Natural Resources Defense Council Opens Submissions For 2024 Climate Storytelling Fellowship

EXCLUSIVE: The Natural Resources Defense Council, The Black List, The Redford Center and the CAA Foundation have announced the opening of submissions for the third cycle of their NRDC Climate Storytelling Fellowship, for the year 2024.

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A first-of-its-kind program supporting screenplays or pilots that engage with climate change in a meaningful and unique way, the fellowship has thus far supported half a dozen writers through grant funding and mentorship from creative professionals, as well as script feedback from NRDC’s team of climate experts. For this cycle, NRDC will also cover the cost of one month of hosting and one evaluation on the Black List website for all qualified screenplays. 

“The fellowship is part of NRDC’s Rewrite the Future program, which helps Hollywood tell stories about climate change and environmental justice,” said NRDC director of entertainment partnerships and fellowship founder Katy Jacobs. “We want to support great stories that engage with the personal and global impacts of our climate-altered world to help audiences reflect and find inspiration to build a better future.”

Each 2024 fellow will receive a $20,000 grant, as well as mentorship and creative support from industry professionals in further developing their climate stories, with mentors for this cycle to be announced next spring. Mentors from the 2022 and 2023 cycles have included Pamela Adlon (Better Things), Dorothy Fortenberry (Extrapolations), Roxane Gay (World of Wakanda), Sarah Treem (The Affair), Scott Z. Burns (Extrapolations) and Naren Shankar (The Expanse). 

In addition to creative mentorships and grant awards, fellows may have the opportunity to have their script reviewed by prominent studios, agencies and production companies including CAA, Hyperobject Industries, NBCUniversal, Participant, UTA and WME.

“The entertainment industry serves a unique role in driving awareness and action on climate change through powerful storytelling,” said Black List founder Franklin Leonard. “As audiences increasingly demand socially and environmentally conscious content, climate storytelling is becoming a critical element of the industry’s creative and business strategy. By incorporating climate themes into film, television, and other forms of media, we can raise awareness and inspire audiences to engage with this urgent issue and support the necessary action to mitigate its impact.”

Said CAA Foundation Executive Adam Umhoefer, “It is crucial that we champion emerging voices in the entertainment industry, especially those that give a fresh perspective to the climate movement. We must elevate stories and creatives that give the next generation an ever-evolving understanding of what it means to live in a climate altered world.”

“Historically, documentary films and nonfiction media have been the primary place to find climate stories, solutions, and hope. Finally we’re starting to see an industry shift. Climate stories are more commercially viable than ever before,” added The Redford Center’s Executive Director Jill Tidman. “Audiences want climate stories. They want to see their reality reflected on screen in fiction films and TV shows. They want a way into the conversation. That’s what this fellowship is about. It’s an invitation for screenwriters to both validate our climate reality and to deploy their creativity and imagination to help counter despair, envision a better future, and move people to act.”

Writers looking to participate in the program, which received over 500 submissions in its first two cycles, are encouraged to submit work that engages with climate themes in inclusive and compelling ways and depicts solutions that allow audiences to imagine a more just and equitable future — helping to expand the climate narrative beyond disaster and apocalypse. The fellowship also encourages the submission of stories that highlight communities most impacted by the climate crisis and stories that feature characters and communities working toward solutions. 

Past NRDC Climate Storytelling fellows include Elise H. Greven (Silent Spring), Jonathan Brebner (The Demon), Ellie Bambach Morello (American Refugees), Marlee Fox (And Away), Quinn Garrett Martin (This Light of Mine) and Joshua Ravenwood (S.O.S. Scoundrels of State).

Applications for the fellowship can be found on the Black List website through November 27th. Selected recipients will be announced no later than February 15, 2024. 

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