Arts >> Books >> Fiction

Fiction Grants

Aspiring fiction writers do not have to live the stereotype of the starving artist in a garret. If you apply your writing skills toward grant applications, you may find a source of funding to support you as you produce that great novel. Some grant-givers prefer to provide aid to specific groups based on gender, sexual orientation, age or race, while others focus their giving within a specific geographic radius. Be prepared to research diligently and to exercise perseverance in your grant hunt.

  1. Barbara Deming Memorial Fund

    • This fund annually gives grants of up to $1,500 to women writers. The deadline for fiction writers to submit a grant application is Dec. 31. This grantor does not maintain a website. To get an application package, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to:

      Susan Pliner, Executive Director
      Money for Women/Barbara Deming Memorial Fund, Inc.
      P.O. Box 309
      Wilton, NH 03086

    The Bard Fiction Prize

    • American citizens age 39 or younger can apply for this annual prize. The application process requires a published book rather than just a manuscript. The grant recipient wins both a cash award and a year's appointment as writer-in-residence at Bard College in upstate New York. The appointment permits abundant time for writing, as the obligations only include one public lecture and meeting informally with students, rather than fulfilling a traditional teaching schedule.

      Bard Fiction Prize
      Bard College
      PO Box 5000
      Annandale-on-Hudson, NY 12504
      845-758-7087
      bard.edu

    Astraea Lesbian Writers Fund

    • This fund awards a total of four grants to writers per year: two grants of $10,000 and two of $1,500. The fund seeks to support lesbian writers who have proven their talent but have not fully established themselves professionally. Applicants must have published at least once in a literary journal, magazine, newspaper or anthology but have no more than one published book. To apply, writers can submit 20 pages of fiction with lesbian content, along with a one-paragraph biography, an entry form and a $5 application fee.

      Astraea Foundation
      Lesbian Writers Fund
      116 E.16th St.,7th Floor
      New York, NY 10003
      212-529-8021, ext. 44.
      astraeafoundation.org

    Delaware Division of the Arts

    • Writers who have resided in Delaware for at least one year may apply for either the Emerging Professional Fellowship with a $3,000 award or the Established Professional Fellowship of $6,000. Students in degree programs may not apply. .

      Delaware Division of the Arts
      Individual Artist Fellowships
      Kristin Pleasanton, Coordinator
      820 N. French St.
      Wilmington, DE 19801
      302-577-8284
      artsdel.org

    National Endowment for the Arts

    • The NEA offers Creative Writing Fellowships designed to "enable recipients to set aside time for writing, research, travel, and general career advancement." Those selected for funding receive a $25,000 award. To qualify, applicants must previously have published either a novel or novella, or two or more short stories in literary journals, or a collection of short stories.

      National Endowment for the Arts
      1100 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W.
      Washington, DC 20506
      202-682-5400
      arts.endow.gov

+:
+:

Fiction

Related Categories