Writing Grants

GRANT SUBMISSION PERIOD: March 1 – June 1

Proposals submitted before or after this timeframe will be ineligible.

  Aurora Branch on Yonge Education Grant

This grant is intended to help pay for or supplement educational endeavors such as: writing workshops, writing courses/certificate programs, conferences, professional retreats, books on writer’s craft, writing memberships, applicable software, etc.

If you are awarded this grant, you will receive up to $300.00 toward the funding of any one or multiple items for consideration.

Author Gary D. McGugan Publishing Grant

This grant is intended to help pay for or supplement all pre/during/post publishing practices such as: professional editing, interior formatting, cover design, self-publication coaching, resources on marketing, book event vendor expenses, website building, social media/public relations assistance, applicable software, etc.

If you are awarded this grant, you will receive up to $300.00 toward the funding of any one or multiple items for consideration.

Author V.M. Gopaul Writers Grant

This grant may be used toward either education or publishing endeavors (as noted above) and is a special, additional grant being offered for the 2023 year.

If you are awarded this grant, you will receive up to $300.00 toward the funding of any one or multiple items for consideration.

PLEASE READ ALL OF THE INSTRUCTIONS PRIOR TO SUBMITTING

To Qualify for a WCYR Writer’s Grant You must…

  • be a current member with the Writers’ Community of York Region
  • submit a complete grant proposal (see our guidelines)
  • submit a polished sample of your writing
  • submit on or before the deadline for proposals [between April 1 and June 1]
  • agree to submit your receipt(s) within the dates provided showing that the purchase(s) was/were made within the time constraints for the grant consideration (see guidelines for more details)
  • agree to write a blog for Easy Writer and/or other WCYR publication material regarding your winning proposal ( 200 + word summary/review of your purchase and how it benefited you)
  • agree to sit on judging committee for the grants submitted the following year

Submission Guidelines

Grant Proposal Outline:

  • Format your proposal package using:
    • 12-point standard font (such as Calibri, Arial, Times New Roman, or Garamond)
    • Word processing documents using .doc or .dox (no pdf)
    • Information/Cover Page – single spacing, block/business style
    • Narrative Writing Sample – double spacing, manuscript style
    • Poetic or Blog Writing Sample – single spacing, block/business style
    • 1” margins all around
  • Information Page will provide:
    • Your name as it appears on your WCYR registration
    • Your full, legal name
    • The name of the grant you are applying for
    • The date of submission
    • This statement: I have read and agree to fulfill the qualification requirements as stated by the WCYR regarding the submission of a proposal for one of their grants as noted on the website.
  • Body of Proposal:
    • Will be written in a formal cover letter style
    • Include a salutation to the WCYR Granting Body
    • What you would like our assistance in purchasing or in helping supplement the purchase of
    • Why it would be of help to you to have a grant to aid you in this/these endeavor(s)
    • 1 page maximum
  • Writing Sample:
    • 2 pages or up to 500 words (approx. 250 words/page)
    • A polished, self-contained work or excerpt reflecting the genre or writing style your grant proposal specifically requests aid for
    • Use formal manuscript style for narrative excerpts
    • Use business/block-style formatting for blogs or poetry

Click HERE for a sample template.

NOTE: Do not place your name or any significant identifier regarding who you are within the body of the text of your formal proposal as we require your identity to remain anonymous.

Granting Regulations:

  • Submit between March 1 and June 1 of the current granting year
  • Proposal for funding request must fall within January 1st and December 31st of the current granting year
  • Only grants that follow the above guidelines will be considered
  • You may submit to more than one grant category
  • You may only be awarded one grant per term
  • Only winners will be contacted via email in addition to a public announcement in our newsletter and on our blog/social media
  • All Grant Proposals Must Be Electronically Submitted to: chair@wcyork.ca

NOTE: If you are awarded a grant, you may not submit a proposal the following year.

