Literary Arts Fund’s 2026

Key Dates

• By May 30, 2026: General operating grant applicants were notified of results

• June 8, 2026: Start of open call for innovation project grant applications

• June 18, 2026: 2027 innovation project grants program information session (register here)

• August 17, 2026: Deadline for innovation project grant applications

• By December 31, 2026: Innovation project grant applicants and recipients are notified

• January 2027 (TBD): Start of open call for 2027 general operating grant applications

Eligibility Requirements

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.