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The TJH Grant Writing Guide

A practical handbook for authors writing grant applications

Part 1 — The Artist Statement

What it actually is

A short essay (usually 250–750 words) answering three questions:

  1. Who are you as a writer? (Voice, obsessions, lineage)
  2. What do you make? (Themes, forms, recurring concerns)
  3. Why does it matter now? (Stakes, urgency, contribution)

A proven structure

  • Opening hook (1–2 sentences): an image or a question that signals your voice.
  • The work (1 paragraph): what you write, with specifics — titles, recurring themes, stylistic markers.
  • The why (1 paragraph): what's at stake in the work, who it's for, what conversation it joins.
  • The now (1 paragraph): why this project, why this moment, why this funder.

Avoid

  • Lists of credentials (those go in the bio)
  • Generic claims ("I've always loved stories")
  • Apologies or hedges ("I'm just a beginner, but…")
  • Academic posturing if it's not your real voice

Try

  • Read it aloud. If it doesn't sound like you, rewrite.
  • Show it to one reader who knows your work and one who doesn't.

Part 2 — Project Descriptions

The five questions every project description must answer

  1. What is it? (Form, length, scope)
  2. What's it about? (Subject, themes, central question)
  3. Why you? (What you bring that no one else can)
  4. Why now? (Timeliness or readiness)
  5. What does the funding enable? (Concrete outcomes)

Match the funder's language

Skim the funder's About / Mission page. Note their recurring nouns (community, craft, experimentation, equity). Echo one or two — don't parrot.

Right-size the scope

A $5,000 grant should not fund "writing my novel." It should fund a discrete, achievable phase: "Six weeks of focused revision on the final third of my novel."

Part 3 — Budgets for Creative Projects

Standard line items

| Item | Typical range (USD) | Notes | |---|---|---| | Writing time / stipend | $1,500–$5,000/month | Often the biggest line | | Developmental editing | $2,000–$5,000 | Per 80k words | | Copyediting / proofreading | $800–$2,500 | | | Cover design | $400–$2,000 | | | Interior layout | $300–$1,200 | | | Print run (offset, 500 copies) | $2,500–$5,000 | | | Audiobook production | $3,000–$8,000 | | | Travel / research | Variable | Itemize | | Software / subscriptions | $50–$500 | | | Marketing / publicity | $500–$5,000 | |

Best practices

  • Always show your math. "60 hrs × $25 = $1,500."
  • Include in-kind contributions (your unpaid time, donated services) to demonstrate stewardship.
  • Round to whole dollars.
  • Match the funder's line-item categories if they specify them.

Part 4 — Common Application Mistakes

Top 10 mistakes (in order of frequency)

  1. Submitting a generic application to every funder
  2. Ignoring word counts — going over signals you can't follow basic instructions
  3. Burying the project description under autobiography
  4. No clear deliverable — funders need to know what done looks like
  5. Asking for too little (signals lack of seriousness) or too much (signals lack of realism)
  6. Last-minute submission — no time for tech glitches
  7. Skipping optional questions — they're rarely truly optional
  8. Using passive voice everywhere — funders read fast; clarity wins
  9. Forgetting to thank/notify recommenders early (4+ weeks ahead)
  10. Not reading recent grantee profiles to understand what wins

Part 5 — The Work Sample

The single most important rule

Send your strongest 5–10 pages, not your most representative. Funders rarely read past page 5. Open with your sharpest writing.

Formatting

  • 12pt serif font
  • 1.5 or double spacing
  • Page numbers, no header
  • Anonymized if requested (remove name from header/footer)
  • Save as PDF unless funder specifies otherwise

Part 6 — References & Recommenders

  • Ask at least 4 weeks before the deadline
  • Send them: the funder's info, your project description, your CV, the deadline
  • Send a polite reminder 1 week before
  • Always thank them, win or lose

Part 7 — After You Submit

  1. Log it in your Application Tracker.
  2. Walk away from it. Reading it again won't change anything.
  3. Start the next one. A pipeline beats a single bet.
  4. When you hear back — win or lose — note any feedback. That's data.

A "no" is rarely about the work. It's about fit, timing, and the field that year. Keep going.