Best Grants for Creative Writing in Alabama

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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 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.

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 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.

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.