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400+
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$7M
Total funding
$5K
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Who We Are
We Need Diverse Books is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that takes a holistic approach in improving literacy and building compassion by affecting change across the entire reading pipeline — turning diverse manuscripts into published books and then donating diverse titles to readers nationwide.
Emergency Grants
WNDB provides emergency grants to diverse authors and illustrators, publishing workers, and educators who are experiencing dire financial need, whether due to loss of employment, natural disasters, medical emergencies, and more.
We aim to bolster the communities we serve by giving grants between $250 and $1,000 each. Since 2020, WNDB has provided more than 160 of these grants.
Social Impact Artist Award
Bonfils-Stanton Foundation and Denver Arts & Venues are proud to launch the Social Impact Artist Award. The award honors the outstanding contributions of three Denver-based artist collectives dedicated to championing positive impact and social justice through their artistic practice with a $50,000 award that includes $15,000 for a socially engaged project.
Socially engaged art serves as a powerful catalyst for positive change within communities, fostering connections, dialogue, and collective action. Collectives who work in partnership with local organizations and residents to co-create meaningful interventions and initiatives not only raise awareness about important issues but also empower individuals to become active participants in shaping their own communities. By fostering empathy and solidarity, these artistic interventions build bridges across divides and inspire collective action toward a more equitable and just society. Ultimately, socially engaged art reaffirms the intrinsic connection between creativity, community, and social change, demonstrating the transformative potential of art to shape the world we live in.
Program Goals:
How many $50,000 prizes will be awarded this year?
How are the funds issued to awardees?
Upon selection, the three (3) awardees must submit a W9 to Bonfils-Stanton Foundation for the $35,000 award as the foundation is required by the IRS to issue a 1099 to the individual for the amount. Members of artist collectives will split the $35,000 cash award evenly.
The project funds will be awarded separately through Denver Arts & Venues. Artist collectives will work together on a project with the allocated $15,000 budget.
Social Impact Artist Award
Bonfils-Stanton Foundation and Denver Arts & Venues are proud to launch the Social Impact Artist Award. The award honors the outstanding contributions of three Denver-based artists dedicated to championing positive impact and social justice through their artistic practice with a $50,000 award that includes $15,000 for a socially engaged project.
Socially engaged art serves as a powerful catalyst for positive change within communities, fostering connections, dialogue, and collective action. Artists who work in partnership with local organizations and residents to co-create meaningful interventions and initiatives not only raise awareness about important issues but also empower individuals to become active participants in shaping their own communities. By fostering empathy and solidarity, these artistic interventions build bridges across divides and inspire collective action toward a more equitable and just society. Ultimately, socially engaged art reaffirms the intrinsic connection between creativity, community, and social change, demonstrating the transformative potential of art to shape the world we live in.
Program Goals:
How many $50,000 prizes will be awarded this year?
How are the funds issued to awardees?
Upon selection, the three (3) awardees must submit a W9 to Bonfils-Stanton Foundation for the $35,000 award as the foundation is required by the IRS to issue a 1099 to the individual for the amount.
The project funds will be awarded separately through Denver Arts & Venues. Individual artists will work together on a project with the allocated $15,000 budget.
Background & Purpose
The California Arts Council (CAC) is a statewide agency committed to serving California artists, arts organizations, and communities of all sizes and needs. Guided by racial equity principles, the CAC continuously evaluates its grantmaking practices to ensure fair and inclusive funding opportunities that sustain a vibrant, safe, and resilient creative ecosystem across the state.
Through regionally based Administering Organizations (AOs), the Individual Artists Fellowship (IAF) program uplifts and celebrates California artists across all disciplines and traditions, highlights their excellence and acknowledges their leadership in shaping traditional and contemporary cultures. The program includes three fellowship tiers with a different award amount:
CAC Emerging Artist Fellows – $5,000
Emerging artists are those in the beginning stages of making their work public and engaging the larger community in their practice.
