Most writers underestimate how much funding is actually available to them. Grants for manuscripts in progress, bursaries for writing residencies you can’t afford, fellowships that cover living expenses while you write professionally, emergency funds for writers dealing with difficult situations.

Regardless of the project you’re working on, there is likely funding out there to support you.

Organizations are actively looking to fund writers at all career stages, including those who are underrepresented, early-career, or simply stretching budgets too thin.

This edition shares with you more than 55 carefully vetted opportunities across the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, and worldwide, all with deadlines between now and November 2026 (plus a few extras) and sorted by location.

When it comes to funding, you just need to know where to look. And that’s where exactly the Freelance Writing Network can help you.

And as always, be sure to read guidelines carefully before submitting your applications!

The full collection of opportunities with links, deadlines, and application details is available below for paid members.

Get 7 day free trial

Writing Grants, Bursaries, & Fellowships

New writing grants, bursaries & fellowships in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom & worldwide, with submission dates from September through November 2026.

WORLDWIDE

Rory Peck Trust Crisis Fund
The Crisis Fund gives financial grants to freelance news and current affairs journalists anywhere in the world whose work and livelihood have been put at risk because of their journalism, covering needs such as medical costs, emergency subsistence, legal advice, and relocation. Applicants must have no regular salary or retainer, must have worked as a freelance journalist for at least the past 12 months, and must supply reference letters.
Deadline: Rolling — apply any time.

Free Press Unlimited — Reporters Respond Emergency Fund
Reporters Respond provides rapid emergency and legal support to media professionals worldwide who are in distress as a direct result of their journalism, including employed and freelance journalists, fixers, bloggers, and media organisations. Support covers medical costs, short-term subsistence or temporary relocation, legal representation and court costs, psycho-social assistance, replacement of confiscated or destroyed equipment, family support, and preventive safety measures such as protective equipment and digital tools.
Deadline: Rolling — apply any time.

Pulitzer Center Global Reporting Grants
The Pulitzer Center’s catch-all reporting grants fund in-depth, under-reported stories across print, photography, audio, video, and short documentary, with no restriction on topic or reporting location. Staff and freelance journalists of any nationality may apply, as may newsrooms and universities on a journalist’s behalf. Most awards for international travel fall between $5,000 and $10,000, based on a detailed budget; half is paid once grant paperwork is complete and the balance on submission of the material for publication. Overheads are not allowed, and news organisations are expected to pay journalists for their work, with time stipends considered only in exceptional cases.
Deadline: Rolling — apply any time.

Pulitzer Center Ocean and Fisheries Reporting Grant
The Pulitzer Center is accepting proposals for reporting on ocean health and fisheries, including illegal and unregulated fishing, subsidies, overfishing, marine protected areas, deep-sea mining, pollution, and coastal livelihoods. Freelance and staff journalists from around the world may apply, and collaborative team proposals are welcome; applications from the Global South and from Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific, east and southern Africa, and the Middle East and North Africa are particularly encouraged. Grants cover the hard costs of reporting, with amounts negotiated from a detailed budget.
Deadline: Rolling — apply any time.

Henry Nxumalo Foundation — Southern Africa Accountability Journalism Project Grants
The Southern Africa Accountability Journalism Project awards reporting grants of $1,500 to $3,000, plus editorial and production support, for investigations that expose wrongdoing and abuses of power in the SADC region. Freelance journalists and staff reporters or editors based in South Africa, eSwatini, Lesotho, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, or Mozambique may apply, and cross-border collaborations are favoured.
Deadline: Rolling — apply any time.

MacDowell Fellowship — Spring/Summer 2027
Residencies of up to eight weeks at MacDowell’s campus in Peterborough, New Hampshire, for poets, fiction and creative nonfiction writers, translators, and writers working in theatre, film, and interdisciplinary forms. There are no residency fees, and need-based stipends and travel reimbursement grants are available; the sole selection criterion is artistic excellence. This cycle covers residencies between 1st March and 31st August 2027, and MacDowell accepts applications from artists in all countries.
Deadline: 10th September 2026, 5:00pm EDT.

