Inevitable Foundation Evolves Accelerate Fellowship to Support More Disabled Film and TV Writers and Their Projects
By Netflix
L-R: Kaleen Feeney (Accelerate ‘21) and Shani Am. Moore (Accelerate ‘21)
Inevitable Foundation, a non-profit organization that invests in disabled writers and filmmakers, is evolving its Accelerate Fellowship and opening applications for the 2025 cohort.
New in 2025, the program will provide a six-month rewriting sprint for three disabled film or television writers to advance their projects. This year's program will also encourage nuanced disability representation in the projects themselves.
The program, sponsored by Netflix’s Fund for Creative Equity, will continue its focus on direct funding via $40,000 grants, along with the tools Fellows need to develop and sell their own projects: bespoke mentorship from industry leaders, a stipend to help cover health care costs, and community-building with other creatives.
“When we launched the fellowship in 2021, the program allowed writers to move between different pitches and scripts across both film and television. But as the industry evolves, the writing on the page matters more than ever and we are thrilled to be evolving this program to focus on rewriting a high-potential project,” say Inevitable Foundation co-founders Richie Siegel and Marisa Torelli-Pedevska.
Prospective applicants can learn more about the Accelerate Fellowship and check their eligibility on Inevitable Foundation’s website. They can also learn more about which of Inevitable Foundation’s larger suite of programs they can apply to by taking the Foundation’s Programs Eligibility Questionnaire. Those who meet the program’s eligibility criteria will be invited to apply for the 2025 cohort in the coming weeks.
Since 2021, the Accelerate Fellowship has dispersed over $500,000 in unrestricted grants to 15 disabled creatives and hosted 95 off-the-record conversations with writers and showrunners.
Accelerate Fellowship alumni include Sheridan O’Donnell (‘23 Fellow), who recently released his feature film LITTLE BROTHER through Gravitas Ventures; Ashley Eakin (‘24 Fellow), who recently wrote, directed, and produced the short film THIS BODY IS A SHELL, which premiered at the 2024 Slamdance Film Festival; and Marc Muszynski (‘23 Fellow), a writer on the Dexter: Original Sin prequel series on Paramount+ with Showtime.
