Nederlands Letterenfonds Fellowship 2026–2027: €3,500 Monthly Stipend and Five-Month Residency in Amsterdam

Established literary writers from the Caribbean Parts of the Kingdom have an opportunity to spend five months developing an individual writing project within an international academic community through the Nederlands Letterenfonds Fellowship 2026–2027.

The Nederlands Letterenfonds (Dutch Foundation for Literature) and the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study (NIAS) offer the fellowship through their collaboration. The selected fellow will join a multidisciplinary community of scholars and writers in Amsterdam from February to July 2027.

The fellowship provides a personal stipend of €3,500 per month, travel reimbursement for an international return flight, subsidised accommodation, and an office at NIAS.

Applications are open from July 6 to August 25, 2026, at 12:00 noon CET.

 

Benefits of the Nederlands Letterenfonds Fellowship

The selected fellow will receive:

• A five-month residency at NIAS in Amsterdam
• A personal stipend of €3,500 per month
• Reimbursement for an international return ticket
• Subsidised accommodation
• An office at NIAS
• Access to library and research facilities
• Participation in academic seminars and interdisciplinary discussions
• Opportunities to engage with scholars and other fellows
• Access to NIAS’s academic, community, and outreach programmes

The fellowship is designed to give a writer the time and intellectual environment to work full-time on a literary project while engaging with researchers from a wide range of disciplines.

 

Eligibility Requirements for the Nederlands Letterenfonds Fellowship

The fellowship is specifically open to established literary fiction and nonfiction writers based in the Caribbean Parts of the Kingdom, including:

• Aruba
• Bonaire
• Curaçao
• Saba
• Sint Eustatius
• Sint Maarten

Applicants may write in Papiamentu, Papiamento, English from the Islands, or Dutch.

Candidates should have an established literary track record and a body of work demonstrating sustained literary quality and professional practice. Writers at a mid-career or senior stage who are comfortable working in an international academic environment are the primary recipients of this fellowship.

Applicants must also have a good command of English, which is the working language at NIAS.

 

Project Proposals

Applicants must propose an individual literary project that would clearly benefit from a residency at NIAS. The project should be beyond its initial conception stage and sufficiently developed to make productive use of the five-month fellowship period.

The proposed project should demonstrate why time within NIAS’s multidisciplinary academic environment would be valuable to the writer’s work. Applicants should also be prepared to participate actively in the NIAS community through seminars, workshops, and informal exchanges with scholars and other fellows.

 

Fellowship Dates and Deadline

The fellowship will run for five months from February to July 2027.

The application period is:

Opening date: July 6, 2026
Application deadline: August 25, 2026, at 12:00 noon CET

The committee will select only one fellow for the 2026–2027 fellowship.

 

Evaluation Process

The Dutch Foundation for Literature will check for eligibility applications. An independent ranking committee appointed by the foundation will then assess eligible applications.

The selection committee will primarily consider:

• The literary quality of the applicant’s work
• The quality and feasibility of the proposed project
• The extent to which the applicant and project are a strong match for the NIAS environment

Following the committee’s assessment, the Dutch Foundation for Literature will submit a ranked recommendation to NIAS. NIAS will make the final selection in consultation with its Academic Advisory Board.

Applicants can also consult these statement of purpose examples for guidance on how to structure a compelling application narrative and present their academic, professional, and creative ambitions clearly.

How to Apply for the Nederlands Letterenfonds Fellowship

Applicants should review the official application conditions and submission requirements through the Dutch Foundation for Literature’s official fellowship announcement. You can direct questions about the fellowship to Eva Prakken at e.prakken@letterenfonds.nl or Robert Raub, Partnership Officer at NIAS, at partners@nias.knaw.nl. 

Apply via the Application Form by August 25, 2026, at 12:00 noon CET.