Fund for Investigative Journalism — Regular Grants
Regular grants of up to $10,000 for freelance journalists, staff reporters, and media outlets producing non-partisan investigative reporting in any format, including print, online, broadcast, books, documentaries, and podcasts. Separate seed grants of $1,000 to $2,500 fund preliminary reporting, and follow-up grants of up to $2,500 support further coverage of investigations FIJ has already funded. There is no nationality restriction, but stories based outside the United States must have a very strong US angle, be published in English, and have a US outlet.
Deadline: 14th September 2026, 11:59pm ET.

The Eccles Institute & Hay Festival Global Writer’s Award
Two awards of £20,000 each, paid in four £5,000 instalments tied to deliverables, plus a residency of up to a year at the British Library with access to its curatorial expertise in the Americas collections. Applications are open to writers based in the UK or Latin America working on a yet-to-be-published book relating to the Americas, and may be submitted in English or Spanish. Applicants must show a commitment to publish with a trade UK and/or Spanish-language publisher. Winners must spend at least 40 working days at the Library, give a Researchers’ Packed Lunch talk, lead a writers’ workshop, and write a 500-word blog, and must fund their own travel and accommodation in London.
Deadline: 14th September 2026.

Fund for Investigative Journalism — Seed Grants
Seed grants of $1,000 to $2,500 to fund preliminary reporting on an early-stage investigation, including open-records requests and initial reporting trips. Freelancers, staff reporters, and independent documentary, podcast, and photojournalism producers may apply, and no letter of commitment from an outlet is required at seed stage, although a recommendation from an editor, mentor, or professor may be submitted. No residency restriction is stated; proposals about stories based outside the United States must show a verifiable connection to a US audience or outlet, and successful seed grantees may later apply for regular grants of up to $10,000 on a rolling basis.
Deadline: 14th September 2026, 11:59pm ET.

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Miles Morland Foundation Writing Scholarships
A scholarship of £18,000 paid in monthly instalments to give writers time to complete a book, open to anyone writing in English who was born in Africa or who has at least one parent born in Africa, with no residency requirement. Fiction scholarships run over twelve months; non-fiction awards may be spread over a longer period of up to eighteen months.
Deadline: 22nd September 2026.

Literature Ireland — Translation Grant Programme (Autumn Window)
Grants to international publishers anywhere in the world towards the translator’s fee for a work of Irish literature translated from English or Irish into another language, across literary fiction, literary non-fiction, children’s literature, poetry, and drama. Applications are accepted only in the two-week windows preceding each deadline, with the autumn window running from 8th to 29th September 2026, and are judged competitively on a translation sample assessed by an independent reader.
Deadline: 29th September 2026 (autumn window opens 8th September 2026).

Wilson Center Research Fellowship
A twelve-month, non-residential fellowship running from 1st June 2027 to 30th May 2028, paying a stipend of $10,000 a month, with the Wilson Center covering trips to Washington, D.C. at the start and end of the fellowship. Between 10 and 20 fellowships are awarded to scholars, practitioners, journalists, and public intellectuals; there is no nationality or residence restriction, but applicants need a PhD plus a substantial publication record, or around ten years of professional distinction in government, policy, or the non-profit sector.
Deadline: 30th September 2026, 11:59pm ET.

Speculative Literature Foundation — Working Class Writers Grant
A $1,000 grant for speculative fiction writers who are working class, blue-collar, financially disadvantaged, or homeless, open to international applicants with no US residency requirement. Applicants submit up to 10 pages of poetry or drama, or up to 5,000 words of prose, plus a short statement on how class has affected their writing life; no prior publishing credits are needed and current financial need is prioritised.
Deadline: 30th September 2026, 11:59pm (UTC−4).

Journalismfund Europe — European Cross-Border Grants
Working grants for cross-border teams of at least two professional journalists and/or independent news outlets from at least two different European countries, investigating topics relevant to European audiences. The programme distributes €280,000 per call from a total budget of €1,680,000 across six rounds in 2026 and 2027. Grants cover research time and costs such as travel, translation, and access to paid databases, but not overheads, equipment, or production costs. At least 80 per cent of the requested budget must go to journalists or media from EU countries, although team members from outside Europe can be included where relevant to the story.
Deadline: 1st October 2026, 13:00 CET.

Alicia Patterson Fellowships
Six-month fellowships paying $20,000 or twelve-month fellowships paying $40,000, funded by the Alicia Patterson Foundation and administered by the Fund for Investigative Journalism, for in-depth written investigative reporting on any topic of public interest. Funds are paid monthly and may cover both reporting and living expenses; fellows must produce two articles over six months or four over a year. Reporting projects must be US-focused and intended for US outlets, and the fellowship is aimed at experienced reporters with a published body of in-depth work; freelancers are strongly encouraged to apply and staff journalists must take leave.
Deadline: 1st October 2026.

