Accelerate Fellowship
Investing in disabled film and television writers to develop and sell their own content.
APPLICATIONS OPEN
About
The Accelerate Fellowship is a four-month rewriting sprint that gives disabled film and television writers $30,000 in funding and bespoke mentorship to develop a spec script to market.
Through writers groups, one-on-one mentorship, guidance from the Inevitable Foundation staff, and access to leading film and television writers, the program offers disabled writers everything they need to get their script ready to take to market. This year’s program will also encourage nuanced disability representation in the projects themselves.
Benefits
Unrestricted Funding
A $30,000 unrestricted grant to cover living expenses so Fellows can focus full-time on writing.
Conversations & Workshops
Frequent conversations with leading writers and showrunners help Fellows get bespoke advice and build new connections.
Bespoke mentorship
Ongoing writing workshops, check-ins with the Inevitable team and pairing with mentors allow Fellows to sharpen their writing and pitching skills.
Community of Peers
Connecting with other disabled screenwriters both inside and outside of the Fellowship program will build a supportive community that will stay with Fellows as they grow.
The Accelerate Fellowship is supported by Netflix
In 2022, Lucas was named an Inevitable Foundation Accelerate Fellow. In the four years since, she’s leveraged the foundation’s various resources and larger ecosystem of programs — from the Emergency Relief Fund to the Visionary Fellowship — to build the skills and gain the relationships necessary to land her first staff writer credit on ABC’s upcoming drama The Rookie: North.
Fellow Spotlight: Monica Lucas
Program Impact
"Inevitable funded me for a year to stay home and write, which was incredible. But to me the more valuable part was the professional training. I had weekly workshops, was always having to turn in work, maintain deadlines, and keep relationships up. They sent me out on meetings and I got a lot of practice doing generals. They guided me in a way that was really helpful as a person on the autism spectrum. Inevitable helped me figure out how to navigate all of it."
Program Highlights
$720,000
in unrestricted grants to Fellows across five years and 7 cohorts.
53%
of grantees are women, BIPOC, nonbinary, and/or LGBTQ+.
95
off-the-record conversations with showrunners and writers.
36
mentorship connections with industry-leading writers.
From the Fellows
"The Inevitable staff are the best part of the Fellowship. They've taken so much time to support me through writing, pitching, and navigating my career. I have learned so much from all of them, and am deeply grateful."
"For years I was writing my scripts alone. Now I've got friends and peers who I regularly talk to about writing, career advice, and everything else Hollywood. That community is galvanizing, it's inspiring, it's made my work better and pushed my career forward."
Fellowship Timeline (2026)
Applications Open
May 2026
Semi-Finalist Interviews
July-August 2026
Fellows Selected
August 2026
Fellowship Begins
September 2026
Fellowship Ends
December 2026
FAQ
Eligibility
What are your eligibility requirements?
General eligibility requirements:
Self-identifies as disabled.
18 years of age or older.
Currently pursuing a career in writing for film or television.
Not enrolled in an accredited degree program.
Currently or previously has worked in the entertainment industry.
Applicants must also meet at least one (1) of the following criteria:
Has an agent or a manager
Member of the WGA, Animation Guild or equivalent union
Has sold a script, TV show, or pitch before
Has staffed on a TV show or received a writing credit on a movie
Has been or currently are in development with a major production company, studio, or network
Has placed in a prominent screenwriting competition
Has participated in or been selected for any screenwriting or filmmaking lab, program, or residency
Application
How do I apply for the Accelerate Fellowship?
If you are interested in the program, please fill out our Program Eligibility Questionnaire. If you meet the program eligibility requirements, we will email you if you are eligible.
What’s included in the application process for the Accelerate Fellowship?
The application process has been condensed to a single round and will be open from May 28, 2026 through June 17, 2026. After confirming your eligibility, you will be invited to:
Provide information about yourself and your writing career
Submit a writing sample, with a title and logline
Tell us more about the project you intend to work on through the fellowship
Answer a few short answer questions about your goals for the program
Semi-final applicants will then be invited to interview in early-to-mid August.
Do I need to be disabled to receive an Accelerate Fellowship?
Yes. The Fellowship is for individuals that self-identify as disabled. This includes physical, intellectual, developmental, visible or invisible disabilities, and mental health conditions.
Do you accept Accelerate Fellows from outside the United States?
Yes, however, Fellows must be available for meetings within the working day of US Pacific Time. Please note that interested parties from outside the United States are subject to additional review in order to comply with U.S. Treasury Department regulations.
