Project Grants supporting literary arts organizations and small presses that focus on contemporary literary arts.

These grants advance South Arts’ commitment to amplifying the literary traditions and artistic practices of the American South by directly supporting the development, production, and public engagement of high-quality literary projects.

Literary Arts Project Grants support projects in poetry, fiction, creative or literary nonfiction, young readers’ literature, and drama (scriptwriting). Projects must demonstrate artistic excellence, editorial rigor, and meaningful public or community impact.

Award Amount

South Arts will award up to $5,000 per project to eligible literary arts organizations and small presses.

Early-career Native writers and poets in Tennessee and across the U.S. can access funding to develop new creative projects through the LIFT program, which offers US $10,000 one-year awards. Native Arts & Cultures Foundation also provides professional development, culturally appropriate evaluation, and communications support for emerging Native artists in multiple disciplines.

Early-career fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry writers in Tennessee and across the U.S. can access funding and mentorship through the Emerging Voices Fellowship, which offers US $1,500 honorariums. Tennessee creative writers from underrepresented communities may be eligible for this five-month virtual program featuring one-on-one mentorship, craft workshops, and professional development support from PEN America.

Creative writing scholars in Tennessee focusing on Shakespeare-related writing and literature can access funding through the Shakespeare Association of America’s First Book Award. Current SAA members whose first scholarly monograph with a significant Shakespeare component is published between September 1, 2024 and September 1, 2025 may be recognized at the association’s annual luncheon.

Doctoral candidates with dissertations featuring a significant Shakespeare component can seek recognition and support through the Shakespeare Association of America’s J. Leeds Barroll Dissertation Prize. Focused on advanced writing and literature scholarship, SAA invites eligible members, including those based in Tennessee, to submit recently approved dissertations for this annual award.

Scholars and writers in Tennessee working on Shakespeare and performance studies can seek recognition for published work through the Barbara Hodgdon Award, honoring innovative scholarship on Shakespeare’s plays, poems, and adaptations. Grants from Shakespeare Association of America help members in good standing highlight outstanding articles in writing and performance across diverse media and contexts.

Early-career pediatric infectious diseases physicians in Tennessee interested in academic writing and reviewing can apply for this apprenticeship, which provides more than US $5,000 and intensive editorial experience. With a mission to advance pediatric infectious disease knowledge, PIDS Foundation offers weekly manuscript review, teleconferences, and JPIDS editorial board participation from October 2025 to October 2026.

The ISF Media Scholarship Program, established by the Islamic Scholarship Fund, supports American Muslim students pursuing degrees in media-related fields. With scholarships ranging from $3,000 to $5,000, the program aims to enhance Muslim representation in media and policy, counter negative portrayals, and foster positive narratives. Eligible applicants must be full-time students or working professionals in supported majors like media studies and journalism, maintaining a minimum GPA of 3.0.

The RWA Perseverance Fund, administered by the Romance Writers of America (RWA), supports members in financial need for their annual national dues. RWA, a nonprofit organization, is dedicated to advancing the interests of romance writers through advocacy and networking. The fund is available to applicants who can demonstrate financial need and commitment to a career in romance writing. Eligibility includes submitting proof of work, while ensuring a respectful and inclusive environment for all members.

The Sundance Collab's Cultural Impact Residency, honoring Michael Latt, is a six-month online program supporting early-career, underrepresented storytellers focused on social impact. Running from March to August 2026, it offers mentorship, feedback sessions, and resources to eight selected fellows in screenwriting, directing, and documentary filmmaking. This opportunity is designed for works-in-progress, fostering a supportive creative community to inspire and develop impactful narratives.

The PEN Prison Writing Awards, initiated after the 1971 Attica Prison Riots, invites incarcerated writers in the U.S. to submit unpublished works across various genres including Poetry, Fiction, and Memoir. Winners receive cash prizes and their works are published in an annual anthology. This program not only recognizes talent within carceral facilities but also supports writers through mentorship, fostering creativity and expression in challenging circumstances.

The Lazarus Family Scholarship in Bioethics and Humanities, offered by the AMA Foundation, supports students engaged in bioethics or the humanities, including art, music, and literature. This scholarship aims to foster the next generation of physician leaders by providing financial assistance to those who are committed to advancing health equity and community service. By recognizing diverse fields of study, it emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary approaches in medicine and the humanities.

Hendrix-Murphy Foundation

Enhancing literature & language at Hendrix College since 1978.

In homage to Bertie Wilson Murphy’s passion for the study and appreciation of literature and language, the Hendrix-Murphy Foundation at Hendrix College was founded in 1978 with an endowment by her son, Charles H. Murphy, Jr., former CEO of Murphy Oil Corporation. Mrs. Murphy was a 1905 graduate of Galloway Women’s College in Searcy, Ark., which merged with Hendrix College in Conway in the 1930s. Charles H. Murphy, Jr., was a member of the Hendrix Board of Trustees and served as chair. 

The Foundation's programs are overseen by a Board of Directors that is headed by the president of the College and includes Murphy family members, the provost, and representatives from the Hendrix Board of Trustees.

The Hendrix-Murphy Book Award

Hendrix is proud to offer the Hendrix-Murphy Book Award to an outstanding high school junior who demonstrates distinguished scholarship or leadership in literary studies (English, creative writing, foreign languages, or drama).

Hendrix-Murphy Book Award recipients will receive a copy of Poems to Read: A New Favorite Poems Anthology, edited by Robert Pinsky and Maggie Dietz.

Students may be nominated by their English, languages, creative writing, or drama teacher or guidance counselor by using the required form.

Creative writing and literature educators, scholars, and theater practitioners working with Shakespeare-focused projects in Tennessee may be eligible if they are members of the Shakespeare Association of America. Shakespeare Association of America supports writing, literature, and theater by honoring pioneering, culturally significant efforts that build and sustain diverse Shakespeare publics through teaching, scholarship, performance, or activism.

Literary translators of book-length prose published by a U.S. trade publisher can apply for PEN America’s PEN Translation Prize, awarding US $3,000 for outstanding translations into English. Focused on writing and literature, this national prize may benefit Tennessee translators and creative writers working with previously published non-English works of literary character.

Publishers of book-length poetry translations in Tennessee can seek support for original works translated into English and released by a U.S. trade publisher. PEN America supports writing and literature by awarding US $3,000 to the translator of an eligible poetry translation, with up to two translators allowed per book and no self-published titles.

Authors of single-author nonfiction books that critically illuminate contemporary issues and were published in the U.S. in the last calendar year can receive the PEN/John Kenneth Galbraith Award for Nonfiction, a US $10,000 prize. Grants from PEN America help writers, including those in Tennessee, gain recognition for distinguished creative nonfiction and eligible memoir.

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. With a prize of $5,000, this award celebrates authors who demonstrate exceptional narrative and artistic merit through scrupulous research. Since its inception, PEN America has awarded over $370,000 annually, supporting diverse voices in literature and promoting the freedom of expression.