WHAT DOES THIS PROGRAM SUPPORT?

Toronto Arts Council’s (TAC) Writers Program supports the creation of new literary works or works-in-progress in the genres of fiction (including novels, short stories, children’s literature, graphic novels, etc.), literary non-fiction, poetry and oral traditions such as storytelling, dub, rap and spoken-word.

The program provides two levels of support for writers. The following fixed amounts are available:

LEVEL ONE: $5,000 – for writers in the early stages of their career.

LEVEL TWO: $10,000 –  for writers with an established writing career.

Looking for more details about this grant? Watch a recently recorded information session here.

THIS PROGRAM DOES NOT FUND:

• Projects that have been completed prior to the announcement of results. Toronto Arts Council does not fund retroactively.
• Project funding solely for the purpose of publishing, including the cost of printing.

Ineligible projects include, but are not limited to:

• film, video or television scripts;
• anthologies or collections that include a number of writers’ works;
• children’s activity books; directories;
• index compilations or bibliographies of minimal critical content;
• travel or food guides;
• instruction or self-help books or manuals;
• cookbooks;
• catalogues of exhibitions;
• commissioned works, including industrial or business histories or biographies;
• academic textbooks or books designed primarily for an educational/scholarly market;
• professional reference books aimed at a specialized audience;
• calendars, daybooks, agendas or almanacs;
• promotion or book launches;
• translation; 
• tuition fees.

WHO CAN APPLY?

All applicants to this program must be published by a professional publisher. Only publishers that have an independent editorial selection process are considered professional. Self-publishing and writing in newsletters or non-literary student magazines do not qualify as professional publishing. Books released by hybrid presses that offer paid self-publishing services do not qualify as professional publishing.

• Level One – Applicants must have a minimum of one (1) professionally published work in any literary genre to their credit (i.e. an article, poem or short story). Those with one or more professionally published books in the genre of their proposed project must apply in the Level Two category. Artists applying in oral traditions must have a history of public performance.
• Level Two – Applicants must have a minimum of one of the following in the genre of their proposed project:
  • 1 professionally published book, or a signed book contract with a professional publisher;
  • 20 pages of published poems; •
  • 60 pages (15,000 words) of short stories, articles or non-fiction published in literary magazines, periodicals or anthologies; •
  • Artists applying in oral traditions must have a substantial history of public performance and be recognized as established artists by their peers.
• TAC recognizes that due to systemic barriers within the broader arts community (e.g. limited mainstream presentation opportunities for artists from equity-seeking communities) some flexibility may be required in interpreting eligibility criteria to take into account equivalent professional experience and contexts. Potential applicants from equity-seeking communities are encouraged to discuss their eligibility with the Program Manager in advance of submitting an application.
• Applicants must be Canadian Citizens or Permanent Residents or have an application pending for Permanent Resident status or be a Protected Person (approved refugee claimant) and, if requested, be able to provide documentation to verify this.
• Applicants must be residents of the City of Toronto for at least one year prior to the application deadline. Temporary absences of up to 12 months may be considered, subject to written explanation and special permission; please contact the Program Manager. Neither a Post Office Box address nor a studio address can be used to meet the residency requirement.
• Undergraduate students cannot apply.
• Applicants must be 18 years of age or older.
• Professional artists pursuing graduate studies may not apply for work related to their program of study.
• Writing projects in languages other than English or French are accepted if the writing sample is accompanied by an accurate English translation.
• Applicants may submit an application to either the Playwrights or the Writers Program, but not to both.
• Applicants may receive a grant through TAC’s Playwrights or Writers Program only once every two years. Those who received a grant in 2025 are not eligible in 2026 but may reapply in 2027.
• Individual artists may only receive one discipline-stream project grant and one strategic initiative grant per calendar year, and can only have one open application in each stream at a time. Please note: if you apply for a Writers grant you cannot also apply to another TAC program for the same project.
• Applicants may apply for funding for only one project per deadline.
• Reports on previous projects in the Writers or Playwrights programs must be submitted to TAC before you are eligible to apply for another grant in these programs.
• Projects cannot be funded more than once in this program. Writers who receive a grant may not reapply to continue or finish the same project.
• Collaborative proposals (involving a co-applicant) are eligible. For these proposals, one of the applicants must identify a principal applicant. Co-applicants are subject to the same eligibility criteria as single, individual applicant. If the application is successful, the grant payment will be payable to the principal applicant, as listed in the application. Similarly, a T4A slip will be issued to the principal applicant.

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