NALIP Accelerator and Incubator Programs

Overview

The National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP) operates 4 core programs that support Latino filmmakers, writers, producers, and directors at different career stages. Founded in 1999, NALIP has grown to over 2 million members across 170 countries and maintains its headquarters in Los Angeles.

The Accelerator selects 12 creative teams developing their 1st or 2nd feature film or first episodic series. Teams receive a month-long mentoring process culminating in Hub Day at the NALIP Media Summit, where participants pitch to buyers, distributors, and financiers. The 2025 Media Summit brought together over 400 filmmakers and executives at NeueHouse Hollywood on June 26 to 27.

The Director Incubator, sponsored by Netflix through the Netflix Fund for Creative Equity, awards $35,000 per film to 5 selected directors producing narrative short films. The 2025 cohort includes Alejandra Vasquez, Natalie Jasmine Harris, April Maxey, Valeria Contreras, and Lindsey Villarreal. Alumni have premiered films at Cannes, Sundance, and Tribeca, with 4 short films from the 2021 cohort now streaming globally on Netflix.

NALIP membership is required for all programs. Membership costs $100 per year at the Associate Producer level or $399 per year at the Executive Producer level.

History

NALIP was founded in 1999 by a group of activists and academics in New York. The organization later relocated to Los Angeles to be closer to Hollywood executives and Latino industry groups. Executive Director Diana Luna currently leads the organization.

Key milestones include the 2009 launch of the Latino Media Market (now the Accelerator), the 2021 launch of the Narrative Short Film Incubator for Women of Color (now the Director Incubator) in partnership with Netflix, and the 2025 rebranding of the Women of Color Incubator to the Director Incubator. The 2025 Media Summit marked the organization's 25th anniversary, featuring speakers John Leguizamo, Cristela Alonzo, and Eugenio Derbez.

Award Value

NALIP programs differ significantly in what they provide:

Director Incubator: $35,000 production and post-production grant per film for 5 directors. The grant funds narrative short film production from pre-production through post-production. No stipend or cost-of-living component exists. The grant is restricted to production expenses, not unrestricted funds.

The Accelerator: No cash grant. Provides mentorship, market access, and one-on-one industry meetings at the NALIP Media Summit. The value lies in direct access to buyers and financiers.

STARZ #TakeTheLead Writers Intensive: No cash grant. Provides spec script development with mentorship from experienced television writers and executives.

Imaginar Producers Residency: 9-month residency for 3 Latinx producers, created in partnership with Film Independent, The Walt Disney Company, and Searchlight Pictures. No cash grant specified.

Eligibility

The Accelerator

• Must be a NALIP member
• The project must be the director's 1st or 2nd feature film or first episodic series
• Project must have a completed screenplay, pilot screenplay, 10-page treatment, or documentary proposal
• Each project must have a director, producer, or story of Latinx/e origin
• Applicants must confirm full availability for the in-person Market day and NALIP Media Summit

Director Incubator

• Must be a NALIP member
• Applicants must be emerging or mid-career filmmakers (emerging: at least 1 completed short film, web series, or independent project with festival or public release)
• The submitted project must be a narrative short film
• Applicant must tell stories from the perspective of women and gender-expansive people
• Projects must be in late development or pre-production, ready to enter production no sooner than 4 months after the deadline
• A producer must be formally attached
• A core creative team (director, writer, producer) must be identified at time of application
• Applicants must hold or share rights to the submitted project

STARZ #TakeTheLead Writers Intensive

• Must be a NALIP member
• Open to emerging television writers

Selection for all programs is open-application, not faculty-nominated. Applicants submit directly through the NALIP website.

Past Recipients

Director Incubator (2025-26 Cycle)

• Alejandra Vasquez: Mexican-American filmmaker from West Texas. Her short Folk Frontera won Best Texas Short at SXSW and screened on Independent Lens. Currently directing her debut feature about competitive high school mariachi teams in South Texas.
• Natalie Jasmine Harris: Award-winning Black queer filmmaker from Maryland. Her short Grace premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival and now streams on The Criterion Channel. Her NYU thesis film PURE won the 2020 DGA Student Film Award.
• April Maxey: Queer Chicana filmmaker from San Antonio, Texas. Her short Work premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival and won the Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding US Narrative Short at Outfest. Currently developing Work into a feature.
• Valeria Contreras: Award-winning filmmaker and adjunct professor at UTEP. Her incubator film Oranges is a proof-of-concept short for a feature screenplay developed through the El Paso Community Foundation border residency.
• Lindsey Villarreal: Selected from hundreds of submissions for her daring narrative and distinctive cinematic voice.

