When you're trying to complete a big project, funding can make all the difference. The funding opportunities below are listed by deadline date, beginning in September. The basics are here; click through for complete guidelines.
If you're looking for novel and short story contests, see our contest calendars. Or move on to spring funding opportunities.
- Illinois Arts Council
Artists Fellowship Awards -- September 1
Prizes of $7,000 to support Illinois artists. Prose writers may apply in odd-numbered years. See website for complete details. No entry fee. - Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Awards -- September 1
Awards of $5,000 or $10,000 for creative artists who are Ohio residents. Fiction writers should submit application online and 20-30 pages of prose via snail mail; see site for full details. No application fee. - Bronx Writers' Center Literary Arts Fellowship and Residency -- September 4
Two nine-month fellowships and a $5,000 award are given to writers who reside in the Bronx. Send submissions to Fellowship, The Bronx Writers' Center, c/o Westchester Square Library, 2521 Glebe Avenue, Bronx, NY 10461. No entry fee. - PEN USA initiated Emerging Voices to launch potential professional writers from minority, immigrant, and underserved communities. It is an eight-month program involving writers in the early stages of their literary careers. The program includes sessions with mentors, seminars, master classes with a renowned novelist, courses in the Writers’ Program at UCLA Extension, one-month teaching residencies, a monthly book group, and literary readings. PEN USA provides $1,000 stipends. Look online for more information and to download application. Application fee: $10.
- Leeway Foundation Art and Change Grant -- September 8
The Art and Change Grant provides project-based grants of up to $2,500 to women and trans artists in the Delaware Valley region to fund art for social change projects. Mail or hand-deliver your application to Leeway Foundation, The Philadelphia Building, 1315 Walnut Street, Suite 832, Philadelphia, PA 19109. No entry fee. - John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowships -- September 15
Provides fellowships for advanced professionals in all fields, including creative arts. Write John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, 90 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016, for an application or see the site. - Jentel Artist Residency Program Winter/Spring Residency -- September 15
The Jentel Artist Residency Program offers dedicated individuals a supportive environment in which to further their creative development. Each artist and writer is offered a private accommodation, a work space, and a stipend. Download an application from their site, or write to: Admissions, Jentel Artist Residency Program, 130 Lower Piney Creek Road, Banner, WY 82832. $20.00 application fee. - The MacDowell Colony, Winter Period -- September 15
A two-page application form, a work sample, a project description, and one reference are needed to apply. For further information, please contact: The Admissions Coordinator, The MacDowell Colony, 100 High Street, Peterborough, NH 03458, 603-924-3886, admissions@macdowellcolony.org. Note that they must receive the application by the 15th. $20.00 application fee.
