Funding search
Find who already funds work like yours.
Private foundations don’t post open calls, so nobody can search them. We read IRS filings instead — 9.6 million grants from 174,053 foundations and grantmaking charities, searchable by what the money was actually for.
12 funders with a record of paying for “writer”
Where the money went
Largest: $135,000 to MAINE WRITERS AND PUBLISHERS ALLIANCE — to help freelance writers and artists who have career-threatening illness
Largest: $16,000 to MARIA SASKIA HAMILTON — 2022 artists and writers fund: to aid professional artists, writers and composers who find themselves in financial distress.
John D and Catherine T MacArthur Foundation (Consolidated)Chicago, IL
76 matching grants · $9.0M · through 2024Largest: $6,000 to Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting Inc — to support a discussion between writers kiese laymon and jesmyn ward on "erasing memory," interviewed by writer w. ralph eubanks, as part of the banned books festival held in march…
Largest: $75,000 to ASHEVILLE WRITERS IN THE SCHOOLS — this grant will provide general operating support to asheville writers in the schools to be used in support of charitable activities.
Largest: $30,000 to ELAINE BLAIR — silvers writers grant
Allied Media ProjectsDetroit, MICharity · may take applications
23 matching grants · $728,420 · through 2024Largest: $14,960 to JAMIE BROADNAX — the $14,960 grant from critical minded will specifically support black girl nerds in general operating to underwrite the following: streaming software expenses; seo upgrade; settin…
Largest: $100,000 to TEACHERS AND WRITERS COLLABORATIVE INC — core support for the young writers program to provide creative writing and art training to nyc public school students in disadvantaged neighborhoods
Largest: $25,000 to PARIS REVIEW FOUNDATION — writers at work: interviews with women writers
The Chicago Community TrustChicago, ILCharity · may take applications
18 matching grants · $3.5M · through 2023Largest: $206,250 to American Writers Museum — general fund, general operating support. support of onword, annual fund. support of the american writers festival, dark testament project support.
Largest: $10,000 to WRITERS WITHOUT MARGINS INC — renewal and recovery grant - writers without margins
Largest: $1.5M to FLAMBOYAN FOUNDATION INC — to support the continuation of the letras boricuas fellowship for writers from puerto rico and the diaspora
Largest: $20,000 to MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE — bread loaf writers' conference-rona jaffe foundation scholarship
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Source: IRS Form 990-PF Part XV and Form 990 Schedule I, tax years 2019–2025. These are grants already paid, a record of what an organization funds rather than an open call. Private foundations rarely accept unsolicited applications and the route in is usually a program officer; grantmaking charities and associations more often run real application cycles, so check their website. How this data is built, and its limits →