In the day of writers like Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald, wealthy patrons would supply creatives with the money, food, and housing needed to create their next masterpiece. Now that support comes from grants (unless you’ve got friends in high places!). For playwrights, screenwriters, and actors looking to take a step back from the day job to write, but who still need some sort of income, check out these six grants, residencies, and fellowships offered internationally and in the U.S.
Hawthornden Castle: International Retreat for Writers
If getting out of the States is your goal, consider a fellowship in Scotland’s Hawthornden Castle, located just south of Edinburgh. It’s a rolling deadline for a one-month stay, which gives creatives a disturbance-free setting in which to write. A private room and food will be provided. Artists are responsible for individual travel expenses, and must already be published for eligibility.
Fox Foundation Resident Actor Fellowships
Theatre Communications Group is offering fellowships to early-career, midlevel, and established actors in order to further their artistic and professional development; establish bonds with a not-for-profit theater; and push actors to work outside of their comfort zones. Recipients will receive $15,000 plus $10,000 for student loan debt, and actors with “considerable experience in professional theater” will receive $25,000.
Alfred P. Sloan Commissioning Grant & Fellowship
Looking to write something like successful STEM-based films “I Origins” and “Adam,” starring Hugh Dancy? Apply for this grant from the Sundance Institute that provides cash to support script development with the help of science advisors, plus feedback and advice. Applications for 2016 will open June 8. Check the Sundance Institute website for more fellowships available to the general public as well as alumni.
P73 Playwriting Fellowship
For New York City–based playwrights yet to reach main-stage success, apply for this yearlong fellowship from Page 73, which “provides artistic and financial resources to one emerging playwright as he or she develops a new play that has not received substantial prior development support,” according to its website. The fellow will receive an open-ended $10,000, as well as a developmental support stipend of up to equal value.
San Francisco Film Society/Hearst Screenwriting Grant
This grant is available to all U.S. residents with at least five years of experience and a minimum of one previously written screenplay. Priority will be given to indie filmmakers and “projects that are vibrant, intelligent, moving, and innovative,” according to the website. SFFS also offers additional opportunities for residencies, free office space, and documentary film grants.
Writers On the Verge
For aspiring TV writers, check out this 12-week program offered by NBCUniversal in Universal City, Calif., designed to prep writers for a staff writing position on a series. Applicants must have a half-hour or one-hour TV spec screenplay based on any show that aired new episodes during the 2014–2015 season, and apply before May 31. Past participants have gone on to write for shows such as “White Collar,” “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” and “Chicago Fire.” Too soon to apply? Be ready come 2016!
Inspired by this post? Check out our audition listings!
