Speculative Literature Foundation’s Diverse Writers and World Grant

Since 2014, the Speculative Literature Foundation (SLF) has offered two diversity-centered grants intended to foster the creation of speculative fiction work rich in diversity. Writers may apply for either or both grants.

The Diverse Writers Grant: 

• Open from July 1, 2024 to July 31, 2024
• Winner will receive $500 USD
• Winner Announced on September 15th, 2024

The Diverse Writers grant is intended to support speculative fiction writers from underrepresented and underprivileged groups — such as writers of color, women, queer writers, disabled writers, etc. — whose marginalized identities may present additional obstacles in the writing and publishing process.

The Diverse Worlds Grant:

• Open from July 1, 2024 to July 31, 2024
• Winner will receive $500 USD
• Winner Announced on September 15th, 2024

The $500 Diverse Worlds grant is intended for work that best presents a diverse world, regardless of the writer’s background.

Grant Information:

Your project does not need to center on identity issues. SLF also does not expect or want work that simply attempts to check off all the boxes in a tokenistic way, but rather they are looking for writing that offers deep characterization, complex cultural landscapes, and strong literary quality overall.

The submitted project must be a book-length work of speculative fiction. This grant, as with all SLF grants, is intended to help writers working with speculative literature. Speculative literature spans the breadth of fantastic writing, encompassing literature ranging from hard science fiction to epic fantasy, including ghost stories, horror, folk and fairy tales, slipstream, magical realism, and more. Any piece of literature containing a fabulist or speculative element would fall under their aegis. Nonfiction, poetry, picture books, and editorial projects are not eligible for either grant.

These grants are designed to foster new, in-progress work, not to recognize already published work. SLF intends that grant funds will facilitate completing the work.

This grant is open to all levels of publishing experience, worldwide. The grant jury will be primarily English-reading, although works that incorporate other languages (as in Keri Hulme’s The Bone People’s use of Maori) are welcome.

Click here for more information.