Literary Grants
Supporting writers and works in progress
Since 1963, the PEN America Literary Awards, Grants, and Fellowships Program has honored many of the most outstanding voices in literature across diverse genres, including fiction, poetry, nonfiction, children’s literature, translation, and drama. With the help of our partners, PEN America confers distinct grants each year in support of writers and works in progress across diverse genres including translation, YA and middle-grade writing, and oral history.
Submissions for the 2027 cycle are open from April 15 through June 15, 2026.
Announcing the 2026 PEN America Grant Winners
PEN America is delighted to announce the 2026 literary grant winners for works in progress. Juried by panels of esteemed and award-winning writers, editors, translators, and critics who are committed to recognizing their contemporaries, these winning works in progress show the potential for lasting literary impact. The grant winners will be supported as they continue their important work. We look forward to seeing these thought-provoking and challenging examples of literary excellence brought to the world.
In Memoriam: Priscilla Heim
Priscilla Heim, was a noted teacher and editor. Along with her late husband Michael Henry Heim, one of the preeminent literary translators of his time, she helped establish the PEN/Heim Translation Fund in 2003.
Available Grants
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PEN/Bare Life Review Grants
The PEN/Bare Life Review Grants recognize a literary work in progress by immigrant and refugee writers with a $5,000 grant.
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PEN/Jean Stein Grants for Literary Oral History
The PEN/Jean Stein Grant recognizes two literary works of nonfiction in progress that use oral history to illuminate an event, individual, place, or movement with a $15,000 grant.
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PEN Grant for the English Translation of Italian Literature
The PEN Grant for the English Translation of Italian Literature awards a $5,000 grant to a translator for a work in progress of a book-length translation of an Italian work into English.
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PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grants
The PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grants recognize ten translations of book-length works of fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, or drama with a $4,000 grant.
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PEN/Phyllis Naylor Grant for Children’s and Young Adult Novelists
The PEN/Phyllis Naylor Grant for Children’s and Young Adult Novelists awards $5,000 to an author of children’s or young adult fiction.
Frequently Asked Questions
PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grants
Q: Where can I apply?
A: Submissions will be accepted via Submittable.
Q: Can I submit a translation of an anthology or a poetry collection with multiple authors?
A: No, original texts with more than one author will not be accepted.
Q: Can I translate multiple works by one author and create a translated collection?
A: No, the translated work must be of one publication by the author.
Q: I published a book in a foreign language. Can I apply for this grant in order to translate the book into English myself?
A: No, projects translated by the original author are not eligible for funding.
Q: My project is not under contract. Does the organization help the grant winners publish their translated books?
A: At this time, PEN America is not able to facilitate the publication of grant recipients’ translations. That being said, if an agent or publisher reaches out to us with interest, we are able to connect them with the translator.
Q: I am not a US citizen or resident. Can I still apply?
A: Yes, we encourage candidates of all nationalities to apply.
PEN Grant for the English Translation of Italian Literature
Q: Why don’t I see this grant offered on Submittable? How do I apply?
A: The PEN Grant for the English Translation of Italian Literature operates within the existing PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grants. All submissions should be made using the form for PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grants. Any applicant who submits to the PEN/Heim Translation Fund grants whose project is a translation of narrative prose from the Italian into English is automatically considered for the PEN Grant for the Translation of Italian Literature.
PEN/Jean Stein Grants for Literary Oral History
Q: Where can I apply?
A: Submissions will be accepted via Submittable.
Q: Can I submit my application materials via email instead?
A: Unfortunately, at this time we are not able to accept submissions by email. If you are having issues with the Submittable platform, please visit the Submittable support page. If you still encounter issues, please reach out to [email protected].
Q: What do I do if the interviews I’ve conducted are not in English?
A: The PEN/Jean Stein Grants for Literary Oral History are being conferred to projects in English. Please translate any interviews that you plan on using in your application in order to be considered.
Q: What does “unedited transcripts” mean?
A: Applicants must not edit the questions and answers in the transcribed interviews. However, we ask applicants to indicate who is speaking for ease of reading.
Q: I don’t have recordings or physical transcripts of my interviews. May I transcribe them from memory?
A: No, transcripts may not be recorded from memory.
Q: Do applicants need to conduct the interviews themselves?
A: Although authors are allowed to rely on historical interviews and documents, the majority of the interviews must be conducted by the applicant.
Q: Does the submitted writing sample need to cover the same material as the interview transcripts?
A: Yes. The transcript and writing sample should best represent the project’s overall goals, subject matter, and process, and should be the same materials and/or scene so that the judging panel may understand how you are utilizing oral history throughout the project.
Q: I am not a US citizen or resident. Can I still apply?
A: Yes, we encourage candidates of all nationalities to apply so long as the project is in English.
PEN/Phyllis Naylor Grant for Children’s and Young Adult Novelists
Q: Where can I apply?
A: Submissions will be accepted via Submittable.
Q: What kind of children’s fiction is eligible for this grant?
A: The PEN/Phyllis Naylor Grant for Children’s and Young Adult Novelists is geared towards novels in progress. Graphic novels and picture books are not being accepted at this time. Please take a look at previous recipients here to get an idea of the types of work accepted.
Q: I am not a US citizen or resident. Can I still apply?
A: Yes, we encourage candidates of all nationalities to apply so long as their previous works have been published by a US trade publisher.
Q: My previous books have not been published by a US trade publisher. Can I still apply?
A: Unfortunately, candidates who have not previously been published by a US trade publisher will not be considered.
PEN/Bare Life Review Grants
Q: Who is eligible to apply for this grant?
A: This grant is available to foreign-born writers based in the U.S., and to writers living abroad who hold refugee/asylum seeker status. Writers born in the U.S., and foreign-born writers who currently reside in the country they were born in are ineligible to apply for this grant.
