Nonprofit literary publishers provide critical support to creative writers and offer readers a great breadth of literature.

Literature is the least-supported artistic discipline in the U.S., receiving only 1.9% of the $5 billion in arts grants from foundations. This underfunding, which is persistent, underscores the urgent need for increased support for the nonprofit literary arts field. #LiteraryArts

The nonprofit literary arts field supports creative writers and contributes to literary culture in uniquely impactful ways.

On Thursday, May 7 at 2 p.m. ET, join the Literary Arts Fund for an info session covering budget best practices. Free and online. Tips shared during this session may be useful to literary arts nonprofits interested in applying for a Literary Arts Fund grant. Register here: zoom.us/webinar/regi...

“For me, the writing life doesn't just happen when I sit at the writing desk. It is a life lived with a centering principle, and mine is this: that I will pay close attention to this world I find myself in.” —Julia Alvarez #LiteraryArts

Happy Indie Bookstore Day! Independent bookstores help ensure a robust literary culture, offering spaces where writers’ work can find readers. Visit an indie bookstore near you: www.indiebound.org/independent-...

“Poems inherently have a different relationship with time. The present and the past are linked in every stanza.” —Ada Limón #LiteraryArts

“Poetry helps us slow down, hear clearly, see deeply, and envision what matters most in our lives.” —U.S. Poet Laureate Arthur Sze, who was just appointed for a second term #LiteraryArts

“A poem moves from one body to another. That movement—of feeling, of imagination—is communal. And that communion is power.” —Aimee Nezhukumatathil #LiteraryArts

On Tuesday, 4/7 at 2 p.m. ET, join the Literary Arts Fund for an online presentation of its field scan exploring a segment of the U.S. nonprofit literary arts sector. Research shared during this session may benefit literary arts nonprofits’ development efforts. Register for free: bit.ly/4t96yxd

“Between agents, editors, marketers, and manufacturers, it can take years of decision-making to get a book into readers' hands.” While this article focuses on commercial publishing, the issues highlighted here are also present for nonprofit publishers.

Join the Literary Arts Fund for a field scan exploring a segment of the U.S. nonprofit literary arts sector. Free and online. April 7, 2026, 2 pm ET. Register here: bit.ly/4t96yxd ASL interpretation and closed captioning will be provided. A recording will also be available on literaryartsfund.org.

"Consolidation, fewer imprints and editorial bottlenecks are reshaping how fiction book deals are acquired and developed..." A new @usatoday.com article explains the hurdles writers face in securing book deals from commercial publishers, underscoring the gaps that ​nonprofit literary presses fill.

“The ability of writers to imagine what is not the self, to familiarize the strange and mystify the familiar, is the test of their power.” —Toni Morrison #LiteraryArts

“Even though I’m telling very particular stories, I’m trying to get at a core human goal: I love making deep, meaningful connections with other human beings.” —Imani Perry #LiteraryArts

"We believe that everyone in our country deserves meaningful access to the veracity, beauty, imagination, and continual revelation that the arts and humanities provide." —Elizabeth Alexander, President of @mellon.org, a co-founder of the Literary Arts Fund

“It’s becoming clear that writing and reading is a way of simply underscoring that human connection is important, that you can know my mind and I can know yours, which is a vastly consoling idea, and we need it.” —George Saunders #LiteraryArts

"Reading for pleasure has fallen by some 40 percent in the last 20 years, continuing a long-running downward trend. [...] That's just part of the impetus for a new effort to boost the world of words." @mellon.org President Elizabeth Alexander discusses the Literary Arts Fund with @pbsnews.org.

"Certainly learning, but also the arts and—in the case of today's topic, the word—are the best way, the most efficient and powerful way for people to see each other, and for people to understand that we all live different lives." —Mellon Foundation @mellon.org President Elizabeth Alexander

"A new literary arts fund... will pump $50 million over 5 years toward nonprofit orgs that serve writers & writing—small presses, including of literature in translation; residencies; fellowships & more." @mellon.org President Elizabeth Alexander discusses the Literary Arts Fund with @pbsnews.org.