Director Incubator (2024 Cycle)

The 2024 cohort (then called Women of Color Incubator) included Sonia S. and Alba Roland Mejia, among others. Their completed films screened at the Diverse Women in Media Forum in April 2024.

What Made Their Application Stand Out

The Director Incubator selects filmmakers whose work demonstrates "daring narratives and distinctive cinematic voices." The selection committee evaluates 3 primary factors: the strength of the creative vision, the feasibility of producing the short within the incubator timeline, and alignment with the program's requirement to tell stories from the perspectives of women and gender-expansive individuals.

Valeria Contreras described her selection as rooted in how she and her producer "outlined how they would finance the project, presenting both the creative and practical aspects of making a film to NALIP." The committee responded to applicants who could articulate both the artistic vision and the production plan.

April Maxey's selection followed her Sundance premiere and Outfest Grand Jury win, demonstrating that the incubator targets filmmakers with existing festival traction who need production funding to take the next step. Her feature screenplay for Work was also selected for the Sundance x WIF Financing Intensive and the Gotham Week Project Market.

Natalie Jasmine Harris brought a Sundance premiere (Grace, 2024) and a DGA Student Film Award, signaling technical command and festival recognition. The incubator functions as a bridge for filmmakers with proven short film credentials who are developing proof-of-concept projects for features.

Renewal Requirements

All NALIP programs are one-time, non-renewable awards. The Director Incubator grant covers a single production cycle. Fellows cannot reapply for the same incubator in a subsequent year once selected.

The Accelerator accepts applications annually, and filmmakers who do not win in one year can apply again if they still meet eligibility requirements. The STARZ Writers Intensive operates on a similar annual cycle.

After completing a program, alumni retain access to the NALIP community and may apply to different programs if eligible. The Director Incubator explicitly serves as a stepping stone toward feature film or television development, not a recurring funding source.

Application Process

All applications are submitted through the NALIP website. Each program has its own application form, requirements, and timeline.

Application Timeline (2026 Cycle)

The Director Incubator 2025-26 cycle ran as follows: submissions opened July 18, closed August 1 at 11:59 PM Hawaii time, review period August 1 to 21, incubator opened September 1, script stage in September, development and team building in October, production October through November, post-production December through March, final post March to May, and screening at the NALIP Media Summit in June 2026.

Required Materials

• Project description including synopsis and treatment
• Pitch deck or project proposal
• Reel or work sample of previous projects
• Production timeline
• Budget topsheet
• Letter of support from a key mentor (for some programs)
• Core creative team information

NALIP Membership

Membership is required for all programs. Two tiers are available:

What Filmmakers Should Know

The Director Incubator is the most financially substantial NALIP program, offering $35,000 per film plus full-cycle mentorship from Netflix and NALIP executives. The program requires a producer attachment and a project in late development or pre-production, so filmmakers should not apply with just an idea. The 4-month production readiness window means your script, cast, and locations need to be nearly locked.

The key trade-off is the storytelling perspective requirement. The incubator exclusively funds narrative shorts told from the perspectives of women and gender-expansive individuals. Documentary filmmakers and feature directors should target the Accelerator instead, which accepts projects at any development stage but provides no cash grant.

NALIP membership at $100 per year is the minimum entry cost. The Accelerator offers the broadest access for feature filmmakers, connecting 12 teams directly with buyers and financiers at the Media Summit. Filmmakers with festival-accepted short films and a clear next project should prioritize whichever program matches their discipline and career stage.

Watch

See Also

For understanding how grants fit into a funding strategy, see Film Grants and Funding. To estimate production costs for a scholarship-supported project, use the Indie Film Budget Calculator. For evaluating the cost of applying against projected returns, use the Ad Spend Break-Even Calculator.