How to Find a Literary Grant, Free Residency, or a Fellowship

Grants, free Writer's Residencies, and Fellowships can be a great way to bolster your CV, expand your professional network, and - most important - receive a cash award.   There are two important steps:   
1. Research and find grants and 2. Apply properly.
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Where to Find Grants

Your first choice is to read our free monthly newsletter which we publish at LinkedIn, SavvyBookWriters, and Content-on-Demand. We compile these Grants, Fellowships, and free Writer's Residencies from a dozen resources, doing all the legwork for you!  The newsletter is published in the first week of every month.  Sign up at SavvyBookWriters or on Content-on-Demand and you will receive it automatically via email.

Google is helpful too: Type in your location AND literary grants.  The location might be a country, state, province, region, or city. You will be surprised that each one will come up with different results.  To find a free writer's residency, type in the area in which you would like to be during your "workation".

For literary grants, the UK and Australia have their own national and local committees, while Canada has province and city arts commissions. The USA has State and Jurisdictional Arts Agencies, Regional Arts Organizations, all under the umbrella of the National Endowment for the Arts. 

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To find the art commissions in your country, go to:

USA
https://www.arts.gov/partners/state-regional

Canada
https://canadacouncil.ca/

Great Britain
https://www.rlf.org.uk/
https://societyofauthors.org/Grants/Grants-for-works-in-progress

Australia
https://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/

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The Application Process

Learn everything about the grant provider.  Read about former grant recipients.  Follow the guidelines.  See if you are a good fit for what the grant provides.  They have a mission.  You, as a writer, have to match the mission of the grant provider.
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Watch the deadline.  Allow ample time to do your paperwork, collect documentation or references, and speak with people you may need for advice.
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Reach out to the program manager.  These grant commissions are the ones who know grants and understand the process.  Meet or call them.  Get to know them.  They will help you present the best grant application you can.

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An amazing number of applications fall short because of details rather than qualifications.  On the positive: Almost a third of applications for writer's residencies, fellowships, and grants make it!  What do you wait for?  Start applying!

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