The Hobson Foundation

Our Mission Statement:

Let’s face it! Life (and our writing careers) can be filled with many unsuspected surprises, and we can each use all the support we can get.

Our mission statement is to offer information, grants, and support to writers--in particular writers who want to make a difference in the world--while they complete the publication process. Our primary support comes from a network of sites that hold useful information for writers…information on writing, agents, publishers, contests, grants, and awards we’ve found that make good on their promise to assist writers. We also offer Hobson Foundation grants made possible by entry fees and donations.

About us:

Amidst the rolling hills of Pennsylvania, a group of writing teachers and professional writers gathered together to share their works and discuss their trials and successes as writers. All of them dreamed big dreams, wanting to change the world with the power of their pen.

Months grew to years. Their works neared publication, but not before they came to realize the difficulty of the path they tread--They had
heard woeful stories of how long the publication process could take or how hard it could be to find an agent, an editor, or a publisher to look at their work, but each of them thought that “could never happen
to me” They were wrong.

Each of them discovered both the joys--and even more so--the frustrations of the writing process. Some of them came dangerously close to “penniless and homeless” before their works began generating money.

One or two of the group members stumbled upon some grants available to writers, and, with the successful acquisition of some grant monies,
their encouragement grew, and their writing blossomed. This led to them thinking about the “bigger picture.” Could they, perhaps, become an instrument in offering even more grants to struggling
writers? Maybe even writers outside the group? But none of them had much money; what could they possibly do?

Before they knew it, they had a plan to create a foundation whose primary goal would be to circulate information and to raise money in order
to offer grants to little-known writers who, like them, wanted to make a difference in the world.
Thus the Hobson Foundation was born in 2004 (we hope to attain non-profit
status in the future), a group built by writers for writers.

For more information on our foundation, check our FACTS page.

Meet Our Board Members:

Our Director
Image of Cyndy

CM Phillips has an MA in the teaching of writing and over ten years experience teaching creative writing, literature, business English, and composition classes at various colleges throughout the United States. She has won numerous grant awards (which turned her into a BIG believer in the grants system) such as Gettysburg and York College's Travel & Professional Development Grants, Adam's County Enrichment Grant, Humboldt State University's Women's Enrichment Grant, and the Luster Family Foundation Grant (on behalf of the East Coast Exotic Animal Rescue). She has published in the Talking River, GoNomad, California State University Press, and Marine Mammals Public Display and Research, and she is completing the final drafting stages of her first novel. She dreams of helping others see beyond boundaries of nature and nurture.

Our Previous Advisory Board --WE BID A FOND FAIRWELL TO OUR PREVIOUS BOARD. WE COULDN'T HAVE OFFERED SO MANY WONDERFUL GRANTS AND CONTESTS WITHOUT YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR DIRECTION, YOUR ENTHUSIASM, AND YOUR BEAUTIFUL ENERGY!!

Image of Kevin Kevin McGonigal is a budding science fiction writer. He has publications in The Gettysburg Times, The Evening Sun, The Guardian, and SRBC's Technical Reports. He dreams of raising global consciousness towards understanding the nature of reality.

Image of Daena Daena Smith has spent more than a decade in education. Her experiences range from working with elementary school children and high school students to teaching a variety of writing, literature and critical thinking courses at Evergreen Valley Community College and West Valley Community College. Currently, Daena is pursuing research in the field of language, thought and the writing process so that she can help others discover the latest in neuroscientific research.

Image of Kim & Sebastian Kimberly Barth has a Master's degree in Fine arts and Poetry from Sarah Lawrence College. She has taught creative writing and composition classes at various colleges in the US and in Germany. Kimberly has published poetry in various literary journals such as Touchstone and Charter Oak Review (no longer in print), and she has also won grants from Adam County (PA) for designing a creative writing community workshop Series. She dreams of a world filled with hope and laughter.
Sebastian Barth is a former Fulbright Scholar, budding poet and artist. He has taught at Gettysburg College where he also worked with the Gettysburg Review. Previously, he received a grant for Sarah Lawrence College's summer writer's conference. He dreams of a world where peace is certain.

Please feel free to contact us at writers@hobsonfoundation.com (or by regular mail at 18 Circle Drive, Gettysburg, PA 17325) if you have any questions or if you have recommendations for sites listing pertinent information for writers....All the links listed on our website were given to us by writers who recommended their integrity; however, please follow these links at your own discretion.