Journalismfund Europe — Pascal Decroos Fund for Investigative Journalism
The Pascal Decroos Fund has €270,000 available in 2026, spread over four rounds of roughly €67,500 each, for investigative journalism projects that are newsworthy, original, and too time-consuming to complete without support. It is open to professional journalists, both early-career and experienced, with no stated nationality requirement, but the resulting work must be published in a Dutch-language medium in Belgium. Applications require a project outline, dissemination plan, CV, budget on the fund’s template, and letters of intent from Flemish outlets. Journalists with less than two years’ experience are exempt from the letter-of-intent requirement.
Deadline: 1st October 2026, 13:00 CET.

Journalismfund Europe — Belgian Bridge Programme
This pilot programme, supported by the King Baudouin Foundation, has €100,000 to distribute in 2026 for collaborative investigations that cross Belgium’s language border. Teams must include at least one Dutch-speaking and one French-speaking professional journalist, all legally residing in Belgium, and a bilingual journalist can satisfy the language requirement. Projects must be rooted in a local community while carrying relevance beyond it, and must result in multilingual journalism.
Deadline: 15th October 2026, 13:00 CET.

Journalismfund Europe — The Invisible Life Grant Programme
Journalismfund Europe distributes €150,000 per call, from a €300,000 budget for 2026, to cross-border teams investigating farm animal welfare and related European interests, in or beyond Europe. Applications must come from teams of at least two professional journalists or news outlets legally residing in at least two different countries; freelancers and outlets are both eligible. Supported investigations must be published in at least two outlets in different countries, at least one of them European.
Deadline: 29th October 2026, 13:00 CET.

UNITED STATES & CANADA

Read more

Most writers underestimate how much funding is actually available to them. Grants for manuscripts in progress, bursaries for writing residencies you can’t afford, fellowships that cover living expenses while you write professionally.

So many of these opportunities exist, and more of you are eligible than you’d think.

Organizations are actively looking to fund writers at all career stages, including those who are underrepresented, early-career, or simply stretching budgets too thin.

This edition shares with you more than 40 carefully vetted opportunities across the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, and worldwide, all with deadlines between now and September 2026 (plus a few extras).

Whether you’re completing a manuscript, launching into a new genre, or finally taking that course you’ve been eyeing, there’s likely funding here for you. You just need to know where to look, and that’s where the FWN is here to help.

The full collection with links, deadlines, and application details is available below for paid members.

Get 7 day free trial

Writing Grants, Bursaries, & Fellowships

New writing grants, bursaries & fellowships in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom & worldwide, with submission dates from July through October 2026.

WORLDWIDE

Peter Blazey Fellowship 2027
Up to AUD $20,000 from the University of Melbourne to further a work-in-progress in biography, autobiography or life writing, aimed at Australian writers with a substantial publishing record in non-fiction (books, chapters, long-form features etc.). Applicants must be Australian citizens or permanent residents; the manuscript cannot be part of a higher degree and must not be self-published.
Deadline: 27th July 2026.

Prague UNESCO City of Literature Residencies 2027
Eight two‑month residencies for writers and literary translators of any nationality, offering free accommodation in Prague plus a stipend (around €2,280–€2,500 for the period) and travel support. Applicants must have at least one published literary book, or equivalent broadcast/staged work or translation of a Czech author; self‑published work does not count.
Deadline: 7th August 2026.

Hong Kong Baptist University — International Writers’ Workshop 2027
A fully funded four‑week writers‑in‑residence programme in spring 2027 at HKBU, open to writers of any nationality currently living outside Hong Kong. Participants receive economy airfare, on‑campus accommodation, and a per‑diem, and are expected to give readings, join seminars, and engage with students while working on their own projects. Writers must have at least one traditionally published literary book; self‑published books are ineligible.
Deadline: 14th August 2026.

