NEA cancels decades-long creative writing fellowship

"Alice Walker. Charles Bukowski. Louise Erdrich. Juan Felipe Herrera. These are just some of the authors who received a Creative Writing fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts over the years. The fellowship has now been canceled. The annual program was set up in 1966 to help foster American fiction, non-fiction and poetry. The latest iteration of the fellowship offered fiction and creative non-fiction writers a $50,000 grant."

"But last week, notices were sent to applicants stating: "The NEA has cancelled the FY 2026 Creative Writing Fellowships program." The email, which has been posted by various authors on social media, states that the NEA is canceling grants that exist outside of the Trump administration's priorities. According to the email, the NEA is focused on projects supporting HBCUs, Hispanic serving institutions, the upcoming 250th anniversary of America's independence, houses of worship, and "AI competency.""

The National Endowment for the Arts canceled the FY 2026 Creative Writing Fellowships, ending an annual program begun in 1966 to foster American fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. The fellowship recently offered $50,000 grants to fiction and creative non-fiction writers, with applications due in March and notifications scheduled for December. Applicants received notices of cancellation stating the NEA is redirecting funding toward projects supporting HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, the 250th anniversary of American independence, houses of worship, and "AI competency." Similar notifications and larger cuts occurred in May, and the administration has proposed eliminating the agency. NEA funding equals 0.003% of the federal budget.

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