Someone searches “grants for writers” and up pops FundsforWriters in the search. Right there upfront. All you have to do is email someone, say you are a writer and ask for a check to publish your book. Right?

Sigh. . . if only it were that easy. Following is a generalization of what we tell writers when they write asking for a grant. . .

Okay…first, I’m so glad you found FundsforWriters. We post a lot of information about how to earn money as a writer. However, grants are not pots of money waiting for someone to dip into for their indie book project.

Let’s discuss grants. You have to match what you’re doing to the mission of a grant provider. In other words, it’s as difficult if not more so than finding a publisher. What you’re doing with your book has to fit what the grant provider wants to support. All grantors have missions and purposes. Just like Coca Cola doesn’t make diapers. Just like Ford doesn’t make cell phones. Grantors give grants for very precise purposes. If you decide you want to pursue a grant, you have to apply and prove you are someone who matches what they need, because grantors have to be successful, too.

Start with your state humanities commission, then your state arts commission, then your local arts council. FundsforWriters specializes in the United States, with knowledge of Canada and the United Kingdom. Occasionally some fellowship offerings in a few countries like Greece, France, or Scotland.

We do not advise writers from the Middle East, the African continent, or the Far East. No, we aren’t bigoted or racist. We just can’t know everything, therefore, we specialize in our own neck of the woods. After all, the service we provide is free.

If those recommended entities do not work for you, think about what organizations or nonprofits would be interested in your book. Local, state and national. For instance, if you are writing about autism, contact autism groups for a grant or fiscal sponsorship. If you are an educator, would any school or educational institution partner with you and be your fiscal sponsor? Fractured Atlas, https://www.fracturedatlas.org/,  is a fiscal sponsor, for example. And look at https://creative-capital.org/ and https://www.nyfa.org/Content/Show/Fiscal-Sponsorship to learn more about how fiscal sponsors work.

And watch this video to get some idea of grants. https://grantspace.org/training/courses/grantseeking-basics-for-individuals-in-the-arts/ and this page https://www.womenarts.org/skills/fiscal_sponsors/

For most grants and sponsorships, you’ll need a marketing plan and a detailed budget. But from a big-picture standpoint, how would what you are writing, or who you are, benefit that grant provider and make them look good? Yes, grants are give and take, not just give.

Sorry, but FundsforWriters does not write grants for writers, and we definitely do not write checks to writers out of our personal coffers. We gently guide you to those entities as well as point you toward ways to earn a living as a writer. And nobody hands you a grant to write a book without there being a bigger picture involved, regardless your financial standing, physical fitness, age, gender, and talent.

In other words, how can you help a grant provider look good? You cannot answer that without studying the grant providers. A solid grant arrangements involves each side making the other better.