CAC Established Artist Fellows – $10,000
Artists in the Established tier regularly make their work public and engage the larger community in their practice.
CAC Legacy Artist Fellows – $50,000
Artists in the Legacy tier can point to a significant body of work, produced over a substantial period of time, that has engaged their communities and that has made significant social impact.
The CAC approved eight regional AOs for the fellowship in September 2025. Each of the AOs has information and details regarding their Individual Artists Fellowship programs, including application deadlines. If you are an individual artist, apply to the statewide fellowship program through the Regional AO listed below that serves your county. Please note: Individual artists must live in the region they are applying to and may submit an application to only one region.
Region 7: Inland Empire & South Coast Administered by Arts Orange County (ArtsOC)
Arts Orange County has been engaged by the California Arts Council to administer the application and jurying process for the Region 7 Individual Artist Fellowship, which includes Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
Background & Purpose
The California Arts Council (CAC) is a statewide agency committed to serving California artists, arts organizations, and communities of all sizes and needs. Guided by racial equity principles, the CAC continuously evaluates its grantmaking practices to ensure fair and inclusive funding opportunities that sustain a vibrant, safe, and resilient creative ecosystem across the state.
Through regionally based Administering Organizations (AOs), the Individual Artists Fellowship (IAF) program uplifts and celebrates California artists across all disciplines and traditions, highlights their excellence and acknowledges their leadership in shaping traditional and contemporary cultures. The program includes three fellowship tiers with a different award amount:
CAC Emerging Artist Fellows – $5,000
Emerging artists are those in the beginning stages of making their work public and engaging the larger community in their practice.
CAC Established Artist Fellows – $10,000
Artists in the Established tier regularly make their work public and engage the larger community in their practice.
CAC Legacy Artist Fellows – $50,000
Artists in the Legacy tier can point to a significant body of work, produced over a substantial period of time, that has engaged their communities and that has made significant social impact.
The CAC approved eight regional AOs for the fellowship in September 2025. Each of the AOs has information and details regarding their Individual Artists Fellowship programs, including application deadlines. If you are an individual artist, apply to the statewide fellowship program through the Regional AO listed below that serves your county. Please note: Individual artists must live in the region they are applying to and may submit an application to only one region.
Region 4: Central Valley & Eastern Sierra Administered by Kern Dance Alliance (KDA)
California Arts Council (CAC) Individual Artists Fellowship is a statewide initiative; however, the KDA guidelines are specifically designed for artists living and working in the Central Valley and Eastern Sierra Region
KDA is the only Administering Organization awarding fellowship grants to Region 4: Central Valley & Eastern Sierra
KDA IAF Region: Amador, Calaveras, Fresno, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Mono, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Tulare and Tuolumne counties
Community Foundation for Muskegon County
At the Community Foundation for Muskegon County, we work with donors, grantees, and advisors to address key community issues.
The mission of the Community Foundation is to engage donors and connect them with opportunities to make a lasting impact, build community endowment, provide leadership on key issues, and make grants that reflect the communities we serve.
Scholarships
Our scholarship funds seek to empower and encourage Muskegon County residents to pursue their dreams, hone in their gifts, and give back to our community.
If you’re a high school or homeschooled senior, current college student, early college senior, or adult learner, the Community Foundation for Muskegon County may have a scholarship for you. We manage one of the largest scholarship programs in our area, with over $1 million committed to students in over 500 new and renewed scholarships awarded each year.
Dorothy Creason Tyler English Scholarship
This scholarship has been made possible by the generosity of the Tyler Family, who established the Dorothy Creason-Tyler English Scholarship of the Community Foundation for Muskegon County. This scholarship is intended for graduating seniors from North Muskegon High School, who have an aptitude and passion for English. The scholarship will be awarded to a student who has demonstrated overall academic achievement with a special interest in and passion for reading, writing and discussing the ideas generated from great literature.
