How to Apply for a Free Writer Residency

California-Residency

 

The good news: One proposal in three is typically funded! Late Winter and early spring are good times to apply for Writer Grants, which includes fellowships, workshops, residencies, travel expenses, sometimes even meals or small allowances … and not only in North America but worldwide. Here are some examples:

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EstNordEst at St Lawrence River Near Quebec City, Canada
Three residencies are offered per year, in the spring, summer, and fall. Up to four artists and a curator or a writer may participate in each residence, eight weeks for the artists, four weeks for the curator or the writer.
Curators and writers receive a 583$ stipend and free lodging for the four-week period of the residence. A 260$ writer’s fee will also be paid for texts on the residency produced for publication by Est-Nord-Est (250 words per artist). Curators and writers have access to an individual studio space, documentation on the artists, certain electronic equipment, logistical support… and a bicycle.
The artists and writers share a collective house next door to the Est-Nord-Est studios. It has five bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room, two bathrooms and a laundry room.
http://estnordest.org/residency

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Kerouac House Residency
The Kerouac Project provides four residencies a year to writers of any stripe or age, living anywhere in the world.  You will be judged on the quality of the writing sample you submit.  Each residency consists of approximately a three months stay in the cottage where Jack Kerouac wrote his novel Dharma Bums.  Utilities and a food stipend of $1,000 are included.  As writer-in-residence, all you are required to do is live in the Kerouac House during your residency, work on your writing project, and participate in two events—a Welcome Potluck dinner for you, and a Final Reading of your work at the Kerouac House at the end of your residency. $30 application fee.
http://www.kerouacproject.org/submissions/

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Ucross Foundation Residency
The Ucross Foundation Residency Program offers the gift of time and space to competitively selected individuals working in all artistic disciplines. The Foundation strives to provide a respectful, comfortable and productive environment, freeing artists from the pressures and distractions of daily life.
The Ucross Foundation provides free living accommodations, individual work space, and uninterrupted time to approximately 85 individuals each year. Residencies vary in length from two weeks to six weeks. At any one time, there are up to nine individuals in residence, a mix of visual artists, writers, and composers. In most cases, studios are separate from living quarters.
Lunch and dinners are prepared Mo to Fri by a professional chef with ample provisions on hand for breakfasts and weekends. Lunches are delivered to individual studio doors; group dinners take place at 6 p.m.
http://www.ucrossfoundation.org/residency-program/

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Bogliasco Foundation
Bogliasco, Italy. Residencies of an average of 32 days for qualified persons engaged in advanced creative work or scholarly research in archaeology, architecture, classics, dance, film/video, history, landscape architecture, literature, music, philosophy, theater, and visual arts.
The Residency provides housing, meals, and studios. Artist are responsible for travel, materials, and any additional living expenses.
http://www.bfny.org/english/fellowships.cfm

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How to Apply for Grants, Fellowships, and Residencies
Successful proposals are not done in an afternoon. They require strategic planning, research, preparing the proposal, building an evaluation plan, and follow-up. But once you are over the learning curve, all your following proposals will be a breeze.
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1. Study the organization and successful grants, fellowships or residency applications. You can see the “language” they prefer and get an idea what type of projects were successful. Learn and understand the meanings of the vocabulary being used in grant guidelines. It’s important how well your written presentation answers their questions.
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2. Show an interest in the Funders’ organization, call them for further information and find out the name of the person you should address the proposal if it is not stated specifically.

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3. Create your proposal in a way for the funding organization to conclude it will fulfill their philanthropic mission. Offer a concise plan to fill a need or solve a problem.
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3. Adhere strict to their guidelines, help them to evaluate your proposal easily. Your reader (decision maker) will evaluate your plan according to what you are proposing. And how your project can benefit others.
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4. Provide a detailed budget and outline how the funds will be used.
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5. Show them what you can do and how your past experience will help you achieve your objectives with this grant.
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6. Explain in detail what you or your organization does and why the grantor can trust you to handle the project and money appropriately.
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7. Add an executive summary written in non-technical language, or include your own glossary of terms, explaining technical language used in the proposal.
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8. Write it in a positive language.
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9. Break your plan down into specific steps that are tied to a specific, well-designed timeline.
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10. State exactly how you will evaluate your success and how you will follow up. Show your long-term vision and that the project is “sustainable.”
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Study the organization and successful grants. Some of them make samples of grant proposals they have funded online available. You can see the “language” they prefer and get an idea what type of projects were successful. Learn and understand the meanings of the vocabulary being used in grant guidelines. It’s important how well your written presentation answers their questions. Check out Res Artis website periodically. It can be sorted by deadlines or countries, however not all offers in this list are free, some are paid retreats. Good luck!
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Short excerpt from our upcoming book: 111 Tips to Make Money With Writing.

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