Best Grants for Creative Writing

Arts and culture 501(c)(3) organizations serving Pasadena, Altadena, or Sierra Madre can use these grants for ongoing programs, technology, innovation, and audience development. Grants from Pasadena Community Foundation help Greater Pasadena writing and literature nonprofits, including creative writing programs, invest in new technologies, expand community engagement, and collaborate to increase access to arts and culture. Awards range from US $5,000 - US $25,000.

New Orleans nonprofit arts organizations in disciplines like writing and literature can use this grant for operating expenses such as salaries, programming, marketing, and overhead. Orleans Parish groups with at least $700,000 in annual expenditures may be eligible for $14,000 Level 3 awards from Arts Council New Orleans, renewed for a second year upon successful reporting.

The New Orleans as Cultural Capital Grant - Level 2 Funding provides vital operating support to nonprofit arts organizations engaged in various disciplines including dance, music, and visual arts. Offered by the Arts Council of New Orleans, grants of $7,000 are available to organizations with expenditures between $200,000 and $699,999. The initiative aims to enhance the arts landscape in New Orleans, promoting equity and accessibility in cultural funding, and fostering the city's vibrant artistic community.

The New Orleans as Cultural Capital Grant provides essential operating support to nonprofit arts organizations across various disciplines such as dance, music, and visual arts. With funding amounts of $3,500, $7,000, or $14,000 based on fiscal year expenditures, this grant emphasizes artistic excellence and equitable practices. Grants are awarded for two years, encouraging long-term sustainability and community engagement in the arts. Applications open on February 3, 2025, for 2026 and 2027 support.

The GA Arts: General Operating Support Grant, provided by the Georgia Council for the Arts, aims to support nonprofit arts organizations in Georgia. This grant facilitates the growth of community engagement through various art forms, including performing, visual, and media arts. Eligible organizations must have a primary arts mission and offer significant arts-based programming. By fostering creativity and cultural expression, this grant helps enhance the vibrancy of Georgia's communities.

The Klamath River Fund: Community Impact Grant, initiated by the Humboldt Area Foundation and Wild Rivers Community Foundation, aims to enhance community-led climate resilience and restorative justice in the Klamath River Basin. This grant supports initiatives that prioritize racial equity, youth development, and environmental health. With funding requests starting at $10,000 and an average grant size of $50,000, it encourages partnerships and innovative projects that foster sustainable growth and well-being for local communities.

New York Public Library 

The New York Public Library has been an essential provider of free books, information, ideas, and education for all New Yorkers for more than 125 years. Founded in 1895, NYPL is the nation’s largest public library system, featuring 92 locations across the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, including our world-renowned research centers at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Together with our circulating branches, including the all-new Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library (SNFL), the Library provides an extraordinary richness of resources and opportunities available to all.

Kate Medina Fellowship for Literary Narrative Nonfiction

The New York Public Library and Random House Publishing Group are pleased to offer the Kate Medina Fellowship for Literary Narrative Nonfiction to support writers whose projects engage meaningfully with collections accessible onsite at the Library’s flagship Stephen A. Schwarzman Building. Projects requiring access to original materials including manuscripts, archives, books, photographs, prints, maps, newspapers, and journals will be given preference, but all worthy projects will be considered.

Established with the generous support of Kate Medina and Random House Publishing Group, the fellowship promotes originality and excellence in nonfiction works that combine strong storytelling, reportorial precision, artistic writing, and depth of research into important subjects and ideas. The selected fellow will receive a stipend of $30,000 to support four continuous months of research to be taken between September 1, 2026 - March 15, 2027.

Fellows at The New York Public Library have sustained access to the Library’s world-class collections and space to work in one of the shared study rooms of the Vartan Gregorian Center for Research in the Humanities. The Library will provide opportunities to connect with our expert librarians, subject specialists, and curators for consultation or guidance and to engage with NYPL’s broader scholarly community. As part of the Library’s commitment to expanding knowledge in the humanities more broadly, and to provide Fellows with public platforms for their scholarship and research, each Fellow will be expected to give a presentation on their work at the Schwarzman Building and to provide a blog post for the research channel of the NYPL blog. 

