C Hope Clark: FundsForWriters.com

Mary Rosenblum

Hello all.

Welcome to our Professional connection interview with C. Hope Clark, originator of FundsForWriters.com, dedicated to finding grants and contests for serious writers.

C. Hope Clark is editor and founder of FundsforWriters.com , an award winning website recognized by Writer's Digest's 101 Best Web Sites for Writers for the last seven years. She's published in The Writer, ByLine Magazine, Writer's Digest, Writers Weekly; trade magazines like Turf, Landscape Construction, and Landscape Management; magazines regarding young people like NextStep Teen, American Careers, College Bound Teen and VOYA.

Her weekly newsletters reach 18,000 readers, and she currently posts fourteen ebooks at her website including THE SHY WRITER: An Introvert's Guide to Writing Success, also published in paperback. She specializes in grants, contests, and markets for serious writers.

So welcome, Hope! Your newsletter is SO wonderful!

C Hope Clark

Thanks - I greatly enjoy producing it.

Mary Rosenblum

So how did all this get started? Did you start out as a writer and then start finding grants?

C Hope Clark

I started out as a lender and grant provider THEN returned to writing.

Mary Rosenblum

Oh, how interesting! What kind of grant provider?

C Hope Clark

I worked for the federal government and was fast burning out after 20+ years - we made grants for agriculture, nonprofits, even housing applicants in rural areas

I had served on educational and arts grant panels as well

Mary Rosenblum

Wow! I was on the other end of that process. I was in biomedical research and we had to write grants every year or so. Very stressful time, I remember!

C Hope Clark

One of my peers asked me why didn't I write for myself since I wrote all the important documents for the agency.

So I went home and started.

I'd written in high school and college and cast it aside. It felt good going back to it.

I wrote for the Internet when it was a novelty - and was asked to speak to a writer's group on writing for the Web.

But when I spoke to that group in Atlanta, they fussed about not having much money and not being able to afford conferences and such

we started talking about grants, finding funds, making ends meet. I went home and emails started as they told their friends.

To keep from repeating so many emails over and over, I created a newsletter. It grew fast.

Mary Rosenblum

How long have you been doing this now?

C Hope Clark

The newsletter was born in March 2000.

Mary Rosenblum

Seven years! That's quite a distinguished career. :-) And a LOT of work.

Can you give us an overview of the newsletter, for those who haven't visited it?

C Hope Clark

It is a never ending subject - finding funds. Always something to talk about.

FundsforWriters  contains the same sections it's had for years - an op-ed by me, a how-to article, three grants, three contests, three writing jobs, three publishing opportunities and three freelance openings

It's simple and well-liked.

It lists only those that pay or 20 cents/word and up.

The other newsletters cover other areas.

There are four altogether.

FFW Small Markets covers paying markets that pay less.

WritingKid covers markets for kids - elementary through college

TOTAL FundsforWriters is the paid subscription 12$/year. It is similar to FundsforWriters except it has 80+ opportunities listed.

sailor

You offer a free newsletter that has fewer markets than the paid one. For an individual market, are the descriptions the same in both newsletters or does the paid one have more detail? I'm thinking of subscribing to the free one as a sample before signing up for the paid one.

C Hope Clark

The details are the same in both - just more are listed in TOTAL. I try to list what they pay and the general concept and link for that publication.

TOTAL is published biweekly

FundsforWriters is weekly

The week that TOTAL and FFW are published at the same time, you may see some similar markets.

tigger

What is the URL of your website, Hope?

C Hope Clark

www.fundsforwriters.com

barbiq

Is Writingkid for young writers or for young readers?

C Hope Clark

For young writers - I was receiving requests from parents and teachers about markets for young people - especially young teens - so I created WritingKid.

Not all of them pay and some of them are even scholarships that require essays, but they all offer publishing opportunities for kids.

Many teachers use it in their classes.

Mary Rosenblum

And I love it! I have found few or no good market lists for young writers out there!

C Hope Clark

I've learned over the years that young people web sites get forgotten quickly.

