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BECHDEL PROJECT
BROOKLYN, NY · EIN 811445790 · Form 990EZ · FY2024 · NTEE A60 · Arts, Culture & Humanities · Micro (<$100K) · bechdelproject.org
revenue
$64K
expenses
$34K
net assets
$30K
employees
—
mission · from form 990

TO PROMOTE THE PERFORMING ARTS AND THE PRESENCE OF WOMEN IN FILM, THEATRE AND PERFORMING ARTS, AND TO EXPAND THE AVAILABILITY, BREADTH AND DIVERSITY OF ROLES FOR WOMEN IN THESE MEDIUMS, WITH A PARTICULAR EMPHASIS ON PROMOTING PERFORMING ARTS THAT SATISFY THE "BECHDEL TEST" WHICH ASKS WHETHER A WORK OF FICTION FEATURES AT LEAST TWO WOMEN WHO TALK TO EACH OTHER ABOUT SOMETHING OTHER THAN A MAN.

profile · synthesized from sources

The Bechdel Project is a Brooklyn-based nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing gender equity in the performing arts by supporting women, non-binary, and underrepresented gender-identifying artists. It promotes feminist storytelling through residency programs, national performance initiatives, and the development of works that meet the Bechdel Test criteria. The organization fosters artistic voices from across the U.S., particularly those from regions with limited support for reproductive and gender rights.

named programs · 3 · from sources

What they call their work

FIFE Fellowship
Fellowship program supporting early-career women and non-binary writers in film, television, and theater through mentorship and professional development
Interstate Initiative
National campaign to produce Courtney Bailey’s play "The Pavement Kingdom" in all 50 states as a creative act of resistance around reproductive rights, including micro-grants and promotional support
ROO Residency
Two-year residency program for feminist playwrights and theater artists to develop new works, including dedicated studio space, retreats, and staged readings
activities · 4 groups

What they do

  • Artist Residencies and Studio Programs 4 activities
    • Feminist arts incubator and residency programs
      Offers a two-year residency program providing studio space, financial support, mentorship, retreat opportunities, and public presentation platforms for artists developing new works for stage or screen that center women and underrepresented narratives. The program includes selected ROO Residents and supports the development of mission-aligned theatrical and screen-based works.
    • Provision of free creative and studio space
      Provides no-cost access to studio space, equipment, warehouse shopping at Materials for the Arts, locker storage, and fiscal sponsorship (2% fee) to individual artists and community groups creating work that amplifies voices of women, nonbinary, and underrepresented genders. Includes up to 72 hours of studio access and ongoing support for mission-aligned projects.
    • Solidarity economy programming in the arts
      Operates a Cooperative Cohort that advances solidarity economy practices by enabling artists to exchange volunteer support (27 hours over three months) for access to creative space and collaborative development of mission-aligned work, fostering mutual aid within the arts community.
    • Support for feminist artists from restricted states
      Supports feminist artists from states actively suppressing reproductive rights by providing studio space, resources, and mentorship in NYC to develop and share their work with New York audiences, enabling artistic expression under politically challenging conditions.
  • New Play Development Programs 3 activities
    • Artist development through retreats and workshops
      Provides intensive writing retreats in Brooklyn and Germany, facilitates staged readings and workshops of new works such as Invisi(bility), and supports individual artists like Jeanne Dorsey with research funding, director training, and production opportunities at venues like Ensemble Studio Theatre.
    • Arts-based education and workshop programming
      Offers education programming ranging from single workshops to semester-long residencies for students and faculty, including 3-day, 1-week, and 6-week intensive programs focused on writing and performing original works that pass the Bechdel Test. Programs culminate in staged readings or full performances of student-created theatre centered on female narratives.
    • Production and presentation of feminist performances
      Produces and hosts staged readings, performances, and events such as "My Body, My Voice: A Night of Performance and Activism" and "Mavens of St. Catherines Island," often including talkbacks for community engagement, as part of its mission to amplify feminist and activist voices.
  • Community Art Education Workshops 1 activity
    • Equity, diversity, and inclusion training for organizations
      Provides equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) programming for corporations using interactive methods to increase awareness, empower social change, and transform organizational culture through arts-based engagement.
  • Community-Engaged Public Art Projects 1 activity
    • Interstate artistic exchange and creative resistance initiative
      Organizes a nationwide initiative to present "The Pavement Kingdom" in all 50 states by January 22, 2027, as an act of creative resistance marking the Roe v. Wade anniversary. Also runs an exchange program that brings artistic projects from states where women's rights are under threat to New York City for development, collaboration, and public presentation.
financials · form 990EZ · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$64K
Contributions & grants$48K74%
Program service revenue$17K26%
Investment income——
Other revenue$70
expenses
Total expenses$34K
Program expenses—
Admin / overhead—
Fundraising—
Salaries & benefits$12K
Grants paid out—
balance sheet
Total assets$55K
Cash—
Investments—
Liabilities—
Net assets$30K
4 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +90.4%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 2
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
JENS RASMUSSEN TREASURER & SECRETARY 20 $6K
MARIA APARO PRESIDENT 25 $6K
relationships · 52