Project Proposal

Successful project proposals will include a thorough explanation of how in-person access to collections accessible at The New York Public Library is essential to the progress and completion of the project. Proposals should also include:

• Abstract of the project's major themes, questions, and arguments
• Significance of the project
• Project plan, including a timeline of your work with the Library's collections during the fellowship term and a desired start date
• Expected project outcomes including existing book contractual obligations, if any
• Personal statement detailing the impact this fellowship would have on your project and/or career as well as the likelihood of successfully completing your project without this fellowship

The Manhattan Arts Grants: Creative Engagement, offered by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC), supports artists and community-focused organizations in accessing public funds to present rich arts activities. Since 1983, these grants have been vital in fostering cultural vibrancy across Manhattan. With funding from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and other partners, LMCC helps artists connect with communities from Inwood to The Battery, enhancing public spaces through various artistic disciplines.

The SU-CASA Grant is a 3-month program placing local artists in Staten Island senior centers to engage older adults through creative workshops. Each residency concludes with a public event showcasing the participants' work. Artists receive a stipend of $6,000 and a $2,000 budget for materials. Funded by the NYC Council, this initiative fosters collaboration among various city departments and supports artists passionate about teaching and working with seniors.

The NYSCA Arts Bring Change (ABC) Grants support local cultural organizations and artists who collaborate with public schools to provide K-12 students with engaging artistic experiences. Funded by the New York State Council on the Arts, this program emphasizes art exploration and requires projects to include hands-on learning sessions. Applicants must demonstrate a partnership with schools and meet specific eligibility criteria, ensuring impactful and meaningful artistic education for students.

The NYSCA Encore Grants are designed to support returning Staten Island-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations in presenting significant artistic and cultural programming across various disciplines. Eligible projects must focus on cultural expression and be accessible to the community, emphasizing artistic significance and addressing under-resourced disciplines. The grant is funded by the New York State Council on the Arts and aims to enhance local cultural production and community engagement.

The DCLA Art Fund Grants, offered by Staten Island Arts, support individual artists and collectives in creating culturally significant work. Open to all artistic disciplines, projects must include a public component. Emphasizing community engagement, the grants prioritize under-resourced disciplines and communities. With funding from the Greater New York Arts Development Fund, these grants aim to enhance cultural programming and education, fostering a vibrant arts scene on Staten Island.

The DCLA Premier Grants provide vital support to first-time applicants, including individual artists and community organizations on Staten Island. These grants focus on projects that foster public engagement and enhance cultural programming across diverse artistic disciplines. Eligible applicants must demonstrate community interest, clear objectives, and a realistic plan for implementation. Priority is given to projects that address under-resourced communities or artistic disciplines, ensuring equitable access to funding and cultural production opportunities.

The PEN Translation Prize, awarded annually by PEN America since 1963, recognizes outstanding book-length prose translations into English. A $3,000 prize is conferred to the winning translator, celebrating the art of literary translation. Eligible works must be original translations published by U.S. trade publishers within the calendar year. This award highlights the importance of cross-cultural literature by honoring translators who bridge language barriers, fostering appreciation for diverse voices in the literary community.

The PEN Award for Poetry in Translation, established in 1996, honors outstanding book-length translations of poetry into English. This prestigious award, conferred by PEN America, provides a $3,000 prize to the translator of the winning work. Eligible entries must be original translations published by U.S. trade publishers within the calendar year. The award not only recognizes the art of translation but also promotes cultural exchange and literary diversity.

