Literary Arts Emergency Fund: Frequently Asked Questions


Are organizations and publishers who previously received grant funding from the Literary Arts Emergency Fund eligible to apply?
Yes, all organizations and publishers who meet our eligibility criteria are encouraged to apply, regardless of previous award decisions.

Are presses and organizations hosted by a university or institution eligible?
Yes, hosted presses and organizations are eligible if the university, institution, or accompanying foundation arm has a 501(c)3 status, or works with a fiscal agent with 501(c)3 status.

Are organizations with writer and book-focused education programming outside of schools eligible?
Yes, organizations offering access to reading, literature, and professional writers are eligible, and these activities can take place at sites other than schools and traditional classrooms.

If my organization works with a fiscal agent, should I submit the financial and Board of Directors information for my organization or for the fiscal agent?
Please answer the financial and Board of Director questions for your organization, not the fiscal agent.

What time period should I use for questions about fiscal years?
Please use your organization’s fiscal year as you defined it in the application.

What if my FY 2021 is not yet completed?
Please use your best projection.

If my organization does not currently collect demographic information from its staff and board members, what is your recommendation for a competitive application?
We encourage organizations to report demographic information drawn from sources that allow individuals to voluntarily self-identify. If your organization does not currently collect demographic information, please refer to Candid and CHANGE Philanthropy’s sample survey.

Is there a template or a guide to prepare an application?
The full application is available via Submittable. Once you set up an account, press “SUBMIT” and respond to the eligibility questions, you will be able to view the full application. You can save your submission in draft form before having to submit.

Am I able to submit a 0 (zero) as a response in a number field?
Yes! When you submit, if any 0 (zero) responses show up as an error, please re-enter a 0 (zero), and press “submit” again. Please double check all of your responses—especially numerical value fields—before you submit. Beware of the scroll feature for number fields!

Is my organization able to have multiple team members working on the application at once?
Yes, you can invite and work with collaborators within Submittable, but there will still be only one application owner per organization (the person that began the application), and that person is the only one able to submit the application and will receive all Submittable notifications. Please find more information via Submittable here.

How do I get a copy of my application after submitting it?
You are able to download a copy of your application via Submittable. Please find more information via Submittable here.

How can I request an edit to my submission?
There is a link in the submitter’s interface that allows submitters to send an edit request to our organization’s primary email. Please find more information via Submittable here.

Is there a way to upload any additional files or supplemental materials to include with my application?
No.

Whether or not I receive funding, will I receive feedback on my application’s award decision?
At this time, the three managing organizations are unable to offer feedback to applicants on award decisions.

Is this funding earmarked for specific project support?
No, the one-time grants awarded are unrestricted and may be used by your organization for general operating support.

What will reporting entail?
While the Fund does not require a formal grant report, we will send a follow-up survey to grantees to help us continue to advocate on behalf of literary organizations and publishers nationally.

If our organization doesn’t show an overall loss or deficit for FY 2021, should we still apply?
Yes, we encourage all eligible organizations and publishers to apply. There are narrative opportunities within the application to share context around how the pandemic affected your organization and to depict the full financial picture of various losses and challenges experienced beyond a single fiscal year.