The applicant must be an American author who has published at least one full-length work — fiction or nonfiction — that has been published by a mainstream publisher." "Applicants cannot have eligibility determined by a work that they paid to have published." "An applicant must demonstrate need; the emergency may be because of illness or some other urgent need or emergency such as fire, flood, hurricane, etc." "Documentation must be included with the application: a doctor’s letter or other proof of the emergency situation, such as the first two pages of the 1040 (redacted)." "If you have received a grant from Carnegie Fund within the past five calendar years, you cannot apply.