RoseLoe-Dix Endowed Scholarship Fund
Attending four-year university, two-year college or trade school in the upcoming semester, majoring in Business, Sciences, Computers, Christian Religion, Literature, Pre-med, Medical Field, or Engineering.
Awards
Hawai‘i Community Foundation
Hawai‘i Community Foundation invests charitable funds in communities across the State primarily through nonprofit organizations. Our core programs are designed to support a stronger nonprofit sector as we believe that these organizations are one cornerstone of a vibrant civic society.
We administer a number of grantmaking programs with targeted purposes or an island-based focus. Hawai‘i Community Foundation also assists several private foundations in delivering their grantmaking programs according to their specific strategies.
Artists in Residence – Laila Twigg-Smith Art Fund
Artists in Residence
HCF is currently accepting applications for the Artists in Residence 2026 grant program. Hawaiʻi nonprofit organizations/programs can apply to host artists in residence for a defined period. During the residency, the artists in residence focus on developing their own artistic practice while engaging with Hawaiʻi-based artists and the broader community through dynamic, meaningful interactions that have the potential for long term impact. Artist(s) in residence should be widely recognized, outstanding artists, including visual artists, writers, musicians, dancers, and other performing artists. Artists may be based in the continental United States, foreign countries, or Hawaiʻi. For Hawai’i-based artists, the residency must support new relationships with a host organization/program and new forms of community engagement; ongoing or existing collaborations are not eligible.
Laila Twigg-Smith Art Fund
The Laila Twigg-Smith Art Fund (LAF) was created to carry her ambition forward, for the benefit of the arts and artists of Hawaiʻi and beyond. It aims to nurture and promote Hawaiʻi as a global center for the exchange of contemporary arts and artists. LAF is intended to support projects and initiatives that afford artists opportunities to immerse themselves in new environments, to absorb different influences, and to realize fresh visions.
LAF has an advisory committee of volunteer community members with expertise in the arts who provide recommendations on the fund’s strategy and recommend grant funding.
Literary Arts Fund
Grants Overview
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.
With a short timeline, the fund’s grantmaking has a strategic focus on the areas of the literary arts ecosystem where it determined it could have the greatest impact— that is: supporting independent U.S.-based literary arts nonprofits whose primary mission is directly serving adult writers of creative nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and hybrid works in making their artistic work and sharing it with readers outside of school and academic settings. Please review the fund’s full eligibility requirements to learn more.
Innovation project grants provide funding to literary arts nonprofits for projects that may be collaborative and that aim to address critical challenges in one or more literary arts nonprofit organizations, presses, or publications that, if improved, would directly benefit creative writers’ artistic work and ability to share it with readers and audiences. These grants are disbursed to nonprofits in a single payment and intended for use during the project period.
Literary Arts Fund
Grants Overview
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.
With a short timeline, the fund’s grantmaking has a strategic focus on the areas of the literary arts ecosystem where it determined it could have the greatest impact— that is: supporting independent U.S.-based literary arts nonprofits whose primary mission is directly serving adult writers of creative nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and hybrid works in making their artistic work and sharing it with readers outside of school and academic settings. Please review the fund’s full eligibility requirements to learn more.
General Operating Grants Applications 2026 Guide
Background
The Literary Arts Fund was established in 2025 to dramatically increase funding for and the visibility of the nonprofit literary arts field toward ensuring a healthy and more robust U.S. literary culture in support of creative writers. The fund will award at least $10 million in grants to the nonprofit literary arts field in each of the next five years, concluding in 2031. The first open call is for 2026 general operating grant applications.
South Carolina Arts Commission
The mission of the South Carolina Arts Commission is to expand access to the arts and foster creativity for all South Carolinians.
For more than 50 years, the agency has worked to build a thriving arts environment that benefits all South Carolinians, regardless of their circumstances or where they live.
