There are 24 grants, fellowships, and residencies for writers of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and for journalists. The awards are from $500 to $40,000; one award pays considerably more. None of them charge an application fee. These are open now, or will open later for applications. A few are emergency fund grants. There’s also a bonus award, which may open for submissions in April. Some deadlines are approaching quickly.
Apart from these, there are some upcoming editorial fellowships, as well: from New York Times (Disability Journalism Fellow), Filter (Drug War Journalism Diversity Fellowship), and Words Without Borders (Editorial Fellowship). — S. Kalekar
Hugo House Writer-in-Residence
This residency in Seattle is for practicing, published writers of (for this cycle) poetry, and writing teachers who are experienced working with writers of all levels in a traditional workshop setting, and on a one-on-one basis as a mentor. They should have a specific artistic project they are working on during their residency (e.g., developing a manuscript for publication) and should have a special interest in helping writers become better writers and fostering an appreciation of the craft. The application includes a writing sample of up to 10 pages. Their guidelines also say, “If you do not meet some of the eligibility requirements, but have demonstrated success in other categories, our panel will weigh the components of your application accordingly. “Value: $500 per month for nine months, additional compensation for Hugo Classes
Deadline: 31 March 2021
Open for: Published poets
Details here.
Brown University’s Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America: Practitioner Fellows
This is for artists, media makers, and writers. Their guidelines say, “CSREA invites artists, media makers, and writers whose work focuses on race, ethnicity, and/or indigeneity in the United States to apply to be a Practitioner Fellow for the Spring 2022 academic semester. Fellows will have access to Brown University resources and are invited to contribute to the academic community. There will be opportunities to present work-in-progress in a campus-wide public lecture or performance. Projects should focus at least in part on issues of race, ethnicity, and/or indigeneity in the United States, or U.S.-related transnational contexts.” The information session for this is on 22nd March – see guidelines.
Value: $10,000 stipend, up to $1,500 each in research/project funds
Deadline: 31 March 2021
Open for: Unspecified
Details here.
Alpine Fellowship Prizes: Two prizes for creative writers
Apart from themed Writing and Theatre prizes detailed below, the Alpine Fellowship also has a Visual Arts Prize, and an Academic Writing Prize.
— Writing Prize: This international prize is awarded for the best piece of writing on the theme of ‘Untamed: On Wildness and Civilization’ (up to 2,500 words of prose, poetry, and non-academic essays), which is the theme of the 2021 Alpine Fellowship Annual Symposium. The winner and two runners-up are invited to attend the Fjällnäs (Sweden) symposium. The award will be presented by poet John Burnside, who is also the head judge.
Value: £10,000, £3,000, £2,000
Deadline: 1 April 2021
Open for: All writers
Details here.
— Theatre Prize: This prize is awarded for the best play on the theme of ‘Untamed: On Wildness and Civilization’ aimed at encouraging theatre writers at the start of their careers to explore and challenge philosophical ideas using the dramatic form. Apart from the cash prize, the winner also gets a rehearsed reading at the Fellowship’s annual Symposium to which they will be invited to attend. Runners up will be invited to attend the Fjällnäs symposium to exhibit their work. To apply, applicants must send: 1) A treatment of your idea in response to the theme; up to 500 words; 2) A sample of previous work of at least 10 pages; and 3) A 3-4 sample pages of your proposed script or a 1-2 detailed page synopsis of your story. The final piece must be 45 minutes in length and require no more than 4 actors.
Value: £3,000
Deadline: 1 April 2021
Open for: All playwrights
Details here.
The Marguerite and Lamar Smith Fellowship for Writers
The three-month fellowships are to afford writers uninterrupted time to focus on their work at an apartment in Carson McCuller’s childhood home in Columbus, Georgia, free from the distractions of daily life and other professional responsibilities. A spouse or companion is welcome. The application includes a writing sample of up to 20 pages.
Value: $5,000
Deadline: 1 April 2021
Open for: Unspecified
Details here (scroll down – see the tab marked ‘Fellowships’).
2021 ALTA Travel Fellowship
Each year, between four and six fellowships are awarded to emerging (unpublished or minimally published) translators to help them pay for hotel and travel expenses to the annual American Literary Translators Association conference, which will be hybrid this year. Among the fellowships is the Peter K. Jansen Memorial Travel Fellowship, which is preferentially awarded to an emerging translator of color or a translator working from an underrepresented Diaspora or stateless language. Also see their other awards for published works, some of which do not charge a submission fee.
Value: $500 each for Virtual Travel Fellows
Deadline: 19 April 2021
Open for: Unspecified
Details here and here.
Whiting Foundation: Creative Nonfiction Grant
Up to eight grants will be awarded to US writers of creative non-fiction, for books under contract by US publishers – the subjects are history, cultural or political reportage, biography, memoir, the sciences, philosophy, criticism, food or travel writing, graphic nonfiction, and personal essays, among other categories. It is intended for multiyear book projects requiring large amounts of deep and focused research, thinking, and writing, after significant work has been accomplished. The work should be intended for general, not academic, audiences. One of the application requirements is three sample chapters, or up to 25,000 words.
