By S. Kalekar
These are grants, scholarships, fellowships, and residencies for writers of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, plays, and for translators and journalists. The awards are up to $100,000. A number of them are open internationally. These opportunities are open now, or will open soon for applications.
Reuters Institute Journalist Fellowship Program
This is a scheme for “practising, mid-career journalists to take some time out from their day jobs to explore journalism in depth. Journalists joining us in Oxford will further their understanding of journalism through seminars, networking events, discussions with peers and working on a personal project. This is a programme for working journalists and editors who will return to journalism after spending a few months with us.” They accept around 30 Journalist Fellows from around the world each year. And, “Most journalists on the programme are fully funded. Successful applicants get their fees covered and receive a monthly stipend of £2,000, which will be enough to cover the cost of accommodation, food, and general living expenses. We will also cover the cost of travel to and from the UK and any visa costs. Fellows should refrain from professional work during the fellowship.” You must have a minimum of five years’ journalistic experience.
Value: Monthly stipend of £2,000, and more (see above)
Deadline: 13 February 2025
Open for: Mid-career journalists
Details here and here.
International Thriller Writers Scholarships
They are awarding two separate scholarships for ThrillerFest: the Fresh Perspectives Scholarship for any underrepresented author, published or unpublished, and the Undiscovered New Voices Scholarship for any unpublished author who is writing a mystery/thriller novel (80k-100k words). Each scholarship recipient will receive a cash stipend and a free pass to attend ThrillerFest XX, which takes place June 17 – June 21, 2025 in New York City. One of the application requirements is a writing sample. Application is via a form on their website.
Value: $1,000 stipend, ThrillerFest pass
Deadline: 15 February 2025
Open for: Unspecified
Details here.
A Public Space Editorial Fellowship
This is a program for aspiring editors; the fellowship period is The 2025 Editorial Fellowships period is approximately six months, from June 1, 2025 through November 30, 2025. The Fellows will work on their own schedule, and will have responsibilities of approximately fifteen hours weekly. They must be able to attend up to two weekly meetings (virtual and in person) during regular office hours; they must be residents of New York City for the duration of the fellowship. (Also, “Unfortunately, A Public Space is unable to sponsor work visas.”) “Some experience in editorial work is preferred but not required. Preference will be given to aspiring editors who have not worked extensively in literary publishing, and who may have limited access to career opportunities in the industry.” And, “Two Editorial Fellows will be selected to work alongside the editorial staff at A Public Space on various aspects of the magazine, including evaluating submissions, researching, developing, and soliciting work, editing, copyediting, proofreading, production, and promotion. They will also have the opportunity to oversee an Open Call and serve as the lead editor on a piece for the magazine.“ They have some eligibility and application requirements.
Value: $6,000
Deadline: 15 February 2025
Open for: Aspiring editors who can reside in New York City for the duration of the fellowship
Details here and here.
International Women’s Media Foundation Grants
International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) has several grants/awards/programs for women and non-binary journalists; some of them are open now; some have geographic restrictions, others are open internationally. The opportunities open now include, but are not limited to: 2025 Newsroom Safety Across America program; Safety in Numbers program; the 2025 Ukraine Reporting Trip (deadline 16 February 2025); the international Courage in Journalism Awards (deadline 30th March 2025); the 2026 Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship, for women journalists committed to human rights and social justice reporting; the selected journalist will have the chance to complete research and coursework at MIT’s Center for International Studies and to participate in internships with The Boston Globe and The New York Times, (deadline 20th April 2025); and US-based Fund for Indigenous Journalists: Reporting on Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Two-Spirit, Transgender People (rolling deadline). See their Submittable for details on all currently open opportunities.
Value: Varies
Deadline: Varies
Open for: Women and non-binary journalists
Details here.
(Click on IWMF’s Opportunities and Awards tabs on this page for more.)
The Academy of American Poets: Guggenheim Poet-in-Residence This is for those currently authorized to work in the U.S. for any employer; have published a poetry book/s or have a track of spoken-word poetry performance, and are able to commute to the Guggenheim Museum in New York City throughout the residency. “The Poet-in-Residence at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is an annual position created in collaboration with the Academy of American Poets that specifically focuses on poetry and public space. The Poet-in-Residence will work together with the Guggenheim and Academy of American Poets to design and create a project that takes poetry beyond the page and enlivens the museum experience for visitors. Through their residency, the selected candidate will consider how the Guggenheim may serve as an active public space for visionary ideas and community.” There are various requirements and responsibilities, including co-conceiveing/designing a project centering the museum experience and architecture; participating in public programs at the Guggenheim copresented by the museum and the Academy of American Poet; and visiting the Academy of American Poets to discuss their project, produce a 1,000-word essay on the intersection of poetry and art, and more. See the post about the 2025 residency on the Guggenheim website here.