Mary Rosenblum

I hand out the URL to teen writers (and younger) all the time.

What about grants, Hope? Are there really quite a few grants out there?

C Hope Clark

As someone's child grows up, the web site they created in enthusiasm dies.

There are grants out there...the key is your writing project matching what is available.

I call grants those funds from arts councils, paid opps to speak to schools, retreats, even conference fees

A lot of writers think they just need to say they write to receive a grant.

Actually, like any grant, the applicant has to prepare a very professional application

and convince judges that their project or their vision is worthy of funding.

A few grants are given for past performance

but all in all, one has to be a writer first before applying - that is hard for the unpublished writer unless you're talking about conferences.

Mary Rosenblum

Ah, that was my next question.

C Hope Clark

The newbie has a hard time.

Mary Rosenblum

What about the writer with, say, a novel proposal but few if any publishing clips. Any hope at all?

C Hope Clark

Just like any grant...you have to demonstrate your proficiency or qualifications

.

if the writer has some proof of ability - such as degree or clips or even profession.

tigger

Are the grants you mention primarily for writers of literary fiction, or do you have grants for nonfiction and genre wrtiers as well?

C Hope Clark

Arts councils lean toward literary fiction and poetry and plays;

usually a literary bent,

however, anyone can qualify for a grant if they can marry what they write to humanities or something of public interest.

Arts councils and humanities councils are always seeking writers for community projects, school presentations and such,

so genre or literary doesn't matter.

I always tell writers to contact their state arts council for ideas - each state is different.

Some have training funds - others just fellowships for past work - some have competitions.

To find your state arts council, go to www.nasaa-arts.org  and look for your state.

It's worth talking to your arts council - they have connections to other entities even if they cannot help you.

They usually travel throughout the state teaching folks how to apply for grants as well.

sailor

Do Arts Councils pay writers for projects or do they mostly look for volunteers?

C Hope Clark

Oh no - they pay for projects - you propose what you'd like to do and they fund it.

barbiq

How many clips do you feel a writer should have to not be considered a newbie?

C Hope Clark

Arts councils have funds from the state and feds to deliver to their areas

I don't think I can quantify that...

it depends upon the genre, the writer - you might have a great clip from a well-known publication versus someone with just online clips.

You also might be local versus national

and a lot depends on the judges.

I've served on those panels and I always looked at the professionalism and wanted to see how the applicant presented himself well enough to justify the project proposed.

The application says it all.

you also never know the competition against you - some years are easier than others

Mary Rosenblum

I had a question about the application process from Sally:

Sally asked: Would you list three similarities and differences in marketing your work for publication and grant seeking?

C Hope Clark

Many people do not apply for those opportunities - I served on a panel in Phoenix once - 11 grants out of 80 applicants.

Similarities:

Sell yourself as a writer just as you would to an agent...demonstrate a passion....no errors in your presentation.

Differences -

Show an ability to follow through with a project...usually have to list your budget (how you will use the grant)...sometimes financial need.

But there are more similarities than differences-

I had to scratch my head on the differences - there aren't many.

Mary Rosenblum

I imagine the budget is the big one.

C Hope Clark

And each grant has a different method to apply - some are forms - others are narrative.

For state and federal grants, the budget counts big-time.

The biggest error I saw in paneling grants was a budget that didn't balance

or the numbers didn't add up

or the expenses were unrealistic.

Don't get me wrong - the budgets aren't that hard

it's a matter of just saying what you'd do with the money.

tigger

Is the application process similar to that for nonprofits?

C Hope Clark

And some grants don't even require the budget.

It is - but simpler

and often it is judged based on writing submitted, too.

sailor

Grants to organizations often require matching funds. That would not apply to an individual, would it?

C Hope Clark

No.

Glad you brought up nonprofits, though.

I try to get writers to partner with nonprofits.

They have access to many more funds...and they can be fiscal sponsors for writers

as long as the writer's mission meshes well with that of the nonprofit.

