The National Endowment for the Arts provides a $25,000 grant to published writers who specialize in writing prose (non-fiction works) and poetry. The purpose of the grant is to allow a writer to make time to research, travel write and advance his or her career. Applicants who wish to apply for a non-fiction grant must have at least five different short stories, creative essays or novel excerpts in two or more anthologies or literary journals, a volume of short stories or a novel. Applicants eligible for a grant for writing poetry must have 20 or more poems published in at least five or more literary journals or anthologies, or a volume of poetry containing 48 works or more.
The Haven Foundation, established by author Stephen King, awards grants to creative freelance writers who need financial assistance. Qualified applicants have made 33.3% of their income from writing over the past three years. In addition, the applicant must have a “career-threatening emergency.” Examples of such an emergency include the inability to produce work because of an accident or illness, which places the applicant in need of monetary funds. In the application for a Haven Foundation grant, writers must explain their need, provide documentation of their works and attach supporting documents such as bills and medical reports.
The Creative Capital/ Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant Program provides $3,000 to $50,000 grants to creative writers who write articles, books, do short-form writing or blog. The award amount of the grant depends on a writer’s needs and the scale of his or her project. The Arts Writers Grant Program’s goal is to encourage contemporary art and create a larger reading audience.
Inspired by Virginia Woolf’s belief that women need to have their own rooms to write, the AROHO Gift of Freedom is a biennial $50,000 grant given to women who are motivated creative writers. The Gift of Freedom is a two-year grant awarded to a woman who wishes to become self-sufficient as a writer and who has a writing goal. Mentoring services are also provided to grant winners for two years.