Grant Judging

  • Members of the WCYR who submit a proposal will be ineligible to sit as a judge for that particular grants.
  • 2 – 5 judges will sit for each grant, and the same judge(s) may vote on both granting options.
  • Judges will be the previous year’s winners or chosen from the WCYR member-base first before the WCYR will seek volunteers to judge from sister associations or partnerships (WCDR, WCSC, York Region Libraries, Writing-Related Businesses or formally comprised writing groups such as the BWC-Bradford Writers’ Circle).
  • Judging will be blind (no names on the proposals being judged, to avoid bias–number assignment only).
  • Judges will rank each proposal according to a standard set of expectations (see below), and then will use their best judgement to select the winners.
  • Winners will be notified prior to the September Open House where the grants will be officially awarded.
  • The decision of the judges is final.

NOTE: The number of grants offered each year will depend entirely on the number of submissions received per category and how much sponsorship the WCYR receives to be able to award these grants. WCYR reserves the right to award between 1-4 grants in any one or both categories combined.

GENERAL RATING SCALE

Scale 0 – 10 where 0 = info. not given & 10 = exceeds expectations
Item 1. Ability to rationalize why & provide detail regarding purchase(s) being relevant to the grant category 2. Ability to convey personal need, desire regarding grant assistance 3. Has submitted a clean, error-free proposal & writing sample (SPaG) 4. Has submitted a compelling writing sample that clearly reflects the genre the grant request revolves around 5. Is the proposal dynamic & unique? Does it appeal to the judging body? 6. Ability to follow the grant proposal directions.

PROPOSAL WRITING TIPS

Item 1:

  • Clearly state why you are requesting funding.
  • Use the formal business or essay-style of writing (how you might word a query to an agent or publisher).
  • Give specific details regarding the item(s) you would like assistance with.
    • If you want to attend a conference, not only tell us which one, but why you feel it will help in your writer’s craft education.
    • If you’re buying software, like Photoshop or InDesign, explain how this program will be of assistance in your publishing needs.

Item 2:

  • Clearly explain why would like our assistance with this purchase.
  • Use the persuasive style of writing to help make your case.
  • Be honest. Make it personal.
    • If you want to attend a conference because your favourite author will be speaking and you’d like to ask them in person about how they craft their stories but the conference fee is beyond your personal spending budget or you need to stay over night and only have enough money saved up for the general fee, then tell us.
    • If you are torn between two graphic cover artists for your self-published book and would really like to go with the more expensive designer because her work speaks to you more and feel that her style will help bring a voice to your marketing campaign, tell us.

Item 3:

  • Have someone proofread your proposal before you submit it.
  • SPaG = Spelling, Punctuation, and Grammar. This is important.
  • We will not fault you for avoiding the use of the Oxford comma, but we will fault you for not using any commas or using too many.

Item 4:

  • This is your time to show us your craft.
  • If you’re requesting a grant for education and that includes taking a course online or a three-month long workshop on memoir writing and you’re a new writer, then be honest and show us what your writing currently looks like.
  • If you’re requesting a grant for education and it includes attending several Master Classes to help you perfect your technique, show us an honest sample of your craft.
  • If you’re requesting a publication grant, then share a sample of the work to be published. Show us what you’re working on.
  • This piece can consist of several poems (up to 2 pages in length), a piece of flash fiction that’s self-contained, or an excerpt from a short story, blog post, or longer manuscript.

Item 5:

  • This is where the X-Factor comes into play. This is your ability to resonate with the judges. Something about your personal style, how you convey your request, and the impact or balance between what you’re asking for and the sample your showing speaks to the judges.
  • This is where most of the discussion around “who should get that grant” comes into play because it is the most subjective.

Item 6:

  • Follow all of the directions regarding how to submit a proposal, what to include in your proposal, when to submit, etc.
  • If you forget to state both your full name and the name you have registered with the WCYR (even if it’s the same name), you will be docked marks.
  • If your margins are 0.8” or 1.25”, we will know. Make sure they are 1” all the way around. This is standard manuscript formatting and we’d like you to follow it.
  • Even though the body of your proposal will be written using the business/block-paragraph style, your narrative writing excerpt will be formatted differently. This is not to “make life difficult” or “trip you up”, this is where you show us your familiarity with your particular style of writing and its associated formatting. Should you look to submit a proposal to another granting institution, they will have their own prerequisites to follow, but most make similar observances to what we’re asking for.

GOOD LUCK!

Should you have a question about the granting process, please leave a comment below. Other writers may also have a similar query.