We help artists and arts providers offer unique arts experiences to residents and visitors. From free poetry readings and gallery crawls to sweetgrass basketry workshops and ticketed dance, music, or theatre performances, they create an environment that contributes to quality of life from three “corner” counties of Oconee, Horry, and Beaufort to the 43 arranged inside.
Since 1967, the SCAC has awarded more than $132 million in grants to artists, arts organizations, school districts, schools, and teachers!
Festivals Grants
Purpose
To provide support for a broad range of arts activities at festivals that take place in—and have an impact on—S.C. communities, increasing opportunities for public engagement and participation in arts and culture.
A festival is a day or period of celebration or gathering of people that:
Restrictions
Requirements
Funding type: Reimbursement
Matching Requirements
1:1 (grantee:SCAC)
Indirect Cost Limitation
No more than 10% of the total grant funds may be used for indirect costs (general overhead expenses not directly tied to the project). The remaining 90% must go toward direct costs, which are necessary to carry out the funded project.
This ensures that most of the funding directly benefits the project while allowing some flexibility for necessary overhead costs.
Compliance with State and Federal Laws
All grant applicants must ensure their applications, proposed projects, and any related materials comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws. This includes SC Code § 16-15-305 (2024), which prohibits the dissemination of obscene materials.
Obscene content is strictly prohibited in grant applications and any proposed project activities. Applications that include materials or activities determined to be obscene will not be reviewed or considered for funding.
No component of an SCAC-funded project, including those funded with SCAC funds and those funded with matching funds, can fall into this category. Failure to comply with these regulations may result in the termination of funding and other legal consequences.
We strongly encourage all applicants to carefully review the full legal text of SC Code § 16-15-305 (2024), to ensure their proposals are in full compliance.
Our Mission
The Sundance Institute is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the discovery and development of independent artists and audiences. Through its programs, the Institute seeks to discover, support, and inspire independent film and media artists from the United States and around the world, and to introduce audiences to their new work.
Sally Menke Editing Fellowship
Description of Fellowship
The Sally Menke Editing Fellowship will include the following elements:
Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley
The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley is a collection of individual funds and resources given by local citizens to enhance and support the quality of life in the Fox River Valley of Illinois.
We are a tax-exempt public charity that allows individuals, businesses, and non-profit organizations to establish permanent endowments and temporary funds within the confines of one large foundation.
Foundation funds are used to provide grants to non-profit organizations and scholarships to area students. The Foundation also hosts a Youth Engagement in Philanthropy (YEP) program, which helps high school students learn more about philanthropy and empowers them to make a difference in the community.
The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley serves the City of Aurora, Kane County, and Kendall County within the State of Illinois.
Kayla’s Hope Foundation Scholarship Fund
Kayla’s Hope Scholarship Fund was created by Hans, Ruthie and Hannah Lehmann of Saint Charles, IL to honor the life of their beautiful daughter and sister, Kayla Brooke Lehmann (April 5, 2003- April 7, 2018). Scholarships from the fund are awarded to graduates of St. Charles East High School, St. Charles North High School, Geneva High School and Batavia High School who will continue their education studying Music, Literature, psychiatry or psychology.
The monetary value of each scholarship award varies depending upon the amount available in each individual scholarship fund. The most common scholarship award amount is $1,000 for a single year. Scholarships are designated as non-renewable one-year awards or renewable multi-year awards depending upon the scholarship fund criteria, as established by the donor of the scholarship fund.
Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley
The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley is a collection of individual funds and resources given by local citizens to enhance and support the quality of life in the Fox River Valley of Illinois.
We are a tax-exempt public charity that allows individuals, businesses, and non-profit organizations to establish permanent endowments and temporary funds within the confines of one large foundation.
Foundation funds are used to provide grants to non-profit organizations and scholarships to area students. The Foundation also hosts a Youth Engagement in Philanthropy (YEP) program, which helps high school students learn more about philanthropy and empowers them to make a difference in the community.
