Inevitable Foundation Expands Accelerated Fellowship in Partnership with Netflix, Establishes Grantees for Fall 2022

The nonprofit Inevitable Foundation, dedicated to breaking down barriers for middle-class screenwriters with disabilities, announced the expansion of its Accelerate Fellowship through an exclusive, multi-year commitment from the Netflix Fund for Creative Equity, also today with names like Monica Lucas and David Dineen-Porter as its fellows in the fall of 2022.

Formerly known as Inevitable’s Screenwriting Fellowship, the Accelerate Fellowship is an annual program that offers participants $40,000 in grants and the business and writing support they need to develop and sell their own content. The comprehensive program includes additional mentorship opportunities with industry experts and creatives, access to health insurance and extensive educational and community programs, including IP acquisition guidance.

The Inevitable Foundation has awarded more than $250,000 to screenwriters with disabilities since its inception in 2021. Fall 2022 grantees Lucas and Dineen-Porter join Spring 2022 grantees Sam Dunnewold and Anton Ray, Fall 2021 grantees Shaina Ghuraya, Greg Machlin and Aoife Baker, and Spring 2021 grantees Kalen Feeney and Shani Am. Moore.

Lucas is a neurodivergent Puerto Rican screenwriter who writes stylistic character dramas about women and girls struggling with the power of the systems that try to diminish it. She began as a political activist in Washington, DC, where she worked for the US State Department and various non-profit organizations and think tanks. She earned her MFA in screen and television writing from USC, has her first pilot in development and is a co-author of an upcoming narrative podcast. Lucas was the winner of the 2021 JHRTS Feature Drama and a finalist in the Moving Picture Institute’s Short Film Lab.

Dineen-Porter is a comedy writer with an interest in science fiction and absurdism, who has worked on magic for people on netflix, The Late Late Show with James Corden on CBS and Xavier: fallen angel on Cartoon Network. He also produces and hosts the surreal comedy podcast group of four.

“We are excited to partner with Netflix to launch the Accelerate Fellowship and accelerate the transition from writers with disabilities to senior creatives,” said Richie Siegel and Marisa Torelli-Pedevska, co-founders of the Inevitable Foundation. “Although people with disabilities make up more than 20% of the US population, less than 0.5% of first look and overall grades go to writers with disabilities, and 97% of writers’ rooms have no top-level writers with disabilities. Netflix’s multi-year commitment — the largest of any streamer, studio or network to date — is a clear endorsement of our pioneering approach to empowering the next generation of creators with disabilities. We are also very excited to welcome Monica and David as our Fall 2022 Accelerate Fellows.”

“I am thrilled to be selected as an Accelerate Fellow for fall 2022,” said Lucas. “Hollywood is a tough industry with complex social norms that remain unclear to many who try to penetrate it; Navigating with autistic people was a particular challenge. This award will put me on the path to success as I work to become a screenwriter who can break the stigma of other storytellers with disabilities.

“The Inevitable Foundation’s mission to provide specialized support to disabled creators has renewed my optimism about what is possible for me,” said Dineen-Porter. “The opportunity to hone my craft with professional guidance and such a supportive community of like-minded people is overwhelming.”

In the future, the Inevitable Foundation will move to an annual cycle for nominating new fellows and has updated its mid-level criteria, which now directs applicants to the programs for which they qualify. Prospective scholarship applicants can learn more about the Inevitable Foundation’s programs on their website and complete their program eligibility questionnaire. Those who qualify will be invited to apply for the 2023 cohort early next year.