Value: $20,000
Deadline: 19 February 2025
Open for: US poets
Details here (scroll down)
(Also see other awards by the Academy of American Poets that are open now, including fee-free ones; see their Submittable here for details.)
Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowships
These are fellowships for US poets laureate. They are for poets of literary merit appointed to serve in civic positions and to support them in creating new work, as well as to enable them to undertake projects that enrich the lives of their neighbors, including youth, through poetry activities. There are some eligibility requirements, including: appointed as an official poet laureate of a state, city, county, U.S. territory, or Tribal nation by a Governor, State Arts or Humanities Council, State Poet Laureate Commission, Tribe President, Mayor, City Council, City Poet Laureate Commission, City Arts Board, County Arts Board, or a city’s public library system; your service as poet laureate, carried out in good community standing, occurring sometime between January 31, 2024 and June 30, 2025; and published one or more full-length poetry collection(s) and/or chapbook(s) or substantial history of public spoken word performances. Some of the submission requirements are a poetry sample, and a description of your proposed civic project(s), including a timeline for the project(s) you would conduct, that engages youth and/or addresses important statewide or local issues.
Value: $50,000 (see guidelines)
Deadline: 24 February 2024
Open for: US poets laureate
Details here, here, and here.
(Also see other awards by the Academy of American Poets that are open now, including fee-free ones; see their Submittable here for details.)
Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center: Writer in Residence
The residency includes lodging at a loft apartment in Piggott, Arkansas. The writer-in-residence will also have the opportunity to work in the studio where Ernest Hemingway worked on ‘A Farewell to Arms’. The writer is expected to serve as mentor for a week-long retreat for writers at the educational center. Candidates with an MA or MFA in a relevant field are preferred. Submission requirements include a writing sample of roughly 20 pages (in any genre).
Value: $1,000, residency
Deadline: 28 February 2025
Open for: Unspecified
Details here.
Words Without Borders: Momentum Grant for Early-Career Translators
They have announced the third annual Momentum Grant for Early-Career Translators; literary fiction and nonfiction for a trade audience are eligible genres. It is “intended to facilitate the completion of a substantial sample of a book-length work of prose translation suitable for submission to English-language publishers, and will be awarded to an individual translator who has not yet received a book-length contract for translation work into English. We particularly welcome submissions from translators from historically underrepresented cultures and backgrounds.” The emerging translator need not live in the United States. A couple of the application requirements are a 2,500-word translation sample, and a 500-word project description.
Value: $3,000
Deadline: 28 February 2025
Open for: Translators who have not yet received a book-length contract for translation work into English
Details here and here.
Cove Park Residencies: Bridge Awards Residency
Cove Park hosts domestic and international residencies for artists and writers through the year, and some of them are awarded residencies (no payment required). Currently, they are accepting applications for the Bridge Awards Residency, which is specifically for writers and artists based in Scotland whose careers have been impacted by a breast cancer diagnosis and who have undergone successful treatment and are up to five years in remission. The four Bridge Awards Residencies will run in parallel for ten days, from 19 May to 29 May 2025. The awardees will receive a stipend and residency. There will be a fee payable to the artist of £825, a materials allowance for studio-based practitioners of up to £75, a travel allowance of up to £150, private accommodation on site and, if required, a private studio space.
Value: £825 + travel allowance, residency
Deadline: 28 February 2025
Open for: Scotland-based writers impacted by breast cancer (see guidelines)
Details here (download guidelines).
(Cove Park’s opportunities page is here and residencies page is here; they regularly list calls for residencies, both with a fee and without.)
Edward R. Murrow Press Fellowship
Applicants must have covered international news as a working journalist for print, broadcast, or online media widely available in the United States, and must be US citizens. They must have distinguished credentials in journalism; two of the selection criteria are, professional experience as a foreign correspondent or editor, and firm grounding in foreign policy. The Fellow spends 10 months full-time in residence at the Council for Foreign Relations’ headquarters in New York. The program enables the Fellow to engage in sustained analysis and writing, expand his or her intellectual and professional horizons, and extensively participate in CFR’s active program of meetings and events. For this cycle, “Strong preference is given to candidates whose proposed projects would contribute to the Council’s current strategic initiatives on China, U.S. economic leadership, climate change, technology, Ukraine/Russia, the Middle East, or grand strategy.”
