The Writing Worlds Scholarship

Who Gets to Tell the Stories That Shape Our World?

Every year, I meet extraordinary writers through my cohort programs. Storytellers who are extraordinary not only because of what they have survived, but those who are also extraordinary because of how they think. How they observe. How they imagine. How they continue writing despite circumstances that would silence many of us.

Yet every cohort brings the same difficult reality. Many of the strongest applicants cannot afford to participate because conflict, displacement, family responsibilities, or economic circumstances have placed opportunities like this beyond their reach.

Applications received this year, from
  • Afghanistan
  • Sudan
  • South Africa
  • Iraq
  • Pakistan
  • Egypt
  • India
  • Kazakhstan
  • Angola
  • United States
  • and many more

For some, the barrier is war. For others, it is the responsibility of supporting family members. For others still, the exchange rate alone turns a USD 350 program into an impossible expense. These are writers determined to tell stories that deserve to exist.

This is why the Writing Worlds Scholarship came into being.

Every scholarship represents more than a place in a course. It represents another perspective entering the global conversation; another voice refusing to be silenced by circumstance. Because who gets to tell our stories ultimately shapes how the world understands itself.

USD 350 Sponsors one full scholarship to a cohort program
USD 175 Contributes half a scholarship

More information on the programs can be found in the Frequently Asked Questions section below.

Every contribution helps ensure that talent and resilience — not privilege — determine who gets to learn, write, and be heard.

Ways to Donate
Frequently Asked Questions

  • At this time, due to administrative constraints, we can only accept sponsorships in the amounts of $175 and $350.

    We do apologize for any inconvenience, but as a small team, we believe this to be the most efficient use of our resources at this time.

  • From September 2026 through December 2027, Nandita will be offering a range of cohort programs as United World College short courses:

    • Writing Women's Worlds: memoir, for women, ages 16+

    • Writing Our Worlds: memoir, ages 16+

    • Writing Others' Worlds: biography, ages 16+

    • Writing Imagined Worlds: fiction, ages 16+

    Each of these programs follows the same structure: twelve weeks of weekly, two-hour long virtual group meetings; two hourlong one-on-on sessions with Nandita; final presentations.

  • In addition to finishing their course with a near-complete project ready for publication in a variety of forums, these cohort programs build a range of life skills:

    • Connecting with and learning from an intergenerational, geographically diverse cohort

    • Practicing and evolving storytelling — a skill central to so many facets of our personal and professional lives

  • You can make your donation in one of the following ways:

  • Each donation of USD 350 supports one participant through a twelve-week cohort program. In the latter part of 2027, all donors will be invited to a Storyteller Showcase, where scholarship recipients will share their work and their experience in the cohorts. To respect participants' privacy, individual information cannot be released beforehand. However, we are happy to provide more general demographic data about our scholarship recipients upon request.

  • At this time, donations are not tax deductible.