Dear Ladies, https://www.nlapw.org/

These grants are for NON-Members. Encourage your talented friends and family to apply.

Applications Accepted for 2025 Shirley Holden Helberg Grants for Mature Women - Aug. 1 - Sept 15th.

The National League of American Pen Women, Inc. awards three grants of $1,000 each (in the odd years — 2025, 2027, etc.) in the classifications of art, letters, and music to women 35 years of age or older who are not now nor ever have been a member of the League. Grant recipients also receive a two-year honorary associate membership.

Applicants may not have been previously awarded a Shirley Holden Helberg Grant for Mature Women. To apply, email the following to the appropriate chair with the subject line Mature Women Grant Submission followed by your last name. Please read these guidelines carefully. If you do not follow the instructions, you will be asked to resubmit. No partial submissions will be accepted.

In the body of the email, furnish only the following information:
• Full name
• Email address
• Phone number

Attach three items, labeled with your last name:

1) A cover letter of no more than 500 words describing how you intend to use the grant money, with any pertinent information about yourself. Put your name and email address at the beginning (document or PDF). Label the file with your last name.

2) Any type of proof of age (e.g., a scanned copy of your driver’s license). This will be destroyed at the close of the application period.

3) Proof of payment (screenshot) of your fee of $35 via PayPal (pay here) or photo image of a money order or cashier’s check made out to “NLAPW, Inc.” (which should be mailed to Treasurer, National League of American Pen Women, Inc., 1300 17th Street N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036-1901.) Submissions will be accepted between Aug. 1 and Sept. 15, 2025.

Additional Guidelines for Each Category

Art: Along with your cover letter, submit three jpg images of your artwork in oils, watercolor, acrylic, mixed media, photography, sculpture, printmaking, fiber arts, clay, or video. All work must be original. Send to: Joan Applebaum, Art Chair, artchair@nlapw.org.

Music: Along with your cover letter, send two compositions, three-minute minimum and five-minute maximum performance time, attached as WAV or MP3 files (please limit size per file to 5 MB). Send to: Lyn Loewi, Music Chair, musichair@nlapw.org.

Letters: Along with your cover letter, submit a manuscript (published or unpublished) in any or a combination of the following categories: article, drama, essay, first chapter of a novel, excerpt from a nonfiction book, short story, five poems, television script excerpt. Entry should be 5-10 pages. Submit cover letter and writing sample in one document, cover letter first. Send to: Karen McAferty Morris, Letters Chair, lettchair@nlapw.org.

  https://www.nlapw.org/