Mission
The Granum Foundation strives to identify and invest in the next generation of pathbreaking writers and artists.
Our Story
We started envisioning The Granum Foundation almost 20 years ago. The name was there from the start. Its meaning: a grain or seed. Our goal is to support individuals on the cusp of finishing a major literary project, investing in writers who might never reach their potential without a little help.
We both know brilliant writers who needed an opportunity like this to reach their full potential. Over the years, too many of these people had to choose between survival and art. The Granum Foundation strives to fill the gap so that such a decision doesn’t have to be made.
We are placing bets on undiscovered writers from all walks of life who might never get the chance to complete their first works, or who change careers later in life to chase literary dreams, or who feel they have been excluded from traditional avenues of support.
The Granum Foundation Prizes are meant to provide a writer with the most valuable things any artist can ask for: the freedom and time to do their work.
One of the key questions we ask those applying is, “How will the grant money assist you?” Will you take six months off your day job to finish your poetry collection? Will you purchase new equipment necessary to complete your creative non-fiction project? Will you hire an editor to help clarify the final vision of your novel?
Believing in someone is a powerful thing. By selecting and honoring a few writers each year and shining a spotlight on their work, we hope to discover and nurture the next generation of groundbreaking writers.
Board of Directors
Davin Malasarn
Davin Malasarn is a Los Angeles native and a biologist-turned-writer. He was a recipient of a PEN America Emerging Voices Fellowship in 2008 and earned his M.F.A. in creative writing from Bennington College in 2020. He has published short stories in the Los Angeles Review, Rosebud, Opium Magazine, SmokeLong Quarterly and other journals in print and online. His debut novel is forthcoming in 2025 from One World/Random House.
Troy Nethercott
Troy Nethercott is a writer and film-maker who lives in Los Angeles. His collection of short stories, How To Disappear Completely, was published in 2008. He co-wrote the feature film Mixed Signals and produced the documentary feature All For One: In the Spirit of the Race. As an animation producer or production manager, he has also worked on such films as Bolt, Frankenweenie, Minions, Space Jam: A New Legacy, and the Academy Award-winning Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio.
Marytza K. Rubio
Marytza K. Rubio is a writer and founder of Makara Center for the Arts, a nonprofit lending library and community art center based in her hometown of Santa Ana, California. Her writing has appeared in Los Angeles Times, Slice Magazine, and The Normal School, among others. Her debut collection of short stories, Maria, Maria, was published in 2022 and longlisted for the National Book Award for Fiction.
Staff
Kelly March, social media coordinator
Kelly March is a writer based in North Carolina. She earned her M.F.A. in creative writing from Bennington College in 2022 and is currently working on her first collection of essays. She is an editor at EastOver Press and Cutleaf Journal.