Literary Arts Fund

The Literary Arts Fund, launched in 2025, is a major philanthropic initiative aimed at significantly bolstering the nonprofit literary arts sector in the United States. With a planned disbursement of at least $50 million over a six-year period concluding in 2031, the fund supports organizations that amplify the work of contemporary creative writers. Its purpose is to foster a more visible, sustainable, and equitable literary culture nationwide. The Fund is focused exclusively on nonprofit literary organizations that present, publish, or otherwise support creative writers working in poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, or hybrid literary genres. The Fund offers two primary types of grants through open calls: general operating grants and innovation project grants. General operating grants provide unrestricted funding to support mission-aligned activities and administrative operations over a five-year period. Innovation project grants target strategic projects addressing pressing challenges in the literary arts infrastructure and may involve collaboration among organizations. Both grants are disbursed as single payments and are intended to sustain or advance the literary arts ecosystem by directly supporting writers’ ability to create and share their work. Eligible applicants must be U.S.-based nonprofit literary arts organizations or fiscally sponsored projects with missions that include presenting writers at public events, publishing literary work, offering residencies and mentorships, building audiences through media, or honoring literary achievement. Applicants must serve adult writers and audiences, have at least three years of operational history, an executive director with at least a year’s tenure, and a minimum annual budget of $50,000 excluding in-kind contributions. Organizations primarily serving young writers, educational institutions, literacy initiatives, and service or trade organizations are ineligible. The application for the 2026 general operating grant opens on November 10, 2025, and closes on December 19, 2025, with a required submission through Submittable. All applicants must complete an eligibility quiz prior to submission. An information session is scheduled for November 13, 2025, with ASL interpretation and live transcription. Applicants are notified of the results by May 30, 2026. Innovation project grant applications will open in June 2026, with a submission deadline expected in August 2026. General operating grant recipients are ineligible to apply independently for innovation project grants within 12 months of award. The Fund requires applicants to withdraw and reapply if they need to revise their submissions before the deadline. Submissions not received due to user error are not the responsibility of the Fund. The application system provides technical support through the Submittable platform. Contact for questions is provided via grants@literaryartsfund.org, and additional guidance is available through the Fund’s website and FAQ resources.