The Literary Arts Fund will provide at least $50 million in support of 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. Please review the fund’s full eligibility requirements to learn more.
The Literary Arts Fund will annually hold open calls for two opportunities: innovation project grants and general operating grants.
To be eligible to apply to the Literary Arts Fund’s 2026 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 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 date of nonprofit incorporation at the time of application. If the applicant is fiscally sponsored, this would be demonstrated by the contract date between the fiscal sponsor and applicant;
- 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.
- Arts therapy nonprofits that focus on writing for its therapeutic purposes.
- Nonprofits, publishers, initiatives, and projects that are a department or division of, or are 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 June 8, 2026
2026 Innovation Project Grants
- The Literary Arts Fund will award a total of $1 million in grants in 2026 to literary arts nonprofits for new, one-time, and forward-thinking projects that aim to address critical structural challenges that, if improved or solved, would ultimately strengthen literary arts nonprofits’ abilities to serve creative writers. Proposed projects, which may be collaborative, should align with this description and goal and have impact beyond the project timeline. This opportunity is anticipated to be highly competitive.
- Nonprofit (or fiscally-sponsored) literary arts organizations or publishers that meet the fund’s full eligibility requirements may apply independently or as the lead of a collaborative project.
- Only one nonprofit may apply for collaborative projects. This lead applicant will have an opportunity to list collaborators in the application. If these collaborators are allocated sub-awards (project funds) in the project budget, they must meet all of the Fund’s eligibility requirements. The lead applicant is responsible for verifying and confirming that each collaborator receiving a sub-award from the project budget meets all of the Literary Arts Fund’s eligibility requirements.
- 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, be a participant in a collaborative application for an innovation project grant in the same year they received a general operating grant and would be eligible to receive sub-awards as noted in the project budget.
- Grant requests may range from $25,000 to $100,000 as determined by the project budget. Matching funds are not required, nor is other funding for the project, pending or committed.
- Should an innovation project grant be awarded, funds will be disbursed in a single payment to the nonprofit that applied independently or as the lead applicant. Lead applicants would then be fully responsible for disbursing sub-awards.
- Innovation project grant funds are to be used during the project period per the timeline and project budget submitted with the application.
- Projects must commence some time after January 1, 2027, and conclude before or by December 31, 2027.
- Interested literary arts nonprofits may submit an application via Submittable from June 8, 2026, to August 17, 2026, at 8:59 p.m. PDT / 9:59 p.m. MDT / 10:59 p.m. CDT / 11:59 p.m. EDT.
- A downloadable guide to the grant application is available here to assist with preparation.
- Nonprofit literary arts organizations or publishers wishing to modify their application need to withdraw their initial submission on Submittable and reapply before the deadline.
- The use of generative AI to produce any part of the application narrative is not permitted.
- The Literary Arts Fund is not responsible for applications not received by the deadlines or due to user error. Applicants may visit the Submitter Resource Center or contact Submittable for questions about using the platform and technical support.
- Application updates will be sent through Submittable and email to the individual who submitted the application on behalf of the literary arts nonprofit. Notifications about the results will be sent in this manner by December 31, 2026.
- The Literary Arts Fund’s decisions regarding eligibility are final.
- For questions, visit the Literary Arts Fund’s grants page or FAQ page, or email grants@literaryartsfund.org.
Updated June 8, 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 wishing to modify their application need 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.
- 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.