Snap Foundation grantee Inevitable Foundation has been flipping the script on access for disabled creatives for five years (as of January 1st). In that short amount of time, Inevitable has sustained tremendous growth and impact across the entertainment industry. In 2025 alone, Inevitable Foundation launched Inevitable Studios, a production company owned by Inevitable Foundation that develops, produces and markets film and television projects through a "subversive disability lens,” and completed the 12-month Visionary Fellowship, producing five short films from five disabled filmmakers.
The Inevitable Foundation works to “create a world where disabled people are valued on and off screen through four major pillars of impact; Grantmaking, providing fellowships and emergency grant dollars to disabled creatives year-round; Career Support, which offers customized development and support to artists at every stage of their careers through training, coaching, mentorships and more; Research, publishing leading industry research to educate and remove barriers; and Advocacy, driving innovative and highly visible initiatives to direct awareness and policy.
Amid the challenging and increasingly uncertain landscape the film industry is currently navigating, Inevitable Foundation's impact offers hope. Program participant accomplishments in 2025 include two feature films released, three scripts sold, two films in production and three TV writing credits.
In Fall 2025, Inevitable Foundation played a central role in supporting New York City Council’s Intro 1307, a first-of-its-kind bill proposing a public fund to cover disability accommodations on local film, TV, and theater productions. Alongside high-profile industry figures including Woody Harrelson, James Caverly, and Katy Sullivan, Inevitable provided testimony at an Oct. 23 City Hall hearing advocating for systemic solutions to long-standing accessibility barriers in entertainment.
City Council members repeatedly cited data from the Inevitable Foundation’s Cost of Accommodations Report, which demonstrates that access needs typically cost productions as little as 1% of a budget. This research was used by bill sponsor Chris Marte to counter misconceptions that accessibility is prohibitively expensive and to frame the bill as a practical, budget-neutral incentive for inclusive hiring.
Inevitable Foundation President Richie Siegel delivered testimony highlighting the stark underrepresentation of disabled creatives - 11% of New Yorkers have disabilities, yet less than 1% work behind the camera, and 28% of people in the U.S. have a disability, but less than 5% of the characters on screen and less than 1% of writers have disabilities - and explained how the proposed fund would offset minimal access costs while unlocking a large, untapped talent pool. Siegel emphasized that the fund would align New York with international best practices, normalize accessibility as a standard production cost, and reduce the financial disincentives that currently prevent producers from hiring disabled professionals.
Much of the hearing echoed findings from Inevitable’s 2022 report, including testimony from disabled artists who described paying thousands of dollars out of pocket for required accommodations. Inevitable’s leadership and data helped anchor the hearing in evidence-based policy, reinforcing the bill’s goal of strengthening the creative economy while advancing equity and representation across the industry.
Snap Foundation is proud to uplift organizations like Inevitable Foundation who are boosting the creative economy with purpose. To read more research, explore opportunities like the Accelerate Fellowship or the Visionary Fellowship or explore additional articles about Inevitable, visit their website here.