Do you select writing teams as Accelerate Fellows?
Yes, however, if only one member of the writing team is disabled, only that person can receive the unrestricted funding associated with an Accelerate Fellowship. Your writing partner will still be invited to participate in mentorship, writers rooms and other program benefits. If both members of a writing team for the project you are applying with are disabled, you must apply as a team and split the unrestricted grant. Applicants that do not disclose the writers on the project in their application will be disqualified.
Does my script need to be finished to apply?
No, however, we will take the stage of a project and your goals for the program into account when making selections to ensure that you can make sizeable progress with your project during the program.
Do the projects need to be in specific genres?
You are free to submit a project from any genre, although we are currently seeing the most interest from the market in comedy, horror, thriller, rom-com, and young adult projects. You are welcome to submit traditional dramas but they are harder to get made in the market currently.
How commercial does the project need to be?
We are interested in projects that have a commercial sensibility, which we define as having a sizable audience that can be marketed to. While your project doesn’t need to be a blockbuster, it should have a clear and identifiable audience that is enthusiastic and large enough to support its success.
The Program
What does a normal week look like for an Accelerate Fellow?
As an Accelerate Fellow, every week can look different depending on what your specific project needs are.
Writers Rooms: We will have a biweekly hold for a writer’s workshop where you are able to submit materials a week in advance to receive feedback from your cohort in the room. If no one submits materials, we will release that hold for the week, but if another fellow submits work, we expect you to read and come prepared with thoughtful feedback.
Check-Ins: You'll have a recurring check-in with program staff every three weeks. The time is yours to use however feels most useful. Fellows have used it to discuss project notes, follow up on mentor requests, get career advice, or just vent about the industry.
Mentorship: Towards the beginning of the program, Inevitable Foundation staff will send out requests to potential mentors who you will help curate. If a mentor accepts, they are committing to two conversations with you, ideally centered around pushing your fellowship project forward.
Writer’s Therapy: You will be invited to join informal chats with some of the industry’s leading screenwriters and showrunners. These are off-the-record Q&A sessions where you are able to get unfiltered insights into the career journeys of some of the greats.
Community Building: Semi-regular informal & formal meetups—both digital and in-person—with current Accelerate Fellows and program alumni.
Can I complete the Accelerate Fellowship while employed?
Yes, with some caveats. The goal of the Accelerate Fellowship is to help you get more professional work as a writer (both development and staffing), so we’ll never ask you to turn down opportunities. However, to ensure the impact of the program, we do ask applicants to make sure they have enough time to commit fully to all the Fellowship entails, which we will assess in the application.
Can I complete the Accelerate Fellowship while in another fellowship or award program?
You can, but because of the workload associated with the Accelerate Fellowship and other industry fellowship programs, we don’t recommend trying to complete both at the same time.
Can I be chosen as an Accelerate Fellow if I’ve already benefited from another Inevitable Foundation program?
Yes. All our programs are designed to be complementary, and applying for/receiving benefits from one program does not exclude you from any others. Former Accelerate Fellows are not eligible to apply.
Does Inevitable Foundation own any of the material written by Fellows?
No, Fellows retain all of the rights to their work, including anything created or workshopped during the Fellowship.
Does the project need to incorporate disability into the script?
While incorporating disability into your fellowship project is not required, we encourage projects that have nuanced disability representation and a commercial sensibility.
Selection
Who makes selections for the Fellowship?
Inevitable Foundation’s staff, who work at the intersection of entertainment and disability, are in charge of evaluating applicants and selecting the Fellows.
When are new cohorts of Fellows selected?
The next cohort of Accelerate fellows will be selected Summer 2026.
How long is a Fellowship?
Each Accelerate Fellowship includes 4 months of funding and programming, and you are not required to participate in programming or submit any materials after that time. However, alumni are welcome at some community and industry-focused programming and are always encouraged to reach out to Inevitable staff as a resource.
Are scripts with attached actors, producers, or companies more likely to be selected?
No. In fact, the fewer attachments a project has, the better. The goal of the program is to either complete a first draft or do a major rewrite on the project, and the fewer cooks in the kitchen, the easier that will be. Once your script is the best it can be, you’ll be better positioned to find the best attachments for the project.
Reporting and more
What are the reporting requirements for the Accelerate Fellowship?
Fellows will be asked to complete an exit interview and experience survey at the end of the Fellowship to provide feedback on their experience.
What are the Accelerate Fellowship Terms and Conditions?
Read the Accelerate Fellowship Terms and Conditions
Have another question?
Email us at programs@inevitable.foundation