Fiscal sponsors are nonprofits that sponsor the writer - the NP handles the money, often taking 20% or so for admin expenses

and the rest goes to the writer to complete a project.

The nonprofit is accountable for the writer.

barbiq

Not to sound stupid, but what are you budgeting? Supplies? Computers? Travel for research?

C Hope Clark

Absolutely - that and your time.

You can actually put dollars to your hours.

Mary Rosenblum

Living expenses?

C Hope Clark

Most fellowship grants are just that - travel and hours spent,

so it's not hard.

Better to say hours spent writing than living expenses.

barbiq

Do you find many opportunities for the modern or "free style" poet?

C Hope Clark

You want the grant to go toward writing, not Sears or the grocery store.

Arts councils are good for those

since they have a literary bent in most states.

tigger

Do most grants require you to show financial need?

C Hope Clark

Actually, no, they don't.

Some nonprofits that give grants may ask for that, but most grants do not

and some conferences may ask for financial need.

Conferences may ask for financial need to pay your way.

Grantors lean heavily on ability and professionalism

not need.

Mary Rosenblum

I’m sorry, Hope, I kind of cut off Barbiq's question about poetry.

Do you have opportunities for poets?

C Hope Clark

Poets have as many grant opportunities as any other style writer.

Let me explain about grants, though --

a large grant is a couple of thousand dollars - they are not large

the largest one I know of is $50,000 through A Room of Her Own Foundation.

The second largest is the $20,000 National Endowment for the Arts.

The rest are small - $100 - $500.

There really aren't grants out there to quit work or take too long off the regular job to write fulltime.

tigger

What should you budget for an hour of your time?

C Hope Clark

That's why I explain to writers to think of grants as a perk, not a necessity.

Depends on the grant - keep in mind that the judges want to know they are funding you well enough to get the job done - if the grant is $2000

and you want to show that grant will do a lot for your success, you can say as low as $12 or such

see??

There is no magic number - the key is to grab the grant and say what it's used for

geezer

Are grants tax free?

C Hope Clark

It's what you feel you are worth.

Actually no - they are not.

Uncle Sam will tax that grant,

but what is key...

is that you expense that grant through your writing expenses

travel, purchases, supplies, postage, etc….

but it is taxable income.

barbiq

Do you feel that receiving a grant helps the future publishing opportunities for a writer?

C Hope Clark

Absolutely.

Grants are greater than clips.

They are considered the same as awards

and publishers and agents think highly of them.

sailor

Pretend you received a grant to research and write a book about the history of a certain area. Do they check up on you after a year or whatever to see if you did it?

C Hope Clark

I've seen instances of writers who obtained grants and then landed contracts.

You will probably have to file a report back to them about what you accomplished.

Most grants want something in the end for accountability - especially state or federal grants

but it's not hard,

they do not read your work or look at your books.

You usually fill out a form they provide or you send them an email narrative.

tcemonika

Should we add the grant to a query letter?

C Hope Clark

If you've won one...YES - it says so much about your professionalism and sincerity

it also shows that someone else respected your work, your work ethic and your abilities

grants open doors once you've won them.

tigger

Can you use prose from a grant application that was accepted as a clip?

C Hope Clark

A grant takes no rights or makes no claims,

does that answer your question?

I would like to give you a couple of examples of grant successes - is that okay?

might help see things.

These come from FundsforWriters readers.

Mary Rosenblum

Fine!

C Hope Clark

Rae Anna Victor received a Kittredge grant to research a book she self published .

She wrote about George Washington and the first US Marshals.

The grant allowed her to publish and buy enough books to give to the Daughters of the American Revolution for a literacy project of theirs.

She has gone on to publish two law enforcement books with a small independent press.

Mary Rosenblum

Interesting. So self publishing is not an instant 'non starter' for grants!

C Hope Clark

No it's not - the grants are more for the writing, not how they are published.

Mary Rosenblum

That's worth knowing.

C Hope Clark

David Williams in Washington State...

he applied to the county government for two grants - a heritage grant and a special projects grants - these weren't even writing grants - they were history related.

he received  money each of two years to complete a book of essays on Seattle's natural history

And he self-pubbed it too.