Copyright Agency Author Fellowship
A major $80,000 fellowship from Australia’s Copyright Agency Cultural Fund, supporting established Australian writers to create an ambitious new work. Applicants must be Australian citizens or permanent residents who have previously published or performed at least five full-length works of their own creative writing and have secured either a publishing contract or a letter of intent from an Australian publisher or theatre company. Open across genres including fiction, poetry, children’s literature, young adult writing, picture book illustration, graphic novels, playwriting, literary nonfiction, and writing for performance.
Deadline: 1pm AEST, Monday 17th August 2026.

Jan Michalski Foundation Writing Residency 2027
The Jan Michalski Foundation for Writing and Literature, set in the Swiss Jura Mountains near Montricher, offers residencies of two weeks to three months for writers and translators of all nationalities, career stages, and languages — beginners are explicitly welcome. Residents receive a weekly allowance of CHF 400 (approximately £340/€395), covered travel costs to and from home, and breakfast and lunch each day, with access to the Foundation’s library, cultural activities, and electric bikes. The Foundation accepts individual and collaborative applications, with priority given to writers and translators; former residents may not reapply.
Deadline: 5pm Swiss time, 31st August 2026.

Fund for Investigative Journalism — Regular Grants
Grants up to $10,000 (plus separate Seed and Follow‑up grants) for freelance and staff journalists worldwide producing non‑partisan investigative stories across formats — print, online, audio, film, or books. Non‑US‑based projects must have a strong U.S. angle and an English‑language outlet, but FIJ encourages applications from ethnic media and journalists of colour, including cross‑border investigations.
Deadline: 11:59pm ET, 14th September 2026 (regular cycle).

Read more

Most writers underestimate how much funding is actually available to them. Grants for manuscripts in progress, bursaries for writing courses you can’t afford, fellowships that cover living expenses while you write — these opportunities exist, and more of you are eligible than you’d think.

Organizations are actively looking to fund writers at all career stages, including those who are underrepresented, early-career, or simply stretching their budgets too thin.

This edition shares with you more than 40 carefully vetted opportunities across the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, and worldwide, all with deadlines concentrated between now and August 2026 (plus a few extras).

Whether you’re completing a manuscript, launching into a new genre, or finally taking that course you’ve been eyeing, there’s likely funding here for you. You just need to know where to look — and that’s where the FWN is here to help.

The full collection with links, deadlines, and application details is available below for paid subscribers.

Subscribe now

…Miss today’s roundup?

We shared 45+ new paid writing opportunities with FWN members earlier today — that’s more than 100 already this week, and it’s only Tuesday.

Some amazing opportunities inside, so act fast before they disappear!

Writing Grants, Bursaries & Fellowships

New writing grants, bursaries & fellowships in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom & worldwide, with submission dates from June through August 2026.

WORLDWIDE

Tukums UNESCO City of Literature International Writer-in-Residence
The inaugural international residency from Tukums UNESCO City of Literature invites writers, poets, playwrights, and screenwriters connected to the UNESCO Creative Cities of Literature network to spend two or four weeks in a private apartment at Jaunpils Writers’ Castle in Latvia in October 2026. Residents engage with the literary and cultural life of the Tukums region while working on their own projects. The programme offers a scholarship of €800 for a four-week stay or €400 for a two-week stay, with accommodation provided at the historic castle.
Deadline: 30th June 2026.

Sangam House Residency — Season 19 (India)
Month-long writing residencies at The Jamun in Bangalore, India, running November 2026 through January 2027, with cohorts in one-month blocks. Open to published writers of any nationality writing in any language. Residents receive accommodation and a supportive community of fellow writers; the programme is designed for writers without large commercial profiles who are working on a serious project. The application asks for a work history statement, a project description, and a writing sample of up to 50 pages in the writer’s mother tongue.
Deadline: June 30th, 2026 (letters of recommendation: July 11th).

Jaunpils Writers’ Castle Residency — Latvia
A two- or four-week residency in October 2026 at Jaunpils Writers’ Castle in the Tukums region of Latvia, offered through the Tukums UNESCO City of Literature programme. Selected residents live and work in a private apartment within the castle, engaging with the literary and cultural life of the Tukums region. Open to traditionally published writers, poets, playwrights, and screenwriters with a connection to a UNESCO City of Literature (which includes Norwich, Edinburgh, Exeter, Manchester, Nottingham, and dozens of international cities). A scholarship of €800 is provided for a four-week stay, or €400 for a two-week stay.
Deadline: June 30th, 2026.

