irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $412KACCELERATE FELLOWSHIPOUR ACCELERATE FELLOWSHIP IS A YEAR-LONG PROGRAM THAT GIVES MID-CAREER DISABLED SCREENWRITERS $40,000 IN UNRESTRICTED FUNDING, BESPOKE MENTORSHIP AND INDUSTRY CONNECTIONS TO HELP DEVELOP AND SELL THEIR OWN CONTENT. THE PROGRAM GIVES FELLOWS THE FINANCIAL STABILITY TO FOCUS ON THEIR WRITING CAREER FULL-TIME, EMPOWERS THEM WITH THE BUSINESS SKILLS TO ACCELERATE THEIR CAREER DEVELOPMENT AND OPENS UP A COMMUNITY OF PEERS TO BOND AND GROW WITH.
- #2 $154KVISIONARY FELLOWSHIPTHE VISIONARY FELLOWSHIP IS A YEAR-LONG PROGRAM THAT INVESTS IN DISABLED FILMMAKERS WITH THE FUNDING, MENTORSHIP AND COMMUNITY THEY NEED TO MAKE A SHORT FILM AND LEVERAGE IT INTO THEIR FIRST FEATURE FILM. THE PROGRAM IS UNIQUELY DESIGNED TO COVER THE TRANSITION BETWEEN MAKING A SHORT AND PREPARING AND PACKAGING A DEBUT FEATURE, ENSURING THEY HAVE AMPLE SUPPORT TO CONNECT THE DOTS BETWEEN THE TWO.
named programs · 5 · from sources
What they call their work
Accelerate Fellowship
Year-long program providing mid-career disabled screenwriters with $40,000 in unrestricted funding, mentorship, and industry connections to develop and sell their content.
Concierge
Service connecting showrunners and creative executives with top disabled writers for staffing and development opportunities.
Disability is Diversity Campaign
Initiative aimed at promoting disability representation and inclusion in media and entertainment.
Elevate Collective
Provides mid- and upper-level disabled screenwriters with $5,000–$10,000 professional development grants for mentorship, coaching, and career advancement; includes a podcasting track for disabled fiction podcasters.
Visionary Fellowship
Year-long program supporting disabled filmmakers with funding, mentorship, and community to produce a short film and prepare for their first feature film.
activities · 5 groups
What they do
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Emerging Filmmaker Support Programs 2 activities
- Connecting disabled talent with entertainment industry opportunitiesOperates a curated online talent directory and The Concierge, a personalized service that connects showrunners and creative executives with qualified disabled writers for staffing and development roles, facilitating direct industry access.
- Operating fellowship and workforce development programs for disabled creativesRuns structured fellowship programs—including the Accelerate Fellowship, Visionary Fellowship, and Elevate for Podcasters—that provide funding, mentorship, creative development, and industry access to disabled writers and filmmakers. The Accelerate Fellowship offers 4 months of programming annually, while the Visionary Fellowship is a year-long program supporting disabled filmmakers in producing short films and transitioning to feature development.
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Disability Rights Advocacy & Self-Advocacy Empowerment 1 activity
- Advancing disability equity through public advocacy campaignsRuns advocacy campaigns to promote equitable representation and policy change in the entertainment industry, including placing over 3,500 billboards across three campaigns to raise awareness and drive systemic employment change for disabled people.
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Film Production Funding and Fiscal Sponsorship 1 activity
- Funding disabled creatives through grantsProvides financial support to disabled writers, filmmakers, and creatives through multiple grant programs, including unrestricted funding, production grants, and emergency relief. Since 2021, has granted $1.4 million to support disabled talent, including $307,000 via the Elevate Collective (2022–2025) and $275,000 in 2025 for disabled writer-directors to produce short films as proof of concept.
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Direct Financial Assistance to Individuals 1 activity
- Operating emergency and hardship grant programs for disabled creativesProvides emergency cash assistance to disabled writers and filmmakers facing financial crises, including those impacted by the 2023 WGA Strike and the 2025 L.A. Wildfires. Distributed $120,000 in hardship grants to 128 creatives since 2023 and $22,000 in wildfire relief, with 95% of recipients reporting improved emotional wellbeing and 100% achieving improved financial stability within 30 days.
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Uncategorized 1 activity
- Conducting research on disability representation and inclusion in mediaConducts and publishes original research on the impact of disability representation and accessibility in film and television, including audience engagement, economic impact, and the financial consequences of unmet accommodation needs. Research outputs include survey data, budget templates, and access benchmarks to support industry change.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$2.11M
Contributions & grants$2.08M99%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$24K1%
Other revenue$1K
expenses
Total expenses$1.65M
Program expenses78%
Admin / overhead12%
Fundraising10%
Salaries & benefits$948K
Grants paid out$389K
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$1.43M
Cash$804K
Investments$22K
Liabilities$17K
Net assets$1.41M
Liquid reserves6.0 mo
3 years on record · 2022–2024 · YoY revenue +137.6%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 2
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| MARISA TORELLI-PEDEVSKA | HEAD OF WRITING PROGRAMS | 30 | $78K |
| RICHIE SIEGEL | PRESIDENT | 40 | $38K |
board members · 5
- ANDRAEA LAVANT — DIRECTOR
- BRANDON SONNIER — DIRECTOR
- LAUREN RIDLOFF — DIRECTOR
- REBEKAH KONDRAT — DIRECTOR
- SINEAD BURKE — DIRECTOR
relationships · 8
Who they work with
- Creative Executives Partner — Links creative executives with disabled writers via The Concierge to fill development and staffing roles.
- Julia Bicknell Partner — Mentor for Inevitable Foundation and supporter of its writers and creatives.
- L.A. Times Partner — Featured in The L.A. Times for commentary on labor conditions and disability in Hollywood.
- Lauren Ridloff Partner — Actor and board member who endorses the organization's content development and staffing pipeline.
- Netflix’s Fund for Creative Equity Funder — Exclusively supported the 2025 Visionary Fellowship program.
- Showrunners Partner — Connects showrunners with disabled writers through The Concierge service for staffing and development opportunities.
- The Rookie: North Partner — Hosted fellowship participant Monica Lucas as a staff writer.
- research@inevitable.foundation Partner — Contact point for organizations seeking disability insight or research collaboration
strategies · 3
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.
- Centering Disabled Creatives as Catalysts for Systemic Changemethodology: writer-centered changeBy investing in and empowering disabled writers and filmmakers as the starting point of storytelling, we transform representation and reduce stigma in media, because authentic narrative control by disabled people creates cascading change across production ecosystems and challenges inauthentic portrayals.
- Integrated Access as Foundational Practicemethodology: access-integrated programmingBy embedding disability access into every stage of film production and career development programming, we ensure equitable participation, because proactive integration—rather than retrofitting—removes barriers and models industry standards for inclusion.
- Research-Driven Advocacy for Structural Equitymethodology: disabled-scholar-led researchBy generating data through disabled scholar-led, mixed-methods research on disability and labor, we inform advocacy and systemic reform in entertainment, because evidence rooted in lived experience strengthens the case for artistic and financial equity and industry-wide policy change.