Overview

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.

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 (watch a recording 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.

Using Submittable

• Literary arts nonprofits, or fiscally-sponsored organizations or publishers, will need to create a free Submittable account or sign in with Google or Facebook credentials to apply.
• Applicants can save a draft of their work if they would like to finish filling out the form at a later date.
• Applicants that need to make changes to its submission must first withdraw it, then resubmit.
• Submittable works best on Google Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. Internet Explorer is not supported. Please use a supported browser.
• Please be sure to safelist notification emails from Submittable and check the email used to sign up for your literary arts nonprofit's, or fiscally-sponsored organization's/press'/publication's, Submittable account regularly.
• Visit the Submitter Resource Center or contact Submittable Customer Support for additional instructions and technical questions.