The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley serves the City of Aurora, Kane County, and Kendall County within the State of Illi
Library Education Scholarship Fund
The Library Education Scholarship Fund awards scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students who are pursuing library sciences, writing, education – preference for language arts, or information technology.
The monetary value of each scholarship award varies depending upon the amount available in each individual scholarship fund. The most common scholarship award amount is $1,000 for a single year. Scholarships are designated as non-renewable one-year awards or renewable multi-year awards depending upon the scholarship fund criteria, as established by the donor of the scholarship fund.
Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties
The Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties, Inc., strengthens our communities by leading philanthropy and solutions through our direct work in partnership with donors, nonprofits and the community. Our 501(c)3 nonprofit Foundation is the foremost resource for convening partners to elevate people, improve lives and make our community a better place to live.
Grants & Scholarships
Grants power our nonprofit partners on the frontlines of pressing local issues, filling the opportunity gaps through direct-to-people programming.
Scholarships support aspiring college students who hold the promise of tomorrow’s progress.
Together, our competitive grants and scholarships help our region rise thanks to the vision and generosity of our donors.
The Community Foundation offers both need and merit based scholarships.
Lawrence A. Sanders Scholarship Fund for Creative Writing
About the Fund
Lawrence Sanders was born in 1920 in Brooklyn, New York. He earned a BA from Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana. He worked for a while at Macy’s Department Store before joining the U.S. Marines. After his service, he was an editorial writer for a magazine before turning to writing novels full time at the age of 50. Lawrence became a highly successful writer of crime fiction, and author of some three dozen novels. He created the Arch McNally series about a Palm Beach private investigator, and his novels, The Anderson Tapes and The First Deadly Sin, were adapted into popular films.
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.
The Foundation currently manages more than 100 scholarship funds that support hundreds of deserving students each year from Stark and Carroll counties. In 2025, more than $1,000,000 was awarded to local students to help them achieve their educational dreams.
The Velma Shotwell Griffin Memorial Scholarship Fund
The Velma Shotwell Griffin Memorial Scholarship Fund was established to assist graduates of Conotton Valley or Carrollton High Schools planning to enroll, or currently enrolled, at an accredited college or university to pursue further education in the following fields: History, Writing (not limited to, English, Journalism, Language Arts, Communications and programs in Mass Media), Graphic Arts, Music (which shall include but not limited to, vocal music, instrumental music, music history, music education, and music performance) and any other program or field of study approved by the Selection Committee.
Amount:
Renewable:
About Legacy Foundation
Legacy Foundation is the community foundation for Lake County, Indiana. We connect people, knowledge, and funding to build an equitable, accessible, and inclusive Lake County, now and for generations to come.
Legacy Foundation is supported by a broad base of individuals, families, and businesses connected by the desire to improve Lake County, Indiana. With a growing portfolio of over 300 funds and approximately $80 million in assets, Legacy Foundation is a trusted source for philanthropic giving in the region.
For over 30 years, Legacy Foundation has been empowering people, providing strategic leadership, and impactful philanthropic support to create an equitable Lake County where all people thrive.
Mission Statement
Transforming Lake County by providing strategic leadership and impactful philanthropic support to ensure equitable opportunity for all communities that we serve.
Vision Statement
Create an equitable Lake County where all people thrive.
Mary Francis Book Scholarship
Use the chart below to see which scholarships are the best fit for you! You must complete the Legacy Universal Application to apply.
Scholarship eligibility requires students to attend an accredited 2 or 4 year public or private institution of higher learning. All scholarships are for full-time students, unless otherwise noted. Renewable awards are for 4 years of undergraduate study and cannot be used for post graduate coursework; all awards are paid directly to the school or may be used for book reimbursement.
Native Forward awards are allocated based on the financial aid information provided by the institution’s Financial Aid Office. Awards can vary, ranging from $100 to $30,000 per academic year.