Amanda Johnson is a poet...

The Kentucky Foundation for Women gave her money to travel to NYC to study with a well known performing poet.

Shanna Germain is a poet.

She received from Oregon's Literary Arts Council to self-pub a book of poetry about EMT's and firefighters.

She is an EMT.

Brandi Reissenweber is a novelist.

You may have seen her name in Writer's Digest.

She received a grant from grant.

The list just goes on and on.

What is also important to know is that once you win a grant, it's easier to land another.

Most of the people in my file have won more than one.

Mary Rosenblum

That's good to know that a grant begets grants.

Great examples.What strikes me

is that these are for projects that are not guaranteed publication.

C Hope Clark

most are

as I said earlier - writing grants to individual writers are for writing, not nessarily for publication.

barbiq

So what is your best single suggestion for finding, applying and winning a grant to the first timer?

C Hope Clark

Call up or visit your arts council in your state - they are more than happy to hold your hand and help you apply - even let you see previous winning grants and explain how they won.

Those folks are paid to help artists

and what they cannot fund, they can direct elsewhere.

They have their finger on the pulse of funding.

sailor

Do you stand a better chance of getting a grant if you know someone on the Arts Council, or is it blind judging?

C Hope Clark

it is blind judging, but keep in mind that the arts council people determine if an application is complete - also

an arts council member directs the judges in their activities

quixote

Your page has links to contests: are contests better or 'as good' starting places for getting published?

C Hope Clark

when I served on panels, the arts person always said things like...this person applied before...this person has won before...etc.

Contests are excellent starting places - when you query an editor or agent and can show awards/contests, it's as good as a clip - or better.

I'm a firm believer in contests.

Sometimes they are easier to win that landing a plum writing assignment or finding an agent or publisher.

tigger

Does it help your application to state professional qualifications other than writing? Say, education or experience in engineering?

C Hope Clark

It does if it's applicable to what you write.

It also goes to show professionalism and

it can also help show that you can promote yourself

or speak to crowds.

Just don't include something for the heck of it...make it have a positive impact.

For instance...

I am writing a series of mysteries right now

in hopes of landing a contract.

They are agricultural mysteries - a niche I've never found anywhere.

My degree is in agriculture,

so yes, I would mention it.

Agents want just the minimum of information with the biggest impact to help them decide on you and your work.

For grants....use everything

to show you are focused, are professional.

sailor

Your web site indicates PDF is the standard format for the newsletters but MS Word is also available. Is there an extra cost for MS Word format?

C Hope Clark

PDF is the standard format for the ebooks - MS Word is available at no charge - that's because I know that blind readers cannot deal with PDF.

The newsletters are text and html.

tigger

Do editors consider prose taken from one's successful grant application as a clip when submitting an article? The same way they'd accept a published article, I mean?

C Hope Clark

Yes they would,

.

it's like winning a competition.

Mary Rosenblum

So, Hope, tells us about your books.

C Hope Clark

The ebooks started about eight years ago when I had more information than I could cram in a newsletter.

There was just so much to teach and so little space to teach it in

so I created a grant ebook --

then one thing let to another and I created the No Fee Contest Ebook,

because so many writers hate entry fees for contests,

and so on.

There are a dozen ebooks on the site now.

Mary Rosenblum

Are these 'how to' or more like a market list?

C Hope Clark

And I try to keep them updated at least every 8 months or so.

.

Half and half.

Mary Rosenblum

Do you have an ebook on 'how to write a grant application?'

C Hope Clark

I include anywhere from 6 to 10 chapters of how-to, why and what for information.

The grant book talked generally about that, but not specifically...because each grant application is remarkably different.

No two are alike.

Some are just a form with a writing attachment,

others are narratives,

some are a blend,

some want history - others want projections.

Individual grant applications are SOOO diversified compared to nonprofits applications.

Just like writers are told to do about pitching and querying --

know the guidelines,

study the instructions,

understand the flavor of the grantor.

quixote

You offer them all in one package - like one large book?