Value: $40,000, each; up to eight grants
Deadline: 26 April 2021
Open for: US writers with a contracted book
Details here.
OZY Genius Awards
These are for students in US colleges or universities, for projects in various disciplines. Part of the application is describing your genius idea. Why are you able to deliver it, and what impact will it have? There are several grant categories (scroll down), including Media, Communications, & Film. One of their past winners is Amanda Gorman.
Value: Up to $10,000
Deadline: 30 April 2021
Open for: Students in US colleges/universities
Details here.
Waterston Desert Writing Prize
This prize is for a proposed book of literary non-fiction that illustrates artistic excellence, sensitivity to place, and desert literacy – with the desert both as subject and setting. Writing samples about deserts and natural settings are more likely to be reviewed favorably. Apart from the cash award, there is also a residency at PLAYA at Summer Lake and a reading and reception at the High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon.
Value: $2,500, residency
Deadline: 1 May 2021
Open for: All writers
Details here and here.
CINTAS Foundation: Fellowship in Creative Writing
This is a creative writing fellowship for writers having Cuban citizenship or direct lineage (having a Cuban parent or grandparent). Applications can be in English or Spanish. Fellows who are not U.S. citizens and who are living abroad must provide a U.S. taxpayer identification number when they accept the fellowship to receive payment. The foundation also offers fellowships for other disciplines – architecture & design, music composition, and visual arts.
Value: $20,000
Deadline: 1 May 2021
Open for: Writers having Cuban citizenship or direct lineage
Details here.
James Laughlin Award
This is for a second full-length poetry manuscript by a US poet, contracted by a publisher. Manuscripts have to be 48-100 pages long. Translations and new editions of previously published books are not eligible. Apart from a cash prize, the poet also receives an all-expenses-paid weeklong residency at The Betsy Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida.
Value: $5,000, residency
Deadline: 15 May 2020
Open for: US poets (see guidelines)
Details here.
Speculative Literature Foundation Grants: Older Writers Grant; Diverse Writers Grant; Diverse Worlds Grant
They have some upcoming reading periods for grants. Three of their upcoming grants, which will open for submissions later in the year, are:
— Older Writers Grant: This is for a writer who is 50 years of age or older at the time of grant application, and is intended to assist such writers who are just starting to work at a professional level. The writing application sample could be of poetry, fiction, drama, or creative non-fiction. A writing sample (up to 10 pages of poetry, 10 pages of drama, or 5,000 words of fiction or creative nonfiction — if sending a segment of a novel, novella, or novelette, include a one-page synopsis as well) is part of the application.
Value: $1,000
Application period: 1-31 May 2021
Open for: All speculative fiction writers above 50
Details here.
— Diverse Writers Grant; Diverse World Grants: These are for writers of speculative fiction, with all levels of experience and publishing. The Diverse Writers grant is intended to support new and emerging writers from underrepresented and underprivileged groups, such as writers of color, women, queer writers, disabled writers, working-class writers, etc. The Diverse Worlds grant is intended for work that best presents a diverse world, regardless of the writer’s background. Writers may apply for either or both grants.
Value: $500 each for Diverse Writers and Diverse Worlds
Application period: 1-31 July 2021
Open for: All writers
Details here.
They also have other grants coming up, later in the year. Details of all Speculative Literature Foundation grants can be found here.
PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grants
This international grant is to support the translation of book-length works of fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, or drama that have not previously appeared in English in print or have appeared only in an outdated or otherwise flawed translation. Works should be translations-in-progress, as the grant aims to provide support for completion. The works must be translated into English. Projects may have up to two translators. There are various submission requirements, including a 10-12 page translation sample.
Value: $2,000-$4,000
Application period: 1 April-1 June 2021
Open for: All translators
Details here (scroll down).
Eugene C. Pulliam Fellowship
This award is for an outstanding mid-career editorial writer or columnist to help broaden his or her journalistic horizons and knowledge of the world. The annual award can be used to cover the cost of study, research and/or travel in any field. The fellowship results in editorials and other writings, including books. One of the eligibility requirements is, the candidate must hold a position as a part-time or full-time editorial writer or columnist at a news publication located in the US. Applications also are welcome from freelance opinion writers who devote a majority of their time, or derive a majority of their income, from that pursuit. The application includes five samples of editorials or columns.
(There is also the Eugene S. Pulliam First Amendment Award of $10,000, for a person or persons who have fought to protect and preserve one or more of the rights guaranteed by the First Amendment; the entrants need not be journalists.)
Value: $75,000
Deadline: 22 June 2021
Open for: Editorial writer/columnist at a news publication in the US
Details here.
Society of Authors’ Grants for Works-in-Progress: Two grants
The Authors’ Foundation and K Blundell Trust award grants twice yearly to writers whose book project is for a commercial UK publisher. These grants assist writers with research costs or by buying them time to write. They support writers from a range of genres and styles and at all stages of their literary careers.
