The Dunbar Prize awards $10,000 to a CLI staff or faculty member who identifies a sustainable source of income, funding, or professional opportunity capable of fully covering tuition for all CLI students for one year and who actively supports the completion and submission of the application.

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Named in honor of poet Paul Laurence Dunbar, the prize reflects the importance of creating access where opportunity has historically been limited. Despite his extraordinary talent and intelligence, Dunbar was unable to afford college and lived long before modern financial-aid systems such as FAFSA existed.

This award honors staff and faculty who use their knowledge, research, and initiative to help other writers secure the resources they need to continue their education, develop their work, and build sustainable creative careers.