Grants Are Out There for Editors and Writers. Here’s How I Found One.

"Where is the Money?"

Welcome to our weekly column offering perspectives on lit mag publishing, with contributions from readers, writers and editors around the world.

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Last year I planned to hire a web developer to help me with a new website. I’m a poet and children’s picture book author, so I didn’t need anything fancy. I wanted something template-driven that would be easy for me to update. I got a few estimates that, since I’m early in my writing career, exceeded my budget. So I decided to research grants.

I considered all demographics with which I’d identify—grants for women, grants for small business, grants for the arts. That’s when I discovered the one for which I eventually applied and received. If you are a litmag editor, I share my experience in the hopes it will help you think creatively about the federal or state government as a possible funding source for your own work.

Where Is the Money?

Before you start applying for grant money, it helps to understand where the funds come from in the first place. Ever since Congress established it in 1965, The National Endowment for the Arts makes grants to five recipient groups:

1.        nonprofit arts organizations

2.        public arts agencies and organizations (often called councils or commissions)

3.        colleges and universities

4.        federally recognized tribal communities or tribes

5.        and individual writers and translators

Most people have heard of the NEA. What people may not know is that through the above organizations, NEA financial support trickles all the way down to individual creators like you and me. In fact, in 2023 the NEA appropriated $203 million to all of its recipient groups. This article deals mostly with the second group, public arts organizations, because that’s the source of the money I received.

From its yearly budget the NEA portions out funding in smaller amounts. These appropriations go to arts councils in all 50 states, 5 US territories, and the District of Columbia who then dispense it to individual state-level grant-seekers. 

Grants available in one state will differ from those in another because each state works to identify its own community’s priorities. The NEA mandates that all funds appropriated to local arts orgs must be matched by private sources, which means even more variation between states.

How to Get Started Researching

Who doesn’t love a good clearinghouse--A place where everything is there, all at once, right in front of you. But those places are hard to find, if they exist at all. Fortunately, the NEA website lists all of the US arts organizations here: State and Regional Arts Organizations | National Endowment for the Arts. Find your state and browse opportunities on your council’s website.

The top of the page lists six regional groups. For example, grants available to Kansans appear in two places: Under the Mid-American Arts Alliance (its respective regional arts org) and the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission (its own state org). There may be different sources of grant funding available to each, so it’s wise to check both groups’ pages.

Finding the Right Fit

As you can guess, there are many different types of funding available. Some grants are time-sensitive; some have rolling applications. Some are open to nonprofits; some are only open to businesses. Some are offered to minorities; some are for everyone. Don’t worry if you don’t see something on-the-nose, say a “Literary Magazine Editor Fund,” because here’s where you can get thinking…

Part of the application process will likely be making a case for yourself and following it with an outline for how you’ll use the funds. Then, it’s up to someone else to decide if you’ve persuaded decision-makers that your goals meet those of the organization. I’m a person who believes most things are “worth a try,” and I think that applies here, too.

Some grants require their applicants to identify how their award will benefit the larger local arts community. If this is the case, consider the contributions you’re making. Do you publish work from a specific group–say, poets with chronic illness–whose community identity you’re helping to cultivate? Do you serve writers by accepting fee-free submissions so that more people can achieve publication? Do you offer workshops that help authors understand the financial aspects of a career in writing? Think broadly and creatively about the ways you’re making an impact. 

My Own Experience

I live in Pennsylvania where I discovered the PA Council on the Arts Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator Program. CEAP is meant to grow business, awarding grants of up to $2000 to selected applicants every year. It’s open to “creative entrepreneurs,” which are defined as “individuals who intend to form a business or who operate a for-profit micro business in Pennsylvania” within specified arts-industry areas. Not surprisingly, literary magazine editors fall under Publishing: Print or electronic businesses & content creators, editors & writers.  

You may be wondering, “Am I really a business? I don’t make a profit…” Or maybe you’re imagining the distinction made by the IRS regarding business versus hobby. But the CEAP grant concerned itself with a maximum threshold for income, not a minimum one; it required that I had a gross revenue of less than $200,000 for the prior tax year. Each grant has its own eligibility requirements, which you will encounter as you begin your research, but I can say that I was not daunted by the idea of defining my work as a business.

Help along the Way

The Arts Council works with feeder organizations (Pennsylvania calls them PA Partners in the Arts) to help applicants prepare their grants and help the Commonwealth vet applicants. Other states have similar grants, likely packaged differently under a unique name. This ensures the state receives quality applications that are ready for submission.

The feeder for my Eastern PA region is called the Berks Launch Box, a resource for small business startups. The process required that I work with a representative from this organization to prepare my application.

After exchanging a few emails (I wondered about the need for a middle-man) we set up a complimentary review via zoom to discuss my goals and candidacy for the grant. When I was given the green light I completed an intake form and a one-page, simplified business model with guidance from the Launch Box.

“Oh No, a Business Model?!”

Sort-of. It’s actually a “Business Model Canvas.” Whereas a business model may be twenty pages in length, the business model canvas is just one page. There I contemplated and outlined in a cursory way key partners, key activities, customer segments, cost structure, value propositions, and more.

For example, a thoughtful look at what I do as an author helped me realize I have several revenue streams: Book sales (royalties), speaking engagements (school author visits and conference appearances), paid writing assignments, and editorial services. But if stretching myself to think about this or any other aspect of the BMC sounded overwhelming, I had the Berks Launch Box to help. Another representative this document, helped me strengthen it, and after a week of back-and-forth formally referred me for the grant. 

At first it felt like hoops to jump through, but I understand now that the effort I put in on the front end resulted in a quick, easy decision on the backend. I had an answer within a week of applying. And the answer was yes—I would be awarded the full $2,000 so I hired a web developer, built a new website, and used the leftover funds on printing bookplates and materials for in-person events.

Added Value

The Berks Launch Box encouraged me to share other business needs. I had accounting questions, so they connected me with an accountant who I then worked with on other matters, which was a win in itself. I’m still receiving emails about free networking events, classes on using social media for marketing, and more–some of which I’ve pursued, all of which are free. 

This non-monetary support is characteristic of arts organizations in other states, too. For example, the Vermont Arts Council partners with The Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art’s “Assets for Artists: program. This initiative provides free workshops for creative people in Vermont, Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. The “Beyond Arts Grants: Creative Solutions for Project Support” workshop, happening in January 2025, is just one example of in-kind support that’s available.

A Note on Timing

In-kind support is available throughout the year, but since we’re nearing the end of 2024, your state’s grants may be approaching exhaustion. If that’s the case, use the next few months to make a plan, then start the process in the new year when the budget resets.

And if you come this far and find you aren’t eligible for any of the grants your state has to offer, hopefully you’ve gotten some other benefit from your efforts. Consider contacting your arts council for information on private or nonprofit funding sources. It may take even more sleuthing, but you never know what you’ll find until you start looking.

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