Best Grants for Creative Writing in Alabama

Alabama nonprofits and government entities in rural or small communities can access funding to present Southern artists and creative writing through the Arts in Rural Places Grant. South Arts offers up to US $3,000 in artist fee support for public activities such as readings, workshops, and other literary and arts events, with a required cash match.

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.

Focused on literary arts projects, Alabama State Council on the Arts invites Alabama writing and literature organizations to apply for support. Eligible projects include festivals, performances, author readings, exhibitions, workshops, and commissioned works that provide positive arts experiences for the public, with awards ranging from US $1,000 - US $10,000.

Public charities in the Southeast working on southern history, writing, literature, law, agricultural education, or historic preservation can seek program, research, publication, or operating support through Watson Brown Foundation. Alabama organizations with creative writing or literature projects about the South may be eligible, with some preservation projects funded via its Junior Board.

Alabama literary and arts organizations can seek funding for cohesive, multi-event projects such as performance seasons, workshop series, exhibitions, or PreK–12 summer arts camps. Focused on writing and literature, the Alabama State Council on the Arts invites Alabama creative writing programs to apply for US $5,000 - US $20,000 Consolidated Project Grants.

Independent nonprofit literary publishers, small presses, and other literary arts organizations in Alabama can apply for South Arts’ Literary Arts Grants for Publishers, with awards up to US $5,000 for creative writing projects. Funding supports contemporary writing creation, publishing, and community engagement in genres such as poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, young readers’ literature, and drama.

Nonprofit and governmental arts presenting organizations in Alabama can use this grant to fund staff and guest artists’ travel, registration, and related costs for professional development and artistic planning. With a mission to strengthen arts presenters, South Arts provides support for film, visual, performing, traditional, literary, and multidisciplinary arts organizations, with awards up to US $1,000.

K–12 schools and 501(c)(3) organizations in Alabama can seek funding to expand student participation in athletics, arts, and music programs. With a mission to elevate communities, Alabama Power Foundation provides grants up to US $2,500 for new or growing extracurricular offerings, including arts and music activities that may complement creative writing and other literary programs.

Individual writers and literary arts organizations in Alabama and the broader South Arts region can apply for South Arts’ Literary Arts Grants, with awards up to US $5,000 for creative writing projects. Funding supports creation and publishing, community engagement activities like readings or festivals, and professional development such as retreats, travel, conferences, or workshops.

Nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations in Alabama and the broader Southern region can seek funding for programs serving children and families, education, poverty relief, health, veterans, disaster relief, animal welfare, or spiritual initiatives. Focused on humanitarian impact, Robinson Foundation invites established charities (3+ years) to request single-year support for projects with clear, tangible results.

Early-career Native writers and poets in Alabama and across the U.S. can receive support to develop new creative projects. Eligible individual artists of Native American, Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian ancestry may work in fiction, poetry, theater, film, music, performance, traditional, or visual arts. Awards are US $10,000 plus professional development and marketing support.

Early-career creative writers in Alabama working in fiction, creative nonfiction, or poetry can access funding and mentorship through the Emerging Voices Fellowship. Alabama writers from underrepresented communities may be selected for PEN America’s five-month virtual program, which includes professional mentoring, workshops, industry access, and an honorarium of US $1,500 for nine fellows nationwide.

Creative writing and theater professionals working on Shakespeare-related teaching, scholarship, performance, or activism in Alabama and beyond may be eligible if they are members of the Shakespeare Association of America. The SAA Shakespeare Publics Award honors pioneering, culturally significant projects that foster and sustain broad, diverse publics for Shakespeare, including collaborative initiatives with at least one member in good standing.

Creative writing scholars in Alabama working in writing and literature can access funding through the Shakespeare Association of America’s SAA First Book Award, which honors a first monograph with a significant Shakespeare component. Current SAA members in good standing may submit eligible books published between September 1, 2024 and September 1, 2025.

Doctoral candidates whose dissertations feature a significant Shakespeare component can apply for recognition from the Shakespeare Association of America; applicants must be SAA members in good standing. Focused on writing and literature, this prize may benefit creative writing scholars in Alabama whose approved dissertations fall between September 1, 2024 and September 1, 2025.

Scholars and writers focused on Shakespeare and performance can receive recognition for outstanding articles through the Barbara Hodgdon Award, open to Shakespeare Association of America members, including those in Alabama. Grants from Shakespeare Association of America help creative writing and literature professionals whose innovative work on Shakespearean performance has been published within the eligible calendar year.

Early-career pediatric infectious diseases faculty interested in academic writing and reviewing can apply for this more than US $5,000 apprenticeship, which supports editorial training and manuscript work. With a mission to advance pediatric infectious diseases scholarship, PIDS Foundation provides Alabama writing and literature professionals in this subspecialty with structured experience on the JPIDS Associate Editorial Team.

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.

About Association of Legal Writing Directors (ALWD) ALWD supports its members’ professional development as teachers, scholars, and leaders through both teaching and scholarship grants. These grants provide funding for legal writing professionals to pursue their scholarly interests and to develop innovative teaching materials. In funding grants, ALWD focuses on providing resources to those who do not have other sources of funding for these endeavors.

ALWD also supports projects that preserve the history of ALWD, honor community contributions, and make ALWD’s history accessible to scholars, teachers, and practitioners into the future.ALWD Teaching GrantsIn furtherance of ALWD’s commitment to the professional development of legal research and writing faculty, ALWD funds annual teaching grants that allow legal writing faculty to spend their summers exploring innovative teaching ideas and producing teaching tools, materials, and curriculum that will assist others in the field. 

Individual writers and art critics in Alabama can receive approximately US $1,000 plus mentorship and publication support for developing art criticism through this fellowship program. AICA-USA supports creative and critical writing on visual and contemporary arts, with hybrid lectures and one-on-one mentoring for U.S. and Puerto Rico residents aged 24 and older.

Literary translators of book-length prose published by U.S. trade publishers can receive US $3,000 from PEN America for outstanding English translations. Focused on writing and literature, this annual PEN Translation Prize honors original, literary translations from any language, which may include work by translators and authors connected to Alabama.

Poetry translators publishing book-length English editions through U.S. trade publishers, including those in Alabama, can receive recognition and a US $3,000 prize for outstanding work in translation. PEN America’s PEN Award for Poetry in Translation honors single-author poetry collections originally published in another language, supporting writers and translators in writing and literature.

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.