Sir Harry Evans Global Fellowship in Investigative Journalism
A six-to-nine-month fellowship for an exceptional early-career investigative journalist, embedded inside a Reuters newsroom in London, New York, Toronto, or Sydney. The fellow is employed by Durham University at a monthly salary of approximately £4,444 (pro-rata £53,333/year), with a £1,250/month living stipend and a one-off £1,800 travel payment — making this one of the most generously funded journalism fellowships available worldwide. Open to applicants worldwide with between two and five years of professional journalism experience. AI-generated proposals will be disqualified.
Deadline: 12 noon BST, 10th July 2026.

IWMF Kari Howard Fund for Narrative Journalism 2026
Administered by the International Women’s Media Foundation in memory of Los Angeles Times editor Kari Howard, this grant supports women and nonbinary print journalists worldwide developing compelling long-form narrative journalism on pressing political, social, or environmental stories. Grants average around $5,000, and projects may be reported and published anywhere in the world provided they appear in English. Applicants must have at least three years of professional journalism experience and show proof of editor interest or a track record of publication in prominent outlets. Freelance and staff journalists may apply individually or as part of a multi-format team.
Deadline: July 12th 2026.

Pulitzer Center AI Accountability Fellowships
A 10-month structured fellowship (September 2026–July 2027) supporting 8–10 journalists worldwide — including US-based reporters — investigating the real-world impact of algorithmic and automated systems across policing, medicine, social welfare, criminal justice, and hiring. Distinct from the Center’s general Global Reporting Grants, this programme adds mandatory monthly cohort calls, mentorship, and training. Each fellow receives up to $25,000 total: up to $20,000 for reporting expenses and up to $5,000 for community engagement. Both staff and freelance journalists are eligible from anywhere in the world.
Deadline: July 12th, 2026.

Read more

Most writers underestimate how much funding is actually available to them. Grants for manuscripts in progress, bursaries for writing courses you can’t afford, fellowships that cover living expenses while you write — these opportunities exist, and more of you are eligible than you’d think.

Organizations are actively looking to fund writers at all career stages, including those who are underrepresented, early-career, or simply stretching their budgets too thin.

This edition shares with you carefully vetted opportunities across the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, and worldwide, all with deadlines concentrated between now and July 2026.

Whether you’re completing a manuscript, launching into a new genre, or finally taking that course you’ve been eyeing, there’s likely funding here for you. You just need to know where to look — and that’s where the FWN is here to help.

The full collection with links, deadlines, and application details is available below for paid subscribers.

Subscribe now

Writing Grants, Bursaries & Fellowships

New writing grants, bursaries & fellowships in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom & worldwide, with submission dates from May through June 2026.

UNITED STATES & CANADA

Henry Beetle Hough Enterprise Fellowship — The Vineyard Gazette
A newly created, full-time fellowship at the Vineyard Gazette, Martha's Vineyard's award-winning independent newspaper. Named for the Gazette's legendary editor and publisher, the fellowship offers a $65,000 annual salary, housing in a fully furnished two-bedroom house on the island, comprehensive health benefits, and a 401(k) with employer matching. The minimum commitment is two years (with a possible third). The fellow is expected to cover the big issues of a small island — from conservation and development to culture and politics — with a track record of at least three years of professional reporting experience required.

Leeway Foundation Transformation Award
Unrestricted awards of $15,000 for women, transgender, and gender-nonconforming artists and cultural producers based in Greater Philadelphia (Bucks, Camden, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, or Philadelphia County) who have been creating art for social change for five or more years. Open to writers working in any form — fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and beyond are all eligible.
Deadline: May 15th, 2026.

Intuit QuickBooks x Mailchimp Small Business Hero Program
A $20,000 grant for U.S.-based small businesses — awarded to businesses that demonstrate courage, perseverance, and integrity in their communities. This is a nomination-based programme: anyone (other than owners, employees, or relatives of the business) can nominate a business they believe deserves recognition. The business owner must be at least 18 years old, and the business must have been operating for at least one year. No purchase of QuickBooks or Mailchimp products is required.
Deadline: May 15th, 2026.

SLF Older Writers Grant for Speculative Fiction
A $1,000 grant from the Speculative Literature Foundation, awarded annually to writers aged 50 or over who are at the beginning of their careers in speculative fiction. Open to writers worldwide. The grant is awarded on merit and carries no restrictions on how the funds are used — writers may apply them to time, tools, research, workshops, or whatever will best serve their work.
Deadline: May 31st, 2026.

