While grants for individuals can be few and far between, there is an exception, and that’s grant funding for people in the arts. Federal state and local grant funding definitely exists for writers, artists, actors and musicians and you may be eligible!

Funding support for the arts is not new. Long before they were famous, Leonardo DaVinci and Michelangelo had wealthy patrons who supported them as they worked.

Funding for writers nowadays takes many forms, both publicly and privately financed. Some are awards for completed work or funding to pay for exhibitions. Others can be paid internships, apprenticeships or help with attending writing workshops. Paid residencies allow for a writer or other artist to work on a particular project, often at a university or writers’ center. Not only that, but there are even some emergency grants for writers in desperate situations or with serious financial difficulties.

These awards, fellowships and grants to an individual writer can range from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands of dollars. And all types of writers can get funded, too: Creative writers, technical writers, poets, writers who focus on a specific area such as nature or technology. There is funding available for writers in all of these areas.

Now, for all the funding legitimately available, there are also scams, but they’re pretty easy to recognize. For example, if you are required to pay a fee to apply for a grant, it’s a scam. Now, keep in mind that there are legitimate writers’ contests that often have a small application fee, but those aren’t the same as grant applications. If a contest mentions “grant funding” in it, it’s a scam.

Grants also require that you apply for them. If you’re told you’ve “won” a grant but you haven’t applied for it, it’s a scam. Yes, it can be really tempting to pay someone a few dollars to “get” a grant…but you won’t get one. You’ll just lose your money.

Fortunately, finding legitimate opportunities is easy. The trick in getting grant funding is to write the way the grant funder requires, NOT in the creative way you may prefer to write. Grants for writers have the same requirements as any other sort of grant, so make sure you carefully read each and every request for funding proposal, then make sure you know how to provide everything the funder wants and how they want it provided. Being prepared is essential.