Value:$100,000 and a modest travel grant
Deadline: 1 March 2025
Open for: US citizens
Details here.
The U.S.-Japan Creative Artist Program
They will award 5 fellowships/residencies in Japan to US artists in various creative disciplines, including writers of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, as well as playwrights. The award is from the Japan U.S. Friendship Commission (JUSFC) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The award aims to engage artists who have been historically marginalized and who can bring a wider, more diverse range of creative inquiries and perspectives. “Artists participate as seekers, as cultural visionaries, and as living liaisons to the traditional and contemporary cultural life of Japan. They also serve as connectors who share knowledge and bring back knowledge. By living and working in Japan for at least 3-5 months, their interaction with the Japanese public and the outlook they bring home provide exceptional opportunities to promote cultural understanding between the United States and Japan. Artists should have compelling reasons for wanting to work in Japan, and they should do preliminary research to identify contacts there. JUSFC and NEA encourage artists to consider collaboration with Japanese colleagues, as appropriate for their artistic field.” Deadlines vary for various application stages, please see their guidelines.
Value: $20,000 for a minimum of three months + $4,000 for each additional month up to five months + up to $2,500 for round-trip travel
Deadline: 1 March for application cover sheet, 21 March 2025 for work samples, letters of recommendation, and other things – see guidelines
Open for: US writers
Details here.
University of Colorado: Ted Scripps Fellowships in Environmental Journalism
Their website says, “Five Ted Scripps Fellowships are awarded each year. The fellowship is open to full-time journalists working in any medium who are interested in advancing their knowledge of environmental issues. It is aimed at outstanding journalists committed to a career in professional journalism. Applicants must have five years of full-time professional journalism experience and must also have a BA or BS college degree, at minimum. Applicants may include reporters, editors, producers, photojournalists, documentarians, and feature writers. Both salaried staff and full-time freelancers are welcome to apply. Prior experience in covering the environment is not required.” And, “We welcome applications from international journalists; however, please be advised that you must hold a current visa and be authorized to work in the United States at the time of application to be considered for this position.” Fellows audit classes, pursue an independent project, attend weekly seminars, and participate in field trips to world-renowned institutions to learn what’s new in the realm of environmental science and policy. Fellows pay for their own housing and make their own housing arrangements. They receive a stipend, and will travel (expenses paid) to the Society of Environmental Journalists annual conference.
Value: $80,000
Deadline: 1 March 2025
Open for: Full-time journalists authorised to work in the US (see guidelines)
Details here and here.
Poetry Foundation: Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowships
These grants are for US poets ages 21-31 years. Applicants have to register on their online portal. Poets can also apply for alternative formats to submit applications. One of the application requirements is a writing sample.
Value: $27,000
Deadline: 3 March 2025 (virtual information session, deadline to request alternative application formats, and cut off to submit application portal registration for first time applicants are earlier – see guidelines)
Open for: US writers
Details here.
(See all of Poetry Foundation’s grants and awards for individuals here.)
National Endowment for the Arts’ Creative Writing Fellowships
These fellowships, for US writers, alternate between poetry and prose – they are accepting applications for prose works this year. The fellowships are for published creative writers, to enable writers to set aside time for writing, research, travel, and career advancement.
Value: Up to $50,000
Deadline: 12 March 2025
Open for: US writers
Details here.
(And, writers of fiction and poetry from the states of North and South Dakota are invited to apply for the 2025 Poets & Writers’ Maureen Egen Writers Exchange Award. Winners receive $500, an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City to meet with top literary professionals, including editors, agents, publishers, and prominent writers, as well as a one-month residency at the Jentel Artist Residency Program in Wyoming. The deadline is 1 March 2025, details here and here.)
Fitzcarraldo Editions/Mahler & Lewitt Studios Essay Prize
This is a prize for unpublished writers in the UK. “The judges will be looking for essays that explore and expand the possibilities of the essay form, with no restrictions on theme or subject matter. Initially made possible by an Arts Council Grant in 2015, the prize awards £4,000 to the best proposal for a book-length essay (minimum 25,000 words) by a writer resident in the UK & Ireland who has yet to secure a publishing deal. In addition to the £4,000 prize the winner will have the opportunity to spend up to two months in residency at the Mahler & LeWitt Studios in Spoleto, Italy, to work on their book. The book will then be published by Fitzcarraldo Editions.”
Value: £4,000, residency
Deadline: 17 March 2025
Open for: Unpublished UK/Ireland writers (see guidelines)
Details here and here.
