Financial Aid

Participant Scholarships

The intent of participant scholarships is not only to support promising emerging writers but to broaden the community of nature and environmental writers to ensure that nature and environmental writing as a genre represents the relationship between people and nature regardless of race, ethnicity, geography, or socioeconomic standing.

Apply for a Participant Scholarship

A financial aid section is included near the bottom of the online application. Applicants interested in applying for financial aid should complete that short section and submit a statement of 500 to 800 words to be considered along with the strength and quality of the application itself. Those applying for a participant scholarship are asked to describe how their participation in the conference will add diversity to the community of voices concerned with nature and environment, and also addressing their financial need. Though the merit of the application carries the most weight, the applicant’s financial aid statement is also considered.

Though it’s possible for a former financial aid winner to apply again in a subsequent year, please note that the admissions board gives preference to first-time financial aid applicants.

Bread Loaf-Rona Jaffe Foundation Participant Scholarship

In addition to our current participant scholarships, we are pleased to note that a full scholarship including a travel stipend of $500 is made possible by The Rona Jaffe Foundation. The Bread Loaf-Rona Jaffe Foundation Participant Scholarship is awarded to a woman whose writing shows exceptional promise. The scholarship covers tuition, room, and board at the conference and includes a $500 travel stipend.

While literary merit is the main consideration, the Bread Loaf-Rona Jaffe Foundation Participant Scholarship is especially intended to support a woman who has not attended Bread Loaf in the past and who also meets one or both of the following criteria:

• An applicant with a nontraditional literary background, who is working outside of academia with or without a writing degree
• An individual who is in particular need of financial and creative support

Candidates must be permanent residents of the United States. Writers who have published a book (a standard trade edition of their work) are not eligible for this scholarship. All financial aid applicants who meet the criteria as described above will be considered for the Bread Loaf-Rona Jaffe Foundation Participant Scholarship.

Middlebury College Student Participant Scholarships

Special scholarships are made available to current Middlebury College students and also in some cases for recent Middlebury College graduates. See more information for Middlebury College Students.