There are many grants available to writers that can help you focus on your writing. Here are six writing fellowships and grants for writing a book, script or another artistic enterprise.
1. The Kerouac Project
2. The Disney/ABC Television Writing Program
3. Academy Nicholl Screenwriting Competition
4. National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship
5. Sustainable Arts Foundation Award
6. Awesome Foundation Grant
Writing grants can help you follow your dreams
1. The Kerouac Project
The Kerouac Project, named after famous author Jack Kerouac, offers four writing residencies each year. If the panel selects you as the winner, you will spend three months living and writing in the same house Kerouac wrote his most well-known novels.
Housing and utilities are part of the award, and you will also get a $1,000 food stipend. The organization expects you to participate in a welcome dinner and a reading of your work at the end of your residency. Otherwise, you have complete freedom to work on your own novel.
Whether you have a master’s degree in literature or are self-taught, writers of all backgrounds are welcome to apply.
Application deadline: March 15, 2020
2. The Disney/ABC Television Writing Program
Interested in writing for television? The Disney/ABC Television Writing Program is one of the most well-respected initiatives of its kind. Selected writers spend a year as a staff writer on a Disney/ABC show. Past participants include writers for hit shows like “Mad Men,” “Breaking Bad” and “Once Upon a Time.”
If the program chooses you, they’ll pay you a weekly salary of $961, complete with benefits. Besides getting a chance to work on real TV shows, participants also take part in seminars and workshops with veteran writers.
To be eligible, you must be at least 21 and submit two original pilot scripts for a current television series. You also need to send in your resume.
Application opening: Annually in May
3. Academy Nicholl Screenwriting Competition
Don Nicholl was a famous British screenwriter who worked on shows like “All in the Family” and “The Jeffersons.” After he passed away, his widow, Gee, founded the Academy Nicholl Competition. She remembered how much they struggled financially at the beginning of her husband’s career.
Every year, the Academy Nicholl Screenwriting Competition awards up to five fellowships to screenwriters. Any amateur screenwriter who has not yet earned $25,000 in the movie or television industry is eligible to apply.
There is a small fee to enter, but college or graduate school students can get a discount.
Application deadline: May 1, 2020
4. National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship
If you have a fantastic idea for a book or poem but don’t have the time or resources to work on it, this fellowship might be for you. The National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship offers $25,000 to enable individuals to work on their writing, travel or research.
You must include seven to 10 pages of past work to be considered.
Application deadline: March 11, 2020
5. Sustainable Arts Foundation Award
As a parent, focusing on your child’s needs can limit you from following your dreams and writing. The Sustainable Arts Foundation Award is one of the few writing grants designed for artists with families.
In 2020, the Sustainable Arts Foundation will offer $5,000 each to 20 writers and artists. The awards are unrestricted, meaning you could use them to further your education or career, or to cover childcare costs.
Whether you’re a nonfiction novelist or a poet, you can apply. However, you must have at least one child under 18 to be eligible.
Application deadline: Feb. 28, 2020
6. Awesome Foundation Grant
The Awesome Foundation gives out micro-grants of $1,000 to people doing great things. That can mean writing an industry-changing article, an investigative piece or even using the grant for writing a book.
There are no strings attached; the money is yours to do with as you please. You can use it to attend a conference, pay down debt or anything else that will help you in your journey.
The application is deceptively simple; it can be completed in as little as 15 minutes.
Application deadline: Varies by foundation chapter
Grants for writers can help you follow your dreams
If you’ve always dreamed of writing but never had the time or money to do so, fellowships and grants for writers can help make your dream a reality. These writing grants can give you the time and money to dedicate yourself to your art.
If you’re looking for even more information on grants, find out how to get money to pay off your student loans.
Andrew Pentis contributed to this report.
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