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Best Writing Grants for 2026

Updated July 2026 · Top 10 · Ranked automatically from live listings

Grants are the rare writing money you don't pay back and don't compete for with a finished product — many fund work in progress. This list ranks the best writing grants currently accepting applications, ordered by award size, with deadlines shown and expired grants dropped automatically.

  1. 1
    Literary Arts Fund

    2026 Innovation Project Grants

    Literary Arts Fund is awarding a total of $1 million in grants to literary arts nonprofits and publishers for new, forward-thinking projects that address structural challenges and strengthen the field's ability to serve creative writers, with highly…

    $25,000–$100,000Deadline: Aug 17, 2026Free to enter
  2. 2
    Creative Scotland

    Open Fund for Individuals

    Creative Scotland is offering project grants of £500–£50,000 for freelance and self-employed writers living in Scotland to research, develop, and deliver creative work in poetry, creative non-fiction, graphic fiction, hybrid prose/poetry, spoken word, and…

    £500–£50,000Rolling deadlineFree to enter
  3. 3
    Pro Helvetia (Swiss Arts Council)

    Literary Creation Grant

    Pro Helvetia (Swiss Arts Council) is offering a Literary Creation Grant to support Swiss authors in developing new works across fiction, poetry, drama, children's and youth literature, and spoken word, providing funding to help writers dedicate sustained…

    Up to CHF 25,000Deadline: Sep 1, 2026Free to enter
  4. 4
    The Loft Literary Center

    McKnight Artist Fellowships in Writing

    The Loft Literary Center administers the McKnight Artist Fellowships in Writing on behalf of the McKnight Foundation, awarding unrestricted fellowships to Minnesota-based writers with a sustained body of published work, alternating annually between Creative…

    $25,000 unrestricted fellowshipDeadline: Dec 1, 2026Free to enter
  5. 5
    Canada Council for the Arts

    Research and Creation Grant (Explore and Create)

    Canada Council for the Arts is offering research and creation grants to support individual writers with funding for the creative research, creation, and development of new full-length literary works across fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and spoken…

    Up to $25,000 CADRolling deadlineFree to enter
  6. 6
    Jonathan and Barbara Silver Foundation

    Writing Grant

    Jonathan and Barbara Silver Foundation is offering a biennial writing grant for writers producing rigorous, original writing on the history, aesthetics, purposes, imagination, or situation of sculpture, with one year to complete the funded project

    $20,000Rolling deadlineFree to enter
  7. 7
    Alberta Foundation for the Arts

    Literary Individual Project Funding

    Alberta Foundation for the Arts is offering grants to support Alberta-based individual writers and literary artists developing new projects across genres including novels, short fiction, poetry collections, plays, graphic novels, young adult literature, and…

    Up to $18,000 (project funding for individual writers)Deadline: Sep 1, 2026Free to enter
  8. 8
    Miles Morland Foundation

    Miles Morland Foundation African Writers Scholarship 2026

    Miles Morland Foundation is awarding a 12-month writing scholarship paid in monthly installments to writers of African heritage (born in Africa or with both parents born in Africa) working on a book-length fiction or nonfiction project in English, with the…

    GBP 18,000 over 12 monthsDeadline: Sep 18, 2026Free to enter
  9. 9
    Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA)

    General Operating Support for Artists (GOSA) — 2026 Cycle

    RISCA's General Operating Support for Artists (GOSA) is a three-year unrestricted grant designed to help Rhode Island artists pursue large, specific, self-identified goals in their art practice.

    $6,000/year for three consecutive years ($18,000 total per artist); 3 new artists selected per cycleDeadline: Oct 1, 2026Free to enter
  10. 10
    SK Arts

    Independent Artists Program

    SK Arts is offering grants through the Independent Artists Program to support Saskatchewan writers' creative, research, and professional development projects including dedicated writing time, retreat attendance, manuscript research travel, and independent…

    Up to $18,000 (independent artists program)Deadline: Oct 1, 2026Free to enter
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How this list works

This ranking is recomputed automatically from CozyJobs' live opportunity data — no editorial picks. Larger awards rank first, free-to-enter programs rank ahead of fee-based ones at the same award level, and the soonest deadlines break ties. Opportunities past their deadline drop off automatically.

Frequently asked questions

How do writing grants differ from contests and fellowships?+

Grants fund your work directly — often work-in-progress — with no publication requirement. Contests award prizes for finished pieces. Fellowships typically pair funding with a program, residency, or institutional affiliation. Writers routinely apply across all three.

What do writing grant applications require?+

Typically a writing sample (10–25 pages), a project description, and sometimes a budget or artist statement. Unlike contests, grants rarely charge application fees — be wary of any 'grant' that does.

How is this list ranked and how often does it update?+

Rankings are recomputed automatically from live data: larger awards first, then free-to-enter programs, then the soonest upcoming deadlines. Closed or past-deadline opportunities drop off automatically, so every entry is open at the time you're reading.

Does CozyJobs list opportunities with entry fees?+

Yes, contests and residencies with modest entry fees are included when the award justifies it, and each listing shows the fee up front. Free-to-enter opportunities are ranked ahead of fee-based ones at the same award level.

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