ALTA Travel Fellowships
Each year, several fellowships are awarded to emerging translators (someone who does not yet have a book-length work of translation published or under contract) to help them pay for hotel and travel expenses to the annual American Literary Translators Association (ALTA) conference. Part of the application requirement is up to 10 pages of translated work (poetry or prose – see guidelines). “While the Travel Fellowships are open to all applicants, we especially encourage applications from translators of color, translators with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ translators.” Also see ALTA’s other awards for published works.
Value: $1,000 each
Deadline: 17 March 2025
Open for: Unspecified
Details here (scroll down).
Eleanor Taylor Bland Crime Fiction Writers of Color Award
This international grant is for supporting the recipient in crime fiction writing and career development activities. She or he may choose activities that include workshops, seminars, conferences, and retreats, online courses, and research activities required for completion of the work. This is for an emerging writer (see guidelines). The application process includes a writing sample – an unpublished piece of crime fiction, written with an adult audience in mind. This may be a short story or first chapter(s) of a manuscript in-progress, 2,500 to 5,000 words. Their website says, you do not have to be a member of Sisters in Crime to apply for this grant.
Value: $2,000; the winner can choose from a range of activities
Deadline: 31 March 2025
Open for: Writers of color
Details here.
Robert B. Silvers Foundation: Silvers Grants for Works in Progress
English-language writers of any nationality may apply for their grants to support long-form essays (essay-length or book-length) in the fields of literary criticism, arts writing, political analysis, and/or social reportage. Grants may not be used to fund translation. Applicants should have an editorial agreement with a publication or publishing house for the work under consideration. Some of the submission requirements are a writing sample, project description, and a full responses to the financial questionnaire.
Value: Up to $10,000
Deadline: 31 March 2025
Open for: All writers
Details here and here.
Walt Whitman Birthplace Association: Gwenn A. Nusbaum Scholarship
This is for a US poet at the early stages of their career, ages 25-35, who “demonstrates a scholastic or pre-professional track of outstanding poetic writing”. The award is to be used for activities to further the winner’s writing career (e.g. writing courses, workshops, conferences, retreats). A poetry sample is part of the submission requirement (see guidelines).
Value: $1,800; $150
Deadline: 31 March 2025
Open for: US writers ages 25-35
Details here and here.
Deborah Rogers Foundation: The DRF Writers Award
This is for writers of British Commonwealth countries, and Eire (see guidelines for the list of eligible countries). It is for a first-time prose writer whose submission demonstrates literary talent and who would benefit from financial support to complete their work. One of the submission requirements is 15,000 – 20,000 words of a work in progress, fiction or non-fiction, which is not under option or contract.
Value: £10,000, £1,000
Deadline: 31 March 2025
Open for: Writers in the British Commonwealth and Eire
Details here and here.
The Loveliest Fellowship
The Loveliest Review invites work in various genres for their inaugural fellowship – fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, photography, art, and reviews. The theme is Justice. One winner will be chosen. A writing sample is part of the submission requirement – see guidelines.
Value: $1,000
Deadline: 1 April 2025
Open for: Unspecified
Details here.
The Marguerite and Lamar Smith Fellowship for Writers
These 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. A spouse or companion is welcome. The application includes a writing sample of up to 20 pages.
Value: $5,000, residency
Deadline: 1 April 2025
Open for: Unspecified
Details here (scroll down to Academic Opportunities and click on Fellowships).
PEN America: US Writers Aid Initiative
This is intended for fiction and non-fiction authors, poets, playwrights, screenwriters, translators, and journalists. To be eligible, applicants must be based in the United States, be professional writers, and be able to demonstrate that this one-time grant will be meaningful in helping them to address an emergency situation. Various deadlines are listed for 2025, and the next one is 1st April. Writers do not have to be PEN members to apply. Grants will open for application on 1st March.
Value: Unspecified
Deadline:1 April 2025
Open for: US writers
Details here.
(PEN America also has a 2025 Los Angeles Wildfire Emergency Grant for writers; grants are $500-1,000, see here.)
Alpine Fellowship Prizes
They have a Poetry Prize, a Writing Prize, a Theatre Prize, as well as Music, Philosophy, Refugee Scholar, and Visual Arts prizes. Please read the guidelines for each genre carefully. The theme for this year is Fear, and all works must address the theme.
Value: £3,000, and two runner-up prizes of £1,000 each in creative writing categories – poetry, writing, theatre
Deadline: 1 April 2025
Open for: all writers
Details here – click on individual tabs for various genres.