— K. Blundell Trust Award: This is a work-in-progress award for young British writers of fiction or non-fiction. The work must contribute to the greater understanding of existing social and economic organisation.
Value: Up to £6,000
Deadline: 1 July 2021
Open for: British writers under 40 who have had at least one book published (see guidelines)
Details here and here.
— The Authors’ Foundation Grant: This is for British authors of fiction, non-fiction or poetry who are contracted, or who are published and working on a project that is likely to have interest from a British publisher.
Value: Up to £6,000
Deadline: 1 July 2021
Open for: British writers (see guidelines)
Details here and here.
Shenandoah Fellowship for BIPOC Editors
The literary magazine Shenandoah is accepting applications on a rolling basis for BIPOC editors. Their guidelines say, “A single fellow will be selected for each issue of Shenandoah going forward, alternating genres (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, comics) as we see fit. Fellows will choose two–three pieces of prose, five–ten poems, or two–three comic artists for their issue; these authors will be paid at the same rates as other Shenandoah authors ($100 per poem; $50 per comic panel; $100 for every thousand words of prose—for a maximum honorarium of $500 per author). Each fellow will receive a $1000 honorarium for their work. We welcome writers and editors of all experience levels. No previous editorial experience is necessary, but we are looking for applicants who are passionate and informed about the literary community. We welcome candidates who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.”
Value: $1,000
Deadline: Ongoing
Open for: BIPOC writers
Details here.
Authors League Fund
This emergency fund helps US-based writers, regardless of citizenship. It is for dramatists (see guidelines), authors, journalists, critics, short story writers, and poets. Recipients must be career writers with a substantial body of work in one of more of the following categories: 1) Book authors with at least one title published by an established traditional publisher. Authors with multiple titles are given priority; 2) Dramatists whose full-length plays have been produced in mid-size or large theaters and/or published by established dramatic presses; 3) Journalists, critics, essayists, short story writers, and poets with a substantial body of work in periodicals with a national or broad circulation. Common applicants include: writers of any age in ill health, or supporting a dependent family member in ill health; writers facing overwhelming medical or dental expenses; writers suffering financial crises unrelated to health, such as unexpected loss of income, temporary unemployment or underemployment, eviction proceedings, or similar; writers struggling after a natural disaster. Priority is given to sick and/or older authors in need.
Value: Unspecified
Deadline: Rolling
Open for: US-based writers
Details here.
American Society of Journalists and Authors: Writers Emergency Assistance Fund
The fund is for helping established freelance writers who, because of advanced age, illness, disability, a natural disaster, or an extraordinary professional crisis are unable to work. Writers need not be members of ASJA, but must have credentials that would qualify them for an ASJA membership. Coronavirus-related WEAF funds are only available to those who cannot work because they are currently ill or caring for someone who is ill.
Value:Unspecified
Deadline:Rolling
Open for:All established freelance writers
Details here.
Writers’ Trust of Canada: Woodcock Fund
This is a last-resource emergency resource for Canadian writers who face unforeseen financial crisis, who are engaged in a book-length work. Eligible categories are fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, playwriting, or children’s literature. The program is not intended to be a means of support for writers challenged to earn an income. A crisis of some nature is necessary to be considered. Screenwriting, formulistic romance writing or journalism are not eligible.
Value: CAD2,000-10,000
Deadline: Rolling
Open for: Canadian writers who have published at least two books, or an equivalent body of work
Details here and here.
SFWA Emergency Medical Fund
This is a fund created by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, to help SF/fantasy writers pay for funds not covered by medical insurance. The fund is only to cover short-term medical expenses, for emergencies that interfere with the ability to write.
Value: Unspecified
Deadline: Rolling
Open for: Unspecified
Details here.
Royal Literary Fund
The Royal Literary Fund (RLF) helps authors across the literary spectrum: novelists, poet and playwrights; writers of short stories and writers for children; crime writers, science writers, biographers. The circumstances of those they help vary greatly. Writers can apply for help from the RLF if they are suffering financial hardship and have had several works published in the UK for a general readership, without publication being subsidised. Self-published authors are not eligible. The RLF Committee has to pass applicants for literary merit before they are eligible for help. The committee meets eleven times a year to consider applications. A decision on literary merit and on the award of a grant/pension is made at the same meeting; the applicant is informed straightaway.
Value: Unspecified
Deadline: Rolling
Open for: Those who’ve had several works published in the UK
Details here and here.
BONUS: The Mastheads Writers’ Residency
Usually, for this residency, applications open in January and February. Five writers across disciplines (poetry, fiction, non-fiction, translation, playwriting, comics, and more) are given a $900 stipend and residency. The residency is usually in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, in July and the application includes a writing sample. However due to COVID, they’ve announced on their website that applications may open for a brief period in April this year, or the residency may take a different form this summer. Details here.
Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She is the author of 182 Short Fiction Publishers. She can be reached here.
