Disabled LGBTQ+ Creatives Imagine a Better Tomorrow The Ford and Mellon Foundations invest in queer disabled cultural creatives. January 29 2021 7:08 PM EST In the fall of 2020 the Ford Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation announced an 18-month initiative to increase the visibility of disabled creatives and elevate their voices. Developed after the foundations spent a year researching how to better serve disabled artists