C Hope Clark

FundsforWriters doesn't offer the grant applications - we list what's called...Calls for Submissions

and the newsletters list these calls and opportunities

Mary Rosenblum

Are your books all ebooks, Hope?

C Hope Clark

and where to find more information.

I have one trade paperback - The Shy Writer.

As a matter of fact, the updated edition is spread all over my desk right now

hopefully completed by Monday.

Mary Rosenblum

What's that about?

C Hope Clark

The secondary title is "An Introvert's Guide to Writing Success."

It's about self-promotion for the shy writer

however, most who read it state it's a grand primer for promotion for anyone.

Mary Rosenblum

Sounds like something a few of my students could use.

jacinda2

Did I see something about the Shy Writer in Byline?

C Hope Clark

But it's a lesson with tricks and suggestions for those who hate to market and promote - how to feel comfortable in your skin.

Yes you did - had a feature piece in there a couple of months ago.

Mary Rosenblum

Very nice, Hope.

C Hope Clark

I've been writing for Byline for about five years

jacinda2

It was very useful - thanks

C Hope Clark

At least once a year.

Thanks so much.

Mary Rosenblum

You write quite a few columns and articles, don't you?

C Hope Clark

Outside FundsforWriters - I write a few.

I usually list something in Writers Weekly about every quarter or so.

Mary Rosenblum

Do you write full time?

C Hope Clark

Yes.

I financially arranged an early retirement to write

Mary Rosenblum

Good for you!

Any advice for those aspiring to full time status?

C Hope Clark

Once I wrote part-time for three years, I saw how to develop enough market to keep me going.

Oh yes --

I rant and rave about that.

I planned for three years to leave and write fulltime.

I saved, paid off bills and reined in my spending to a lower level to compensate for leaving.

Mary Rosenblum

(Boy is THAT necessary!)

C Hope Clark

I was lucky enough to have access to an early retirement offer, and I took it though it was low

it at least covers bills.

Also...it gave me a health care plan.

I tell writers all the time that the most important thing to have is health care insurance.

Mary Rosenblum

No kidding!

C Hope Clark

I cannot count the number of catastrophes I've read about with writers who quit, wrote then wound up with medical issues.

They usually ask me for a grant to get them out of a dilemma.

Mary Rosenblum

Yeah, I contribute to both the MWA and SFWA medical funds!

C Hope Clark

And I always have to tell them bad news.

forest elf

It also sounds like it takes a plan ... and sticking to it.

C Hope Clark

Yes - writing freelance is like another other entrepreneurial endeavor - it takes a business plan.

Mary Rosenblum

How do you organize your writing life, Hope?

C Hope Clark

Know where you are going before you start.

LOL - I get asked that a lot.

I write or work in the writing business at least eight hours a day.

I'm a night owl, so I work on emails in the daytime as well as the FFW newsletters - I write at night,

usually until 2 AM

Mary Rosenblum

When do you get up?

C Hope Clark

My mystery writing takes place at night.

9-10 AM

I've always been that way - even when I worked I used to ask my staff to avoid any appointments until after 10 AM.

Mary Rosenblum

Have you received grants for your projects?

C Hope Clark

I'm a dynamic whirlwind in the evening.

You know...I've applied a couple of times for grants, but

nonfiction is a hard sell if it isn't humanities related.

I did make the finalists for a business grant through Ideacafe.com - who try to hold an annual grant opportunity.

Runner up.

But grants aren't available for businesses, frankly, and most people see FFW as a business and not writing

and I'm not well published in my fiction, so I'm paying my dues as expected there.

I'm eying a couple, though.

forest elf

How do you look for sources for grants?

Mary Rosenblum

Subscribe to the newsletter, yes?

C Hope Clark

Oh yes,

newsletters abound.

I subscribe to the newsletters of any arts council.

I also use the Foundation Center - www.fdncenter.org  - and use their newsletters

Mary Rosenblum

Ah, that's a thought!