Who they work with

  • Ars Nova Playgroup Partner — Member organization where FIFE Fellow Else Went is involved.
  • Atlanta Reclamation Studios Partner — Partnered with Bechdel Project for the Interstate Initiative's pilot project featuring "Mavens of St. Catherines Island."
  • Barn Arts Collective Partner — Provided a residency to FIFE Fellow Else Went.
  • Breaking the Binary Festival Partner — Commissioned FIFE Fellow Else Went.
  • Canadian Film Centre Partner — Selected FIFE Fellow Imogen Grace for its Bell Media Prime Time TV Program in 2020.
  • City Council Government — Partner in providing public funds through the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs to support community space grants.
  • City Council Government — Partners with the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs to support Bechdel Project's programs through public funds.
  • Courtney Bailey Partner — Collaborates with Bechdel Project on the Interstate Initiative by waiving royalties for performances of The Pavement Kingdom.
  • Dramatists Guild Network — ROO Resident Nikki Brake-Sillá is a proud member, indicating affiliation and shared professional network.
  • Ensemble Studio Theatre Partner — Co-presented a staged reading of The Kit: Made by Martha as part of the 2023 First Light Festival.
  • Florida Studio Theatre Partner — Commissioned FIFE Fellow Else Went.
  • Imaginarium Theatre Company Partner — Hosted a reading of FIFE Fellow Courtney Taylor's play The Warren Commission Spectacular in spring 2022.
  • LaGuardia Performing Arts Center Partner — Co-produced "My Body, My Voice: A Night of Performance and Activism" with Bechdel Project.
  • LaGuardia Performing Arts Center Partner — Hosted a workshop and reading of the first draft of Invisi(bility).
  • Lehigh University Partner — Current institution where FIFE Fellow Courtney Taylor is a Master’s student and Teaching Fellow.
  • MacDowell Colony Partner — Hosted FIFE Fellow Else Went as a former fellow.
  • Magritte & Rosen Partner — Co-produced "My Body, My Voice: A Night of Performance and Activism" with Bechdel Project.
  • Manhattan Theatre Club Partner — Commissioned FIFE Fellow Else Went via the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation for the play An Oxford Man.
  • Materials for the Arts Partner — Provides FIFE CoHo artists with access to warehouse shopping for materials.
  • National Organization of Women Partner — Coalition member in the 1970 Ladies’ Home Journal Sit-In, referenced as part of the historical context informing ROO residency projects.
  • New Play Exchange Partner — Platform where multiple FIFE Fellows (Paloma Monfiletto, Courtney Taylor, Else Went) are listed and share their work.
  • New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Funder — Provides public funds to support Bechdel Project's programs in partnership with the City Council.
  • New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Government — Provides partial public funding for Bechdel Project's programs in partnership with the City Council.
  • New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Government — Provides public funding support to Bechdel Project's programs in partnership with the City Council.
  • New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Government — Provides public funds for Bechdel Project's programs in partnership with the City Council
  • New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Government — Provides public funds to support Bechdel Project's programs in partnership with the City Council.
  • New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Government — Public funder supporting Bechdel Project's programs in partnership with the City Council
  • New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Government — Public funder supporting the Community Space Grants program in partnership with the City Council.
  • New York State Council on the Arts Funder — Funds Bechdel Project's programs with support from the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
  • New York State Council on the Arts Funder — Primary funder enabling Bechdel Project's programs with support from the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
+ 22 more
strategies · 5

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.

  • Art-as-Activism Through Shared Storytelling
    methodology: art-as-activism, coordinated-national-art-movement
    By producing accessible, low-cost performances of the same play across geographically dispersed communities, the organization fosters national dialogue on reproductive rights and bridges political divides, because shared narrative experiences can drive cultural change and mobilize collective action.
  • Bechdel Test as Narrative Equity Framework
    methodology: Bechdel Test framework
    By using the Bechdel Test as an evaluative and generative framework, the organization promotes works that feature meaningful representation of women and center women's voices in narrative creation, because structured criteria can shift cultural production toward gender equity in the arts.
  • Ensemble-Devised, Interdisciplinary Creation
    methodology: devised ensemble theater, transdisciplinary performance practice, ensemble-based theatre creation
    By using ensemble-based, devised methods across disciplines and spaces, the organization fosters collaborative, activist-oriented theater that blurs art and lived experience, because collective authorship and physical practice deepen engagement and expand independent theater communities.
  • Intersectional and Decolonial Arts Practice
    methodology: intersectional feminism, decolonization-and-reconciliation
    By integrating intersectional feminism and decolonization principles into programming, the organization dismantles systems of white supremacy and colonialism in the arts, because equitable representation requires addressing overlapping oppressions and uplifting BIPOC voices in culturally responsive collaboration.
  • Reciprocal Solidarity Economy in the Arts
    methodology: solidarity_economy, reciprocal_artist_support_model, reciprocal_partnership_model
    By exchanging creative resources for volunteer service and requiring reciprocal promotion, the organization builds a sustainable, community-driven cultural ecosystem, because mutual support and shared visibility strengthen artistic networks and advance economic justice in the arts.