2025NEA03LFCW: NEA Literature Fellowships: Prose, FY 2026
Closed
This grant is closed. Who won this program's grants before is below, and similar open grants are at the end of the page. It is in our archive of National Endowment for the Arts notices from 2024.
National Endowment for the Arts offered grants of up to $50,000 (at least $25,000) to individuals. It expected to make about 35 awards worth $1.8 million in total. Applications closed on March 12, 2025.
From the official notice on Grants.gov, last changed January 30, 2025. Checked November 7, 2026.
- Award ceiling$50,000
- Award floor$25,000
- Total funding$1.8 million
- Expected awards35
- Cost sharingNot required
- Funding typeGrant
Other notices with this title
| Notice | Posted | Deadline | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023NEA03LFCW | December 7, 2022 | Closed March 8, 2023 | Closed |
Key dates
| Posted | December 16, 2024 |
|---|---|
| Deadline | March 12, 2025 |
Who can apply
This opportunity was open to individuals.
- Individuals
Is this a realistic fit?
- Past Promotion of the Arts Grants to Organizations and Individuals awards averaged $37,880; this notice allows up to $50,000 per award.
- Most of the program's money (90% over five years) went to nonprofits.
- No cost sharing or match is required.
What the grant funds
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Creative Writing Fellowships program offers up to $50,000 grants in prose (fiction and creative nonfiction) and poetry to published creative writers that enable recipients to set aside time for writing, research, travel, and general career advancement. Applications are reviewed through an anonymous process in which the primary criteria for review are the artistic excellence and artistic merit of the submitted writing sample. Through this program, the NEA seeks to strengthen the literary arts ecosystem by sustaining and nurturing a wide range of creative writers at various stages of their careers and to continue to expand the portfolio of American art available to people from all backgrounds. The program operates on a two-year cycle with fellowships in prose and poetry available in alternating years. For FY 2026, which is covered by these guidelines, fellowships in prose are available. Fellowships in poetry will be offered in FY 2027 and guidelines will be available in January 2026. You may apply only once each year. Please note: competition for fellowships is extremely rigorous. We typically receive approximately 2,000 applications each year and award fellowships to fewer than 2% of applicants.
Who has won Promotion of the Arts Grants to Organizations and Individuals grants before
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Promotion of the Arts Grants to Organizations and Individuals (45.024) awarded $465 million across 12,278 grant awards, an average of $37,880 per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc. | Maryland | 5 | $22.9 million |
| Arts Midwest, Incorporated | Minnesota | 9 | $13.8 million |
| Mid-America Arts Alliance | Missouri | 6 | $8.1 million |
| South Arts, Inc. | Georgia | 1 | $7.7 million |
| Education Commission of the States | Colorado | 6 | $4.8 million |
Applying now
This notice no longer takes applications. Agencies often post the same opportunity again under a new number, so check the program's notices on Grants.gov and the similar open grants below.
The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.
Questions people ask
Is 2025NEA03LFCW still open?
No. It closed on March 12, 2025.
Who can apply for NEA Literature Fellowships: Prose, FY 2026?
National Endowment for the Arts accepted applications from individuals.
What is the deadline for NEA Literature Fellowships: Prose, FY 2026?
Closed March 12, 2025. Applications are no longer accepted; the program's newer notices are on this page when there are any.
How much funding is available?
Awards of up to $50,000 each. About $1.8 million in total across about 35 awards.
Who has won Promotion of the Arts Grants to Organizations and Individuals grants before?
The largest recipients over five fiscal years were The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc., Arts Midwest, Incorporated, Mid-America Arts Alliance. The program made 12,278 awards worth $465 million in that time.