Read more

Most writers underestimate how much funding is actually available to them. Grants for manuscripts in progress, bursaries for writing courses you can’t afford, fellowships that cover living expenses while you write — these opportunities exist, and more of you are eligible than you’d think.​

Organizations are actively looking to fund writers at all career stages, including those who are underrepresented, early-career, or simply stretching their budgets too thin.​

This edition shares with you carefully vetted opportunities across the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, and worldwide, all with deadlines concentrated between now and May 2026.​

Whether you’re completing a manuscript, launching into a new genre, or finally taking that course you’ve been eyeing, there’s likely funding here for you. You just need to know where to look.

The full collection with links, deadlines, and application details is available below for paid subscribers.

Subscribe now

Writing Grants, Bursaries & Fellowships

New writing grants, bursaries & fellowships in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom & worldwide, with submission dates from March to May 2026.

UNITED STATES & CANADA

BINC Susan Kamil Emerging Writers Prize
Two grants of $10,000 each are awarded to unpublished writers working on a full-length manuscript, graphic novel, or book-length comic who are currently employed at a physical bookstore or comic shop in the US. Applicants must be 18 or over with at least three months of continuous employment at the store, and submit a six-page writing sample, project overview, and a letter of recommendation. Writers who have already published a full-length work are not eligible.
Applications open: March 25th, 2026.

Retraction Watch Research Accountability Reporting Fellowship
A new six-month fellowship from Retraction Watch and The Open Notebook, funded by the Center for Scientific Integrity, supporting up to six US-based local and regional journalists in reporting stories of scientific integrity at research universities or institutions in their coverage area. Selected newsrooms receive $7,500 to support the reporting project, alongside one-to-one mentorship from Retraction Watch staff and a series of virtual trainings on scientific accountability reporting. Open to reporters and editors working on staff or freelancing for a local or regional media outlet. Applications open March 26th, 2026.
Deadline: Rolling (from March 26th, 2026).

A Public Space Writing Fellowships
Three six-month fellowships for emerging fiction, nonfiction, and poetry writers who have not yet published or contracted a book-length work with a US publisher. Each fellow receives a $1,000 honorarium, editorial support to prepare a piece for publication in the magazine, a one-year subscription, and access to Master Classes and public readings. International applicants are welcome, but submissions must be in English.
Deadline: March 31st, 2026.

Silvers Grants for Work in Progress
The Robert B. Silvers Foundation offers grants of up to $10,000 to Anglophone writers of any nationality working on long-form writing in literary criticism, arts writing, political analysis, and/or social reportage. Applicants must have a publishing agreement in place for the work. Applications require a CV, one-page project description, financial questionnaire, and a 500–2,000 word writing sample. Priority given to projects not supported by a significant advance.
Deadline: March 31st, 2026.

Marguerite and Lamar Smith Fellowship for Writers
This three-month residential fellowship (September to December 2026) affords writers uninterrupted time to work at Carson McCullers’s childhood home in Columbus, Georgia. The fellow receives a $5,000 stipend to cover transportation, food, and incidentals, and is encouraged to engage informally with students and local residents interested in writing. Open to all writers; applications require a cover letter, CV, writing sample of up to 20 pages, and two letters of recommendation.
Deadline: April 1st, 2026.

Read more

Most writers underestimate how much funding is actually available to them. Grants for manuscripts in progress, bursaries for writing courses you can’t afford, fellowships that cover living expenses while you write — these opportunities exist, and more of you are eligible than you’d think.

Organizations are actively looking to fund writers at all career stages, including those who are underrepresented, early-career, or simply stretching their budgets too thin.

This edition shares with you carefully vetted opportunities across the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, and worldwide, all with deadlines concentrated between now and March 2026.

Whether you’re completing a manuscript, launching into a new genre, or finally taking that course you’ve been eyeing, there’s likely funding here for you. You just need to know where to look — and that’s where the FWN is here to help.

The full collection with links, deadlines, and application details is available below for paid subscribers.

Subscribe now

Don’t want updates on grants, bursaries & fellowships? You can update your preferences using this link.

Writing Grants, Bursaries & Fellowships

New writing grants, bursaries & fellowships in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom & worldwide, with submission dates from January to March 2026.