Native Forward Scholars Fund members of federally and state-recognized Tribes as well as first and second-generation descendants. However, Native Forward Scholars Fund scholarship opportunities have different Tribal eligibility requirements and can be determined by submitting a Tribal Eligibility Certificate.
Hillman Barnett Adkins Endowed Fund Scholarship
The Hillman Barnett Adkins Endowed Fund is provided in honor of members of the Hillman, Barnett, and Adkins families. The purpose of the Hillman Barnett Adkins Endowed Fund is to provide financial assistance to eligible American Indian and Alaska Native vocational, undergraduate, and graduate students enrolled at an accredited not-for-profit college/university, vocational school, or Tribally controlled college or university (TCU) and pursuing degrees with a focus in Fine Arts (studio arts), Performing Arts (music, drama, musical theater, dance), Creative Writing, Art History, Visual Communication, Photography, Culinary Arts, Film (Cinematography, Screenwriting), or Fashion Design & Jewelry Design.
This opportunity is a merit-based award.
Native Forward awards are allocated based on the financial aid information provided by the institution’s Financial Aid Office. Awards can vary, ranging from $100 to $30,000 per academic year.
Native Forward Scholars Fund members of federally and state-recognized Tribes as well as first and second-generation descendants. However, Native Forward Scholars Fund scholarship opportunities have different Tribal eligibility requirements and can be determined by submitting a Tribal Eligibility Certificate.
Katrin Lamon Fellowship
This opportunity is provided to honor the life and legacy of Katrin Lamon.
The purpose of the Katrin Lamon Scholarship program is to provide financial assistance to eligible American Indian and Alaska Native graduate students pursuing degrees full-time at an accredited institution in literature, communication, journalism, or other related fields.
This opportunity is a need-based award.
Grants for creative writing fund programs and projects that support writers, workshops, and literary initiatives. The following grants help nonprofits promote storytelling, foster creativity, and expand access to the arts.
Explore 94 funding opportunities for creative writing, with $2.7M available. Instrumentl supports writers and nonprofits with advanced grant discovery, deadline tracking tools, and key insights to enrich literary arts and storytelling programs.
How common are grants in this category?
Uncommon — grants in this category are less prevalent than in others.
Over the past year, when are grant deadlines typically due for grants for Creative Writing?
Most grants are due in the third quarter.
Nonprofits that support writing, literacy, or storytelling initiatives may qualify for these grants. Eligible organizations typically include literary nonprofits, universities, and arts programs.
Grants for creative writing typically have the highest concentration of deadlines in Q3, with 30.0% of grant deadlines falling in this period. If you're planning to apply, consider prioritizing your applications around this time to maximize opportunities. Conversely, the least active period for grants in this category is Q1.
Grants for creative writing support emerging writers, diverse voices, and educational writing programs. Funders provide these grants to foster creative expression and ensure that writers—especially those from underrepresented backgrounds—have the necessary resources to share their stories.
Funding for creating writing grants varies widely, with award amounts ranging from a minimum of $250 to a maximum of $950,000. Based on Instrumentl’s data, the median grant amount for this category is $8,500, while the average grant awarded is $36,042. Understanding these funding trends can help nonprofits set realistic expectations when applying.
Government organizations at the federal, state, and local levels often provide funding for creative writing grants. Prominent funders include arts organizations like the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Massachusetts Cultural Council, along with various state-specific organizations.
Additionally, many private foundations, such as the Elsie H. Wilcox Foundation and the FDC Foundation, also offer support for creative writing initiatives.
To improve grant success for creative writing, here are some things you can do to stand out:
For additional guidance, explore our step-by-step guide to crafting compelling grant proposals.
Instrumentl assists creative writing organizations in streamlining the grant application process by identifying relevant funders. Just provide Instrumentl with a bit of information about your organization and funding requirements, and you will receive a list of suitable grants within seconds. Discover how Lutheran Braille Workers increased their grant submissions by 150%.