Chicken & Egg Films (Egg)celerator Lab

Overview

The (Egg)celerator Lab is a year-long fellowship program from Chicken & Egg Films (formerly Chicken & Egg Pictures) that awards $40,000 USD in grant funding to each selected filmmaker, alongside mentorship, two creative retreats, tailored industry meetings, and peer support. The program targets women and gender-expansive directors working on their first or second feature-length documentary (48 minutes or longer). Approximately 9 filmmakers are selected per cohort, meaning the program distributes roughly $360,000 in direct grants each cycle. The 2026 cohort was announced in early 2026, with the program distributing $450,000 in new grants across the full fellowship package.

The program was founded in 2016 as the Accelerator Lab and was later renamed to reflect the organization's expanded eligibility criteria, which now include all gender-expansive identities (women, non-binary, trans, third-gender, two-spirit, and agender individuals). Chicken & Egg Films has supported over 500 filmmakers and films to date. The (Egg)celerator Lab is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York Community Trust, among other donors.

If you are a gender-expansive documentary filmmaker in early-to-mid production on your first or second feature, this is one of the most substantial single-grant opportunities available. The $40,000 award size, combined with the year-long mentorship structure, places it among the higher-value documentary fellowships in the US nonprofit film funding landscape.

What It Provides

Each (Egg)celerator Lab fellow receives:

• $40,000 USD in grant funding for the production of their feature-length documentary
• Mentorship with Chicken & Egg Films team members, matched to each project's specific needs and stage
• Two creative retreats focused on career building and creative development
• Tailored industry meetings and funder connections organized by Chicken & Egg Films staff
• Travel stipend for the director and producer upon acceptance to a forum or market during the program year
• Peer support through a cohort of approximately 9 fellow gender-expansive documentary filmmakers

The year-long program structure distinguishes the (Egg)celerator Lab from one-time grant awards. Fellows develop their projects and careers within a sustained support framework that includes ongoing professional development, community building, and industry access. The travel stipend for forum or market attendance is a separate benefit from the $40,000 production grant and is triggered when a fellow's film is accepted into a qualifying industry event.

Eligibility

Applicant Eligibility

1. Identity: Must identify as a woman or gender-expansive filmmaker. Co-directing teams where one director is a woman or gender-expansive filmmaker are also eligible. Applicants who do not meet the targeted demographic criteria may still apply; their applications will be evaluated based on the merit and strength of the proposed project.
2. Career stage: Must be directing their first or second feature-length documentary (48 minutes or longer). A first-time director has never completed a feature-length documentary. A second-time director has already completed and premiered one feature-length documentary.
3. Geography: Open to filmmakers based anywhere in the world, except countries or regions under comprehensive US sanctions.

Project Eligibility

1. Format: Must be a documentary or nonfiction film, including hybrid documentaries. VR, interactive, branded content, or fiction films are not eligible.
2. Length: Must be intended as a feature-length film of 48 minutes or longer. Short or medium-length films and series are not eligible.
3. Production stage: Must be in early to mid-production at the time of applying. Chicken & Egg Films recommends having between 10% and 60% of your footage shot by the application date.
4. Independence: Must be independently produced. Works-for-hire and student films produced in an undergraduate or graduate program are not eligible. If you started a film in school and are now independently working on the project, it can be considered.

Fiscal Sponsorship

You do not need a fiscal sponsor to apply. However, if awarded, you must secure a US fiscal sponsor or be a 501(c)(3) to receive the funds. Chicken & Egg Films can advise on finding a fiscal sponsor. There is a 12-week period following notification in which you must secure a fiscal sponsor, and the grant must be disbursed within the program year.

Application Process

Applications are submitted through the Chicken & Egg Films online portal. The application requires a project description, filmmaker statement, work sample (footage from the current project), budget summary, and production timeline. The 2026 cycle had a deadline of April 29, 2025 at 11:59 PM ET. The application reopens in early 2026 for the 2027 cycle. The 2027 Program and Application Guide is available on the Chicken & Egg Films website.

You cannot apply with the same project for both the Research and Development Grant and the (Egg)celerator Lab in the same year. If you submit the same project to both programs, your Lab application will be disqualified without review. You may only apply with one project per cycle.

For questions about eligibility or project fit, contact egglab_opencall@chickeneggfilms.org.

Relationship to Other Chicken & Egg Programs

Chicken & Egg Films operates four distinct programs:

• (Egg)celerator Lab: For first or second feature documentary filmmakers in production (this entry)
• Research and Development Grant: For filmmakers who have completed at least one feature documentary and are in the research or development phase of their next project
• Chicken & Egg Award: For women and gender-expansive filmmakers at advanced career stages, recognizing creative and impact trajectories
• Project: Hatched: For filmmakers implementing a strategic impact and engagement plan for a finished film

Filmmakers earlier in their careers should target the Lab. Those with an established feature track record should look at the R&D Grant or the Award.

Past Recipients and Notable Films

The (Egg)celerator Lab has launched some of the most acclaimed documentaries by women and gender-expansive filmmakers of the past decade. Specific alumni and the films they made through the program:

• Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh - Writing With Fire (2021) - (Egg)celerator Lab. Academy Award nominee for Best Documentary Feature. Won the Sundance Audience Award and Special Jury Impact for Change Award. Documents India's only newspaper run by Dalit women.

• Jessica Kingdon - Ascension (2021) - (Egg)celerator Lab. Academy Award nominee for Best Documentary Feature. Won Tribeca Best Documentary Film. An observational documentary about China's industrial supply chain.

• Isabel Castro - Mija (2022) - (Egg)celerator Lab 2021. Premiered at Sundance 2022. Distributed by Disney+. A documentary about daughters of immigrants in the music industry.

• Alison O'Daniel - The Tuba Thieves (2023) - (Egg)celerator Lab 2021. Premiered at Sundance, distributed via PBS Independent Lens. An experimental documentary about sound and the deaf experience.

• Jude Chehab - Q (2023) - (Egg)celerator Lab 2021. Won the Cinema Eye Honors Spotlight Award. A documentary about a Muslim women's organization.

What Makes a Competitive Application

1. First or second-time feature director status - The Lab is specifically for nonfiction directors working on their first or second feature-length documentary (48+ minutes). This is a strict eligibility criterion.
2. Woman or gender-expansive director - Must identify as a woman or gender-expansive filmmaker. Co-directing teams where one director meets this criterion are eligible.
3. Production stage alignment - Projects must be in development or up to mid-production (no more than 40% of footage shot by application date). Not for projects in research phase or with locked picture.
4. Strong character-driven narratives - Successful applications typically feature compelling character access and clear narrative arcs. The funder looks for films that help foster important conversations about the issues they address.
5. International welcome - International filmmakers are encouraged to apply, making this a more globally accessible program than some other Chicken & Egg initiatives.

Who Should Apply

Women and gender-expansive documentary filmmakers working on their first or second feature-length documentary who are in early to mid-production (10-60% of footage shot) and who want a structured, year-long fellowship combining $40,000 in grant funding with mentorship, retreats, industry access, and peer community. The program is open to international filmmakers, not only US-based applicants. Filmmakers who want sustained development support over a single cash award will benefit most from this program.

See Also

For the Chicken & Egg R&D Grant for established filmmakers, see the Chicken & Egg Pictures entry. For documentary financing strategy, see Documentary Financing: Building Your Stack. For estimating production costs and budgeting your documentary, use the Indie Film Budget Calculator.