UNITED STATES & CANADA

Nieman Fellowships for U.S. Journalists
Nine-month fellowships at Harvard University for journalists with at least three years of professional experience. Fellows receive a stipend to pursue professional development, conduct research, and audit Harvard courses while part of a global community of journalists. The program includes access to Harvard’s extensive resources, networking opportunities, and career advancement support. Applications require essays, professional profile, work samples, and three letters of recommendation.
Deadline: January 31st, 2026.

Chautauqua Janus Prize
The Chautauqua Janus Prize will be awarded for the ninth time in 2026, celebrating an emerging writer’s single work of short fiction or nonfiction that demonstrates daring formal and aesthetic innovations. Submissions may be up to 15,000 words in length but no more than 100 pages. Emerging writers are defined as writers who have yet to publish their first book (exceeding 15,000 words and/or 100 pages) in any prose genre. The winner receives $5,000 plus a travel expense, the winner receives a week-long writing residency at Chautauqua Institution. The winner will give a public lecture and reading during a celebratory event on the grounds.
Deadline: January 31st, 2026.

Black Lawrence Press - The Big Moose Prize
Each year Black Lawrence Press awards The Big Moose Prize for an unpublished novel. The prize is open to new, emerging, and established writers. The contest is open to traditional novels as well as novels-in-stories, novels-in-poems, and other hybrid forms that contain within them the spirit of a novel. The winner receives book publication, a $1,000 cash award, and ten copies of the book.
Deadline: January 31st. 2026.

Nicholas Schaffner Award for Music in Literature
This annual award from Schaffner Press honors Nicholas Schaffner, who devoted his life to music and literature about music. The award celebrates writers whose lives and writing have been profoundly influenced by music. Open to fiction, poetry, or nonfiction (memoir, autobiography, or essay collection) in English that deals in some way with the subject of music (of any genre and period) and its influence. Complete book-length manuscripts are welcome: 75K-100K words for fiction and nonfiction, 60+ pages for poetry collections. The first-place winner receives a contract with Schaffner Press and a $1,000 advance for publication the following year.
Deadline: January 31st, 2026.

Read more

Most writers underestimate how much funding is actually available to them. Grants for manuscripts in progress, bursaries for writing courses you can’t afford, fellowships that cover living expenses while you write — these opportunities exist, and more of you are eligible than you’d think.​

Organizations are actively looking to fund writers at all career stages, including those who are underrepresented, early-career, or simply stretching their budgets too thin.​

This edition shares with you carefully vetted opportunities across the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, and worldwide, all with deadlines concentrated between now and February 2026.​

Whether you’re completing a manuscript, launching into a new genre, or finally taking that course you’ve been eyeing, there’s likely funding here for you. You just need to know where to look.

The full collection with links, deadlines, and application details is available below for paid subscribers.

Subscribe now

Don’t want updates on grants, bursaries & fellowships? You can update your preferences using this link.

Writing Grants, Bursaries & Fellowships

New writing grants, bursaries & fellowships in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom & worldwide, with submission dates from January to March 2026.

UNITED STATES & CANADA

Leon Levy Centre for Biography Fellowships
These fellowships provide up to $15,000 each (six fellowships total) for writers working on biographical projects. Fellows gain access to the CUNY Graduate Center’s resources and become part of a scholarly community dedicated to the art of biography. The fellowship supports research, writing time, and completion of biographical works focusing on individual lives. Applications require a project proposal, writing sample, and letters of recommendation.
Deadline: January 4th, 2026.

RIFFA Emerging Screenwriters Fellowship
This fellowship supports emerging screenwriters with mentorship, professional development, and resources to advance their screenwriting careers. Fellows receive guidance on script development, industry connections, and career navigation. The program focuses on diverse voices and underrepresented perspectives in screenwriting.
Deadline: January 10th, 2026.

Read more

It’s a full new addition to the Freelance Writing Network, a curated collection of opportunities for writers, sorted by country. You’ll find funding options for projects, funding opps for under-represented writers and much, much more.

It’s designed to sit alongside the freelance writing jobs and pitch calls you already receive, giving you another way to grow your career, expand your practice and get your work funded. Plus, we’ll have an update of lit mags, writing prizes and other goodies coming at you in November.

You’ll need to be a paid subscriber to access the full list. If you’re not already, now’s the perfect time to upgrade!

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Writing Grants, Bursaries & Fellowships

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