Grants for Canadian Writers
A desk with an open notebook, pen, coffee, and typewriter.
Welcome to our guide for writer’s grants!
In Canada, for the most part, you need to have “established” yourself as a writer before you can apply for grants. This can get complicated, so we’ve done our best to provide you with what “established” means for each grant in this list.
Part One includes a number of grants for writers, and Part Two includes some resources exclusively for BIPOC writers. One overarching limit is that Canadian citizenship or permanent resident status is required to be eligible for all of the Part One and some of the Part Two grants.
These grants may seem like holy grails of the writing world, but they aren’t impossible to get, and the process becomes easier and easier once you get a grant approved. They exist because people apply for them, so don’t be shy.
Cheering for you,
~ The Firefly Team
P.S. Is this list not up to date? We’d love to know!
P.P.S. If you’re looking for places to submit your completed writing, visit our Contests for Canadian Writers resource.
Part One: Grants for Writers
Access Copyright Foundation GRANTS
Grants:
$3,000 to $7,500 for Marian Hebb Research Grants: to support inquiry, information gathering and exploration towards creating a publishable work in progress.
Up to $3,000 for Professional Development Grants: to support skills development.
Up to $7500 for Events Grants: to showcase publishable works to the public or to host professional development events for writers, visual artists, publishers and related arts professionals.
Eligibility: Categories include:
1) Creators: Canadian citizens or permanent residents who have at least one of the following:
One professionally published book (excluding self-published books and chapbooks)
One exhibition catalogue
Eight publications in periodicals or journals.
2) Arts Professionals: Self-employed professionals working freelance in the writing, publishing and visual arts sector, including but not limited to: Editors, book coaches, translators, illustrators and designers. Publicists, independent literary agents, marketing and promotion specialists. Program, editorial, administrative, marketing and production staff of eligible organizations and publishers . Publishing consultants.
3) Artist Groups: Informal collectives or small groups of professional writers or visual artists that:
Have a mandate to provide mutual support, critique, discourse, professional or skills development
Have a minimum of five active members
Have met or have convened online at least monthly for one year prior to the date of application.
Canadian Council for the Arts — Grants for Research and creation
Grant: Up to $25,000
Eligibility: This is for the research phase of the creative process, fun! It’s for artists, curators, writers, artistic groups, collectives and artistic organizations.
Ontario Arts Council — recommendeR grants for writers
Grant: $1,500 to $5,000
Eligibility: This one is intended to strengthen ties between Ontario writers, magazines, publishers and literary organizations, so applicants submit directly to participating magazine and book publishers who act as third-party recommenders for the OAC.
Applicant is an Ontario resident with a permanent physical address in Ontario and has a recent professional publishing history with, at least:
One traditionally published book (minimum of 48 pages) for which you have a publishing contract and receive royalties or
Three traditionally published short stories, comics, poems or other works for which you have received payment. Works can appear in magazines, newspapers, websites, and anthologies. Contest-winning work is considered publication or
Three year’s professional presentation of comics work through work-for-hire creation jobs (editorial cartooning, creation for commercial comics franchises), sales at curated comics festivals, or gallery exhibitions or
Two recent production writing credits for non-text media (radio, television, film, interactive digital media, and theatre).
Ontario Arts Council — Literary Creation Projects (Works for Publication)
Grant: $12,000
Eligibility: This one is for writers with books in the world! Applicant is an Ontario resident with a permanent physical address in Ontario and has a recent professional publishing history with:
At least one traditionally published book (minimum of 48 pages) for which you have a publishing contract and receive royalties, or
At least three traditionally published short stories, comics, poems or other works for which you have received payment. Works can appear in magazines, newspapers, websites, and anthologies. Contest-winning work is considered publication, or
A professional self-publishing practice (refer to the below link for more details).
Toronto Arts Council — Writer’s program
Grant: $5,000 (Level 1 or “Emerging” Writers) or $10,000 (Level 2 or “Established” Writers)
Eligibility (Level 1, “emerging writers”): Applicants must be a current resident of the City of Toronto and have a minimum of one professionally published work to their credit (i.e. one article, poem or short story). Artists working with oral traditions must have a history of public performance.
Eligibility (Level 2, “established writers”): Applicants must be a current resident of the City of Toronto and have at least one of the following:
1 professionally published book
20 pages of published poems
60 pages of short stories, articles or non-fiction published in literary magazines, periodicals or anthologies
Artists working with oral traditions must have a substantial history of public performance and be recognized as established artists by their peers.
Toronto Arts Council — Playwrights Program
Grant: $2,000 (Level 1 or “Emerging” Playwrights) or $8,000 (Level 2 or “Established” Playwrights)
Eligibility (Level 1, “emerging playwrights”): For new or emerging playwrights with little or no prior history of production. Applicants must be a current resident of the City of Toronto.
Eligibility (Level 2, “established playwrights”): For mid-career or senior playwrights with a history of professional production. To meet this requirement, you must have had at least one full-length play (minimum 40 minutes) professionally produced on stage or radio. Works produced within non-curated festivals will not be considered as evidence of professional production, regardless of length. Applicants must be a current resident of the City of Toronto.
Part Two: Resources for BIPOC Writers
BIPOC Writers Connect — Facilitating Mentorship, Creating Community
BIPOC Writers Connect is a virtual conference for Black, Indigenous and racialized emerging writers to connect with the literary world. This event includes one-on-one feedback with a professional writer, panel discussions, workshops and community connection. Advance application is required.
Canada Council for the Arts — Grants for Creating, Knowing and Sharing: The Arts and Cultures of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples
Grant: $3,000 to $300,000 depending on project scale
Eligibility: First Nations, Inuit and Métis professional artists, aspiring artists, or arts/cultural professionals, groups and organizations.
Diaspora Dialogues — Mentorship programs
Grants: Several one-on-one mentorship programs for emerging Canadian writers.
Eligibility: Writers must be citizens or permanent residents of Canada. Writers must not have a previously published full-length manuscript (although appearances in magazines and/or anthologies are acceptable). Any writer of any age can apply.