GIA Reader Submission Guidelines
What We Publish
Grantmakers in the Arts (GIA) welcomes submissions of previously unpublished content of various lengths, ranging from short reflections to long-form articles to poetry. GIA regularly publishes research, book reviews, interviews, personal essays, poetry, and nonfiction commentary, reportage, and features of interest to arts and culture funders, organizers, advocates, presenters, and producers. While GIA members have priority access for submission review, we accept submissions from any and all writers interested in submitting. Please read our full Submission Guidelines below for all information on article formatting, word lengths, author payment, and other policies.
Content focus areas
The GIA Reader content is focused upon in four primary areas: racial equity, arts education, capitalization, and support for individual artists. These represent the areas in which the majority of GIA members direct their arts funding. Additional focus areas include: creative aging, emergency readiness, juvenile justice, community development, creative placemaking, placekeeping, arts and disability, arts and environment, health equity, early childhood and higher education, social justice, arts and technology, alternative economies and social impact investing, community arts, Indigenous arts, rural arts, youth development, as well as field wide research and analysis.
The GIA Reader Audience
The GIA Reader is edited and published by Grantmakers in the Arts and is written for a national audience interested in arts and cultural funding, advocacy, and racial equity and justice. The GIA Reader’s readers are primarily grantmakers and funders interested in theoretical, practical, and learned experience articles. The editorial team encourages articles that provoke, surprise, and enlighten readers. Long-winded arguments, insider jargon, or narrowly technical writing often detract from an article’s reception. Articles that are most widely circulated and influential are built on strong writing, demonstrative projects or case studies, research, and lived experience.
How to Send Us Your Work
You may send us your article pitch or submission via our Reader Submission System. If you encounter any difficulties or have a question or comment, please contact us at gia@giarts.org with GIA Reader Submission in the email subject. Submissions via email will not be accepted.
Submission Formatting
GIA uses Chicago Manual of Style formatting. All article submissions should be formatted in Chicago style with endnotes, not in-text citations or footnotes). All submissions should have sequentially numbered pages. Special layout requests (i.e. charts, tables, pull outs, sidebars, etc.) should be indicated in submitted file. Poetry should be submitted as single-spaced in the layout desired. The author’s name, mailing address, and email address should be included at the bottom of the last page. Contributors are asked to include a brief biographical note (approximately 50 words) with their submissions. Your submission must be in one of the following file forms: .doc, .docx, and .txt.
Images are encouraged with all submissions. All images must be accompanied by appropriate permissions, caption(s), and image/photographer credit(s) such as “image courtesy of XYZ” or “photo credit XYZ.” Image captions and credits should be included at the end of the article, prior to the author's bio. GIA can only publish images with creator permission or with appropriate copyright licensing. While websites display images at 72dpi (low resolution), for printed images, we require images to be no less than 300dpi (high resolution). Image submission must be in one of the following formats: .jpeg, .jpg, .png, .tiff, .eps, .ai, .psd, and .pdf.
Publication & Submission Timing
The GIA Reader is published three times per year: Winter, Summer*, and Fall. Submissions are accepted anytime, year-round, and will be considered for issues based on content and theme. Follow submission of pitches or final articles, authors can except to hear from the Reader editorial team within 2-4 weeks. Submission deadlines for each issue are listed below:
Winter
pitch deadline: Sept 1
copy deadline: Nov 15
Summer*
pitch deadline: Jan 1
copy deadline: Mar 15
Fall
pitch deadline: May 1
copy deadline: July 15
*The GIA Reader Summer Issue is published digitally only and is available as a downloadable PDF, e-Reader, and in online-accessible formats.
Payment to Authors
Grantmakers in the Arts is strongly committed to supporting artists’ work.
Our current rates for accepted submissions are as follows:
- $150 to $350 for 500 to 2,000 word articles.
- $350 to $1,000 for 2,000 to 4,000 word articles.
- Rates for book-length works vary, depending on the length and nature of the work.
- $50 minimum for each accepted poem. ($25 for poetry reprints.)
GIA members are ineligible for payment.
Word Count Guidelines
ARTICLES LESS THAN 2,500 WORDS will be prioritized for the Summer issue.
ARTICLES OF 2,500 to 4,000 WORDS can include research, book reviews, interviews, personal essays, poetry, and nonfiction, commentary, and reportage.
POETRY submissions may contain up to five poems and should be contained in a single file. We accept submissions of all poetic forms and genres but cannot provide translation.
BOOK REVIEWS may run up to 3,000 words.
INTERVIEWS may run up to 4,000 words.
Writing and Editing Details
Authors are responsible for verifying all facts, including dates of events, spellings of names, and proper accenting. GIA Reader editors have the final say on published headlines, images and photos, and other support content, and on the placement of each article in the final issue, printed and digital. Authors retain the rights to their work, however, GIA requests that reuse of published content be discussed with Reader editors before action. Authors should provide citations for all direct quotations, paraphrased statements, important facts, and borrowed ideas. In your initial draft, be sure to state clearly which ideas and language are yours and which ones are drawn from someone else.