Internship Grant Program

We define “diverse background” according to our mission statement:

We recognize all diverse experiences, including (but not limited to) LGBTQIA+, Native, people of color, gender diversity, people with disabilities*, and ethnic, cultural, and religious minorities.

*We subscribe to a broad definition of disability, which includes but is not limited to physical, sensory, cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities, chronic conditions, and mental illnesses (this may also include addiction). Furthermore, we subscribe to a social model of disability, which presents disability as created by barriers in the social environment, due to lack of equal access, stereotyping, and other forms of marginalization.

You’ll need to provide a copy of the official offer letter you received from your internship placement publisher or literary agency. With regard to diversity, we trust our applicants to provide information that is honest and accurate. We fully respect any and all laws relating to privacy and therefore do not request access to any confidential demographic information collected by other institutions (such as publisher HR departments).

An application process walkthrough is available here.

Candidates should address the essay questions thoroughly and thoughtfully, in a way that showcases their personality, systems thinking, passion for diversifying children’s and adult literature, and commitment to learning about the publishing industry. Both children's and adult committees are looking for essay responses that are roughly 500 words in length each. These responses carry considerable weight in the application review process.     

You may apply for a WNDB Internship Grant while you simultaneously apply to partner publishers and/or literary agencies. You may also apply after you have received an offer. Your application will not be read until we receive an official offer letter from one of our partner publishers and/or literary agencies, and therefore, if you apply for the grant before you obtain an internship, be sure to return to your application to attach the offer letter.

No. Please do not include any supplemental materials that aren’t explicitly listed in the application guidelines.

Yes. As a grantee, you will be expected to attend various events throughout the summer including an introductory Internship Grant Bootcamp, as well as additional professional development and networking events, publishing panels, organized partner mentor/mentee meetings, and an exit interview/testimonial of the program.

Yes. You do not qualify for the grant unless you are being paid as an intern as seen in the eligibility criteria. There are no exceptions.

There are no limitations, but we encourage you to use the grant funding for travel and living expenses directly related to your internship.

No, but we may ask you to write a letter describing your use of the grant funds at the conclusion of your internship.

The grant money will be sent to you in a single check or direct deposit after: 

1. You’ve formally accepted an Internship Grant and its expectation requirements,
2. We’ve confirmed your acceptance with the publisher via your offer letter, 
3. The Internship Grant Committee has selected you as a grant recipient based on your application and brief virtual interview, and 
4. You will be asked to fill out an acceptance form for the grant, which will include a form from our finance team on how you'd like your payment processed.

No. However, if the publisher submits a request to WNDB before the application window closes and agrees to the Partner terms of WNDB, they can become a partner, subject to review by the WNDB Internship Grant Committee. You can then apply. We’re collaborating very closely with our partner publishers, and our priority is ensuring those partnerships receive the degree of attention and energy they deserve. Note that for the Children's Internship Grant program, the internship must be with a children’s imprint of our partner publishers. Additionally, Adult Internship Grant applicants must apply to adult imprints within our publishing partners.

No. However, if the agency submits a request to WNDB before the application window closes and agrees to the Partner terms of WNDB, they can still be a partner, subject to review by the WNDB Internship Grant Committee. You can then apply. For a literary agency internship to be eligible for the Children’s Grant Program, interns must spend at least 50% of their time working on children’s books. For a literary agency internship to be eligible for the Adult Grant Program, interns must spend 100% of their time working on adult books. Agencies who charge up-front fees to their clients are not eligible. We reserve the right to review all internship offers from agencies and determine eligibility.

We evaluate all applications in May and will follow up with considered applicants with a brief virtual interview. After virtual interviews have been completed, awarded applicants will receive notification of their grant award as soon as possible (tentatively early June timing).

We can’t advise you on the taxability of your grant, so we encourage you to consult a qualified tax preparation professional.

You’ll need to forgo the grant and reapply for a WNDB Internship Grant next year.

No. Grantees are only eligible to receive the grant once.