PEN/Jean Stein Grants for Literary Oral History

The PEN/Jean Stein Grants for Literary Oral History are part of the broader PEN America Literary Awards, Grants, and Fellowships Program, which has recognized exceptional literary voices since 1963. PEN America is a nonprofit organization dedicated to celebrating and defending freedom of expression, and its literary grants program supports writers across genres including fiction, nonfiction, poetry, translation, and drama. The Jean Stein Grants specifically honor the legacy of American author and editor Jean Stein, whose pioneering work helped popularize oral history as a literary form. These grants aim to support writers engaged in producing significant works of literary nonfiction that rely heavily on oral history methodologies. The purpose of this grant is to support the development and completion of unpublished literary nonfiction manuscripts that use oral history to illuminate a specific subject, such as an event, individual, place, or cultural movement. The grant emphasizes projects that integrate interviews and firsthand accounts as a central research and narrative component. By providing financial support during the writing process, the program seeks to ensure that important voices and perspectives, particularly those at risk of being lost due to time or marginalization, are preserved and presented in compelling literary formats. Each year, two grants are awarded, with each recipient receiving a cash prize of 15000 dollars. These funds are intended to support the completion of the manuscript and may be used at the discretion of the writer for research, writing time, or related project expenses. There are no stated matching requirements or restrictions on the use of funds beyond their intended purpose of advancing the project toward completion. The grants do not specify a performance period but are implicitly tied to the development timeline of the manuscript prior to publication. Eligibility for the grant is limited to individual writers. The submitted work must be written in English, must be the sole work of the applicant, and must be an unpublished manuscript in progress that will not be published before April 15, 2027. The project must fall within the category of literary nonfiction and must incorporate oral history as a significant element of both research and narrative structure. Scholarly or academic writing is explicitly excluded from eligibility, indicating a preference for narrative-driven, literary approaches rather than analytical or research-focused academic works. The application process is conducted through the Submittable platform. Applicants are required to submit several components, each with specific formatting guidelines. These include a 1 to 2 page project description explaining the importance of the work and the author’s motivation, a 1 to 2 page statement detailing the role of oral history in the project, and a 1 to 2 page explanation of how the grant would support the project’s completion. Additional materials include the author’s CV, a project outline with completed and remaining work including interviewee names, 6 to 10 pages of interview transcripts, and a 20 to 40 page double-spaced writing sample based on those interviews. The application window for the 2027 grant cycle opens on April 15, 2026 and closes on June 15, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. This annual cycle indicates a recurring funding opportunity. Applicants are encouraged to consult the program FAQ before reaching out to the provided contact email for inquiries. While specific evaluation criteria are not detailed, the required materials suggest that reviewers assess the literary quality of the writing, the significance of the subject matter, the integration of oral history, and the feasibility of completing the manuscript. The PEN/Jean Stein Grants for Literary Oral History represent a significant opportunity for writers working in this specialized nonfiction genre. By supporting projects that center lived experiences and firsthand narratives, the program contributes to the preservation of cultural memory and the advancement of literary storytelling. The recurring nature of the grant and its structured submission requirements make it a reliable and prestigious source of support for emerging and established writers alike.

Emphasize the significance of the subject matter and clearly articulate the role of oral history in shaping the narrative. Demonstrate strong integration of interview material and provide a compelling writing sample that reflects the final project’s direction.