named programs · 2 · from sources
What they call their work
(Egg)celerator Lab
Year-long program offering $40,000 in production funding, mentorship, creative retreats, and industry access to first- and second-time women and gender-expansive documentary filmmakers.
Research & Development Grant
Provides $10,000 for research and $20,000 for development to women and gender-expansive filmmakers working on their next feature-length documentary, supporting early-stage ideation and planning.
activities · 6 groups
What they do
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Emerging Filmmaker Support Programs 7 activities
- (Egg)celerator Lab programSupports first- and second-time nonfiction filmmakers through $40,000 in grant funding for feature-length documentary production, year-long mentorship, and creative retreats. In 2025, nine filmmakers received grants through this program.
- AlumNest programProvides ongoing support to more than 500 women and gender-expansive documentary filmmakers globally through peer networks, online and in-person learning spaces, small group mentorship, and exclusive resources.
- Career-advancing mentorship and professional developmentProvides year-long mentorship, one-on-one consultations, tailored industry meetings, and peer-to-peer cohort calls to strengthen the creative and professional infrastructure of documentary filmmakers across multiple programs.
- Chicken & Egg Award programRecognizes women and gender-expansive documentary filmmakers at advanced stages of their careers with a $75,000 award, including $50,000 in unrestricted funding and $25,000 for project-specific support. In 2026, awarded $450,000 in grants to six filmmakers through this program.
- Grantmaking and mentorship reachHas provided over $15 million in grants and thousands of hours of creative mentorship to more than 500 documentary filmmakers globally across all programs.
- Research & Development Grant programProvides grants of $10,000 for research or $20,000 for development to support women and gender-expansive filmmakers in the early stages of feature documentary projects. In 2025, funded 29 projects with a total of $450,000.
- Support for risk-taking and collaborative documentary approachesTargets documentary filmmakers who demonstrate collaborative and risk-taking methods and who have unique access to their subjects, integrating this focus across grantmaking and mentorship programs.
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Professional Networking Events 1 activity
- Creative retreats and in-person gatheringsOrganizes two in-person creative retreats annually for participating filmmakers to foster creative development, peer connection, and engagement with industry leaders. In 2025, these retreats were relocated to Canada to improve international accessibility.
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Film Production Funding and Fiscal Sponsorship 1 activity
- Partnerships and funding supportReceives funding from Netflix for the Research & Development Grant program and in-kind support from Baker Hostetler, The Ford Foundation, and Two Trees Cultural Space Subsidy Program to advance filmmaker services.
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Film Distribution and Screening Programs 1 activity
- Project: HatchedSupports filmmakers in implementing strategic impact and engagement plans for their completed documentary films, providing resources and guidance to maximize public reach and social impact.
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Film Festival and Screening Programming 1 activity
- Work-in-Progress (WIP) ShowcaseHosted at DOC NYC, this event features documentary films from Chicken & Egg Pictures grantees, providing visibility and industry exposure. In 2025, showcased six international documentary projects.
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Uncategorized 1 activity
- Film recognition and impactSupports documentary films that have gone on to receive Academy Awards, Emmy Awards, and Peabody Awards, reflecting the program’s impact on high-achieving nonfiction storytelling.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$5.57M
Contributions & grants$5.27M95%
Program service revenue$14K0%
Investment income$275K5%
Other revenue$11K
expenses
Total expenses$4.68M
Program expenses83%
Admin / overhead11%
Fundraising6%
Salaries & benefits$1.97M
Grants paid out$1.35M
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$9.59M
Cash$1.27M
Investments$5.69M
Liabilities$204K
Net assets$9.39M
Liquid reserves17.8 mo
4 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +67.5%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 3
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| JENNIFER WOLFSON | CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER | 40 | $294K |
| SARAH ANDERSON | CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER | 40 | $204K |
| KIYOKO MCCRAE-FOSTER | PROGRAM DIRECTOR | 40 | $176K |
board members · 13
- ALEX SIMON — DIRECTOR
- DAVID LEE — DIRECTOR
- DEEPA DONDE — DIRECTOR
- FELIX ENDARA — DIRECTOR
- JULIA PARKER BENELLO — DIRECTOR
- LESLIE BELZBERG — DIRECTOR
- MARJAN SAFINIA — SECRETARY
- MEREDITH CHIN — DIRECTOR (THROUGH FEBRUARY 2024)
- NANCY STEPHENS — DIRECTOR
- NEKISA COOPER — PRESIDENT
- PATTY QUILLIN — DIRECTOR
- SUSAN MARGOLIN — TREASURER
- WENDY ETTINGER — DIRECTOR
relationships · 11
Who they work with
- Baker Hostetler Partner — Provides in-kind legal support
- Chicken & Egg Films Partner — Administers the Chicken & Egg Award in partnership with awardees and industry stakeholders.
- DOC NYC Partner — Collaborates with DOC NYC to host the Work-in-Progress Showcase for documentary filmmakers.
- Documentary Magazine Partner — Collaborated with Chicken & Egg Films to announce the 2026 Chicken & Egg Award recipients.
- Filmmaker Magazine Partner — Collaborated with Filmmaker Magazine to announce the 2026 (Egg)celerator Lab grantees.
- Netflix Funder — Primary funder of the 2026 Research & Development Grant
- Netflix Partner — Supports the Chicken & Egg Films Research & Development Grant program.
- New York Community Trust Funder — Provides partial support for the (Egg)celerator Lab program.
- Rockefeller Brothers Fund Funder — Provides partial support for the (Egg)celerator Lab program.
- The Ford Foundation Partner — Provides in-kind support
- Two Trees Cultural Space Subsidy Program Partner — Provides in-kind cultural space support
strategies · 2
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Community-Informed Impact Campaigns for Social Changemethodology: community_informed_impactBy requiring alignment between a film’s narrative and its impact campaign, and by shaping campaigns through collaboration with communities and stakeholders, the organization ensures that documentaries lead to feasible and authentic social change because strategic coherence and community ownership increase real-world impact.
- Integrated Support Model for Impactful Storytellingmethodology: integrated_support_modelBy combining strategically-timed grant funding with mentorship and community-building, the organization supports women and gender-expansive filmmakers to create authentic, high-impact documentaries because sustained, holistic support increases both creative capacity and social change potential.