The Literary Arts Fund will award at least $50 million in grants to the nonprofit literary arts field over the next five years, concluding in 2031.
With a short timeline, the fund’s grantmaking has a strategic focus on the areas of the literary arts ecosystem where it determined it could have the greatest impact—that is: supporting independent U.S.-based literary arts nonprofits whose primary mission is directly serving adult writers of creative nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and hybrid works in making their artistic work and sharing it with readers outside of school and academic settings. Please review the fund’s full eligibility requirements to learn more.
The Literary Arts Fund will annually hold open calls for two opportunities: general operating grants and innovation project grants.
To be eligible to apply to the Literary Arts Fund’s 2026 general operating and/or innovation project grants, an interested applicant must be an independent nonprofit (or fiscally sponsored) literary arts organization, press, or publication based in the U.S. (in terms of location and activities) whose primary mission directly supports adult creative writers in making artistic work and sharing it with readers outside of school and academic settings in at least one of the following ways:
- Present them at public events such as festivals, readings, open mics, spoken word performances, lectures, or conversations;
- Publish their work in print or digital publications such as books, chapbooks, literary journals, magazines, websites, or zines;
- Provide them with writing residencies, retreats, mentorships, or workshops;
- Build their readership and following through digital or print feature articles, interviews, book reviews, online archives, or podcasts; or,
- Recognize their artistic achievement through awards, fellowships, or prizes.
Additionally, to be eligible to apply, a literary arts nonprofit must:
- Be post-pilot as demonstrated by having been established for three years or more, based on the year of incorporation or contracted partnership with a fiscal sponsor at the time of application;
- Have leadership stability as demonstrated by a current executive director who has led the nonprofit through at least one full year of operations, i.e., has served in their role for twelve consecutive months or more at the time of application; and
- Have financial stability as demonstrated by an annual operating budget of at least $50,000, not including in-kind/non-cash contributions. For fiscally sponsored organizations and publishers: the organization or publisher, not the fiscal sponsor, must meet this requirement.
The Literary Arts Fund’s grantmaking strategy does not include the following:
- Dramatic arts nonprofits whose primary mission is focused on screenwriters and playwrights.
- Storytelling nonprofits with a primary mission of supporting this oral art form.
- Nonprofits, publishers, initiatives, and projects that are part of and fiscally sponsored by a college or university.
- Nonprofits whose primary mission is to present, publish, or support young writers.
- Arts education nonprofits that focus on increasing K-12 students’ access to the arts and learning through the arts, in or out of school.
- Literacy nonprofits that focus on developing or strengthening youth or adult reading and writing skills and abilities.
- Academic, research, school, and public libraries.
- Trade and service organizations whose mission is focused primarily on serving other nonprofits.
Updated March 10, 2026
2026 General Operating Grants
- General operating grants provide unrestricted funding to support a literary arts nonprofit’s mission, activities, and administrative needs. These grants are disbursed to nonprofits in a single payment and intended for use over a five-year period.
- Organizations and publishers applying for a general operating grant must first complete an eligibility quiz on Submittable.
- Literary arts nonprofits that were eligible to apply had to submit an application form on Submittable by December 19, 2025, at 8:59 p.m. PST / 9:59 p.m. MST / 10:59 p.m. CST / 11:59 p.m. EST.
- A downloadable guide to the grant application is available here to assist with application preparation.
- Literary arts nonprofits wishing to modify their application needed to withdraw their initial submission on Submittable and reapply before the deadline.
- The Literary Arts Fund is not responsible for applications not received by the deadline due to user error. Applicants may visit the Submitter Resource Center or contact Submittable for questions about using the platform and technical support.
- Grant applicants and recipients will be notified about the results by May 30, 2026, via their Submittable account and email.
- The Literary Arts Fund’s decisions regarding eligibility are final.
- For questions, visit the Literary Arts Fund’s FAQ page or email grants@literaryartsfund.org.
The application window for 2026 General Operating Grants has closed.
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2026 Innovation Project Grants
- Innovation project grants provide funding to literary arts nonprofits for projects that may be collaborative and that aim to address critical challenges in one or more literary arts nonprofit organizations, presses, or publications that, if improved, would directly benefit creative writers’ artistic work and ability to share it with readers and audiences. These grants are disbursed to nonprofits in a single payment and intended for use during the project period.
- Literary arts nonprofits awarded a general operating grant in 2026 are ineligible to apply independently for an innovation project grant until twelve months after the general operating grant was awarded. They may, however, participate in a collaborative application for an innovation project grant in the same year they received a general operating grant.
- Organizations and publishers applying for an innovation project grant must first complete an eligibility quiz.
- Literary arts nonprofits that are eligible to apply must submit an application form on Submittable by the deadline in August 2026 (TBD).
- Literary arts nonprofits wishing to modify their application must withdraw their initial submission on Submittable and reapply before the deadline.
- The Literary Arts Fund is not responsible for applications not received by the deadline due to user error. Applicants may visit the Submitter Resource Center or contact Submittable for questions about using the platform and technical support.
- Grant applicants and recipients will be notified about the results in November 2026 (TBD) via their Submittable account and email.
- The Literary Arts Fund’s decisions regarding eligibility are final.
- For questions, visit the Literary Arts Fund’s FAQ page or email grants@literaryartsfund.org.
Innovation project grant applications will open in June 2026 (TBD).
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