The PEN/John Kenneth Galbraith Award for Nonfiction, offered by PEN America, recognizes a distinguished book of nonfiction published annually. This prestigious award, which includes a $10,000 prize, honors works that exhibit notable literary merit and critical perspectives on contemporary issues. Eligible authors, regardless of citizenship, must have published their book in the previous calendar year. This award highlights the importance of intellectual rigor and stylistic elegance, echoing the legacy of economist John Kenneth Galbraith.

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.

The PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award honors outstanding writing that effectively communicates complex scientific ideas in an accessible manner. Established by Dr. Edward O. Wilson and supported by notable figures, this award recognizes a single, living author for their work published within the calendar year. The winner receives a $10,000 cash prize, celebrating excellence in the literature of the physical and biological sciences.

The PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay, established by PEN America, honors a distinguished writer whose collection of essays expands their body of work. This prestigious award, with a cash prize of $15,000, recognizes books of individual essays that can explore a specific theme or a variety of subjects. Eligible candidates must be U.S. residents and cannot be debut authors, ensuring the award celebrates established voices in the literary community.

The PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry Collection, established by a bequest from Hunce Voelcker, is presented annually by PEN America to recognize a distinguished collection of poetry published in the calendar year. This award honors the importance of poetry collections as an art form and is open to all U.S. residents or citizens, regardless of age or poetic style, with a cash prize of $5,000. It aims to celebrate and expand the scope of American poetry.

The PEN Open Book Award, presented by PEN America, recognizes literary works by authors of color published in the U.S. during the year. With a focus on diversity, it awards a $10,000 prize and a residency in Italy to authors who have not yet garnered significant media attention. This award promotes underrepresented voices in literature, celebrating fiction, nonfiction, and poetry that challenge the norms and enrich the literary landscape.

The PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers, awarded by PEN America, recognizes twelve emerging writers annually for their debut short story published in a literary outlet. Each winner receives a $2,000 cash prize, and their stories are published in an anthology by Catapult. The prize aims to foster new voices in fiction, inspired by Robert J. Dau's legacy, highlighting the importance of literary excellence and encouraging the next generation of writers.

The PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Short Story Collection recognizes an outstanding debut collection of short stories by a talented fiction writer. Awarded by PEN America, this prize highlights the literary achievements of new voices in fiction and offers a $25,000 cash prize to support the winner's future work. Established in memory of Robert W. Bingham, it honors his commitment to nurturing young writers and their contributions to literature.

The Pryor and Arlene Neuber Charitable Trust, based in Pittsburgh, focuses on philanthropy and education. It provides grants to nonprofit organizations, emphasizing projects that offer direct community services, demonstrate measurable impact, and promote sustainability. The Trust prioritizes collaboration and supports initiatives benefiting underserved populations in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. However, it does not fund general operating costs, new programming, or for-profit entities. Organizations must have at least three years of operational experience to qualify for grants.

The Fellowship Award, offered by the Rasmuson Foundation, supports mid-career and established artists in Alaska with grants of up to $25,000. These awards enable artists to focus on their creative work for a year, providing resources for reflection and experimentation. Recipients also benefit from professional development and promotion of their work, enhancing their skills in marketing and finances. This initiative encourages collaboration among artists, fostering a vibrant artistic community in Alaska.

The Rasmuson Foundation offers Project Awards to support Alaska artists in various disciplines with grants of $10,000 for specific short-term projects. This initiative aims to help emerging, mid-career, and established artists reflect on their work, explore creativity, and develop their artistry. Applications are open until June 9, 2025, providing essential resources for individual artists and collaboratives alike. The program emphasizes professional development and promotion of artistic work through various channels.

The NYSCA Support for Artists Grant offers vital funding to artists in New York State, promoting the development of new work across various artistic disciplines. This grant is designed to enhance diverse artistic voices, encourage significant growth in individual artists, and strengthen collaborations with sponsoring organizations. Prequalification is mandatory for nonprofit applicants, ensuring a streamlined process for those seeking to elevate their creative endeavors. Artists are invited to apply through sponsoring organizations to receive support for their innovative projects.