Whiting Foundation’s Creative Nonfiction Grants
Up to 10 grants of $40,000 each are awarded to writers of creative non-fiction books. They are for “writers in the process of completing a book-length work of deeply researched and imaginatively composed nonfiction for a general adult readership. It is intended for multiyear book projects requiring large amounts of deep and focused research, thinking, and writing at a crucial point mid-process, after significant work has been accomplished but when an extra infusion of support can make a difference in the ultimate shape and quality of the work. The program’s chief objective is to foster original, ambitious projects brought to the highest possible standard.
Whiting welcomes applications for works of history, cultural or political reportage, biography, memoir, science, philosophy, criticism, graphic nonfiction, and personal essays, among other categories. Again, the work should be intended for a general, not academic, adult reader.” Projects that are under contract with a publisher in the US, UK, or Canada.
Value: $40,000 each
Deadline: 23 April 2025
Open for: Projects that under contract with a publisher in the US, UK, or Canada
Details here and here.
Fund for Investigative Journalism Grants
They are accepting applications for regular grants for investigative journalism stories based in the U.S./with a strong U.S. angle. The Fund provides grants for print and online articles, television and radio stories, documentary films, podcasts and books. Foreign-based story proposals must come from U.S.-based reporters or have a strong U.S. angle involving American citizens, government or business; all stories must be published in English, in a media outlet in the United States.
Value: Up to $10,000
Deadline: 28 April 2025
Open for: Investigative journalism stories based in the U.S./with a strong U.S. angle
Details here.
(Fund for Investigative Journalism is also accepting applications for seed grants, for $1,000-2,000, and the deadline for those is in May; for these too, journalists must be U.S.-based or working on a story with a very strong U.S. angle; details here.)
Waterston Desert Writing Prize
This 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. A writing sample is part of the submission requirement. “The Prize provides financial and other support to writers whose work reflects a similar connection to the desert, recognizing the vital role deserts play worldwide in the ecosystem and the human narrative.“ Apart from the cash award, there is also a reading and reception at the High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon.
Value: $3,000
Deadline: 1 May 2025
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, photography, and visual arts. A work sample is part of the submission requirement.
Value: $25,000
Deadline: 1 May 2025
Open for: Writers having Cuban citizenship or direct lineage
Details here (scroll down), here, here.
Speculative Literature Foundation Grants
These are grants for writers of speculative literature, and they have various grants in the coming months: The Older Writers Grant for writers who are at least 50 years old, pays $1,000, open for applications 1-31 May; The Diverse Writers Grant, for writers from an underrepresented and underprivileged backgrounds, pays $500, open 1-31 July; The Diverse Worlds Grant, for work that best represents diversity, regardless of the writer’s background, pays $500 also open 1-31 July. The grants have different eligibility and submission guidelines, please read them carefully before applying. Please send submissions only during the specific grant application periods.
Value: $500-1,000
Reading periods: Various (see guidelines)
Open for: Writers of speculative literature
Details here.
Academy of American Poets: 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 2025
Open for: US poets (see guidelines)
Details here and here.
(There are a few other awards by the Academy of American Poets that are open now, including fee-free ones; see their Submittable here for details.)
The Sidney Hillman Foundation: Labor and Workforce Reporting Grants
Their guidelines say, “Please submit a well-focused story proposal of no more than three pages. Think of it as a pitch, much like you would submit to an editor: give us enough preliminary reporting and documentation to demonstrate that the story is solid. The proposal should highlight what’s new and significant about the story, why it matters now, any unique access or documents you may have, and what its potential impact might be.” Journalists must have an outlet already attached. This foundation also administers the Hillman Prize for Journalism for US and Canadian journalists.
Value: Up to $5,000
Deadline: Ongoing
Open for: Unspecified
Details here.
Pulitzer Center: Global Reporting Grants
“The Pulitzer Center’s global reporting grants support in-depth, high-impact reporting on critical issues that are often overlooked in the media. This is our “catch-all” grant, so there are no restrictions on topic or reporting location. Staff and freelance journalists are eligible worldwide.” And, “There is no deadline for applications; grants are awarded on a rolling basis. Awards cover reporting costs and are based on reasonable, detailed budgets. Most awards for international travel are between $5,000 and $10,000, but may be more or less depending on circumstances. … We support projects across all media platforms and encourage ambitious proposals that combine print, photography, audio, and/or video for one or more news outlets. … Grants are open to reporters, photographers, radio/audio journalists, television/video journalists, and documentary filmmakers.”
Value: Up to $10,000
Deadline: Ongoing
Open for: Journalists worldwide
Details here.
(The Pulitzer Center runs several grants and fellowships; some are closed now, some have geographic restrictions; you can see all of their opportunities here.)
Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached here.