"I hope with every book I write that it heals something in someone." —Tayari Jones @tayari.bsky.social on her new book, "Kin." #LiteraryArts

Tomorrow, December 19 at 11:59 p.m. ET, is the deadline for the Literary Arts Fund’s 2026 general operating grants. U.S.-based literary arts nonprofits that directly support creative writers are invited to review the fund’s eligibility requirements and apply: literaryartsfund.org/grants/

The Literary Arts Fund was catalyzed by "a fundamental belief...in the importance and the power of literature." —Elizabeth Alexander, President of the Mellon Foundation @mellon.org, a Literary Arts Fund co-founder Listen to Alexander's conversation with Brian Lehrer about the new fund on @wnyc.org.

There’s one week left to apply for the Literary Arts Fund’s 2026 general operating grants. U.S.-based literary arts nonprofits directly serving creative writers are invited to review the eligibility requirements and apply by December 19 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Learn more: literaryartsfund.org/grants.

There are ten days left to apply for the Literary Arts Fund’s 2026 general operating grants. U.S.-based literary arts nonprofits whose primary mission is directly supporting creative writers are invited to apply. The deadline is 12/19/25 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Learn more: literaryartsfund.org/grants.

The Literary Arts Fund’s 2026 general operating grant application window is open though December 19, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Literary arts nonprofits that directly support creative writers and their artistic work are invited to apply. Learn more: literaryartsfund.org/grants/

The Literary Arts Fund’s 2026 general operating grant application window is now open. U.S.-based literary arts nonprofits whose primary mission is presenting, publishing, and/or otherwise directly supporting creative writers are invited to apply: literaryartsfund.org/grants/

Houston Endowment is proud to join funders nationwide in supporting the Literary Arts Fund and championing the country’s most underfunded artistic field. #LiteraryArts #ArtsFunding @literaryartsfund.bsky.social

The Literary Arts Funders Collaborative is a new affinity group for foundation leaders interested in literature, reading, and creative writers, and in learning about the nonprofit literary arts field that supports them. Learn more about the collaborative: literaryartsfund.org/about/#liter...

The Literary Arts Funders Collaborative is a new philanthropic affinity group for foundation leaders interested in literature, reading, and creative writers, and in learning more about the literary arts nonprofits that support them. Learn more about the collaborative: literaryartsfund.org/about

Citing a chronic shortage of financial backing for independent publishers & nonprofits dedicated to writing and reading, a coalition of seven charitable foundations has established a Literary Arts Fund that will distribute a minimum of $50 million over the next five years. https://to.pbs.org/4o6lqua

A coalition of charitable foundations are creating the Literary Arts Fund, which will distribute at least $50 million to various organizations over 5 years. n.pr/3WYkn3o

"I am honored to be among those ushering in this visionary fund that will generously support the literary arts. [It] has the potential to make an unprecedented difference to non-profit organizations, for the support, creation, and outreach of literary arts" —Joy Harjo, three-term U.S. Poet Laureate

“The literary arts give voice to who we are as a people. [...] American philanthropy can play a bigger role in strengthening the financial infrastructure of the literary organizations and nonprofits that serve these literary artists.” —Elizabeth Alexander, poet and President of the Mellon Foundation

Stay connected with the Literary Arts Fund. Subscribe to our newsletter to learn about grant opportunities, fund activities, and more: literaryartsfund.org/newsletter/

A coalition of seven charitable organizations led by the Mellon Foundation plans to award at least $50 million to nonprofit literary organizations over the next five years through the Literary Arts Fund, a new initiative headed up by Jennifer Benka.

Despite its essential role in American culture, literature receives less than 2% of arts funding, leaving the field persistently under-resourced.

Today, a coalition of seven charitable foundations announced the launch of the Literary Arts Fund, a historic philanthropic investment of at least $50 million to strengthen the nonprofit literary arts field in the U.S.