Community & Economic Development
Literary Arts Fund
Literary Arts Fund Innovation Project Grants
Private
Grant Funding
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.
Next funding deadline
Rolling deadline
Timing Notes
Submit an application form on Submittable by the deadline in August 2026 (TBD).
Max Award Amount
100000
Cost share/match Required
No
Eligibility Notes
Literary arts nonprofits (including fiscally sponsored literary arts organizations, presses, and publications) based in the U.S. and whose primary mission directly supports creative writers and their artistic work in any one of the following ways are eligible to apply for the Literary Arts Fund’s 2026 general operating and innovation project grants: 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, reviews, online archives, or podcasts; and, Recognize their artistic achievement through awards, fellowships, or prizes. Furthermore, to be eligible to apply, literary arts nonprofits must: Serve adult creative writers and audiences; Have been established for three years or more, based on the year of incorporation or contracted partnership with a fiscal sponsor (as of December 19, 2025, for 2026 general operating grant applications); Have a current executive director who has served in their role for at least twelve consecutive months (as of December 19, 2025, for 2026 general operating grant applications); and Have an annual operating budget of at least $50,000, in excess of in-kind (i.e., non-cash) contributions. For fiscally sponsored organizations and publishers: the organization or publisher, not the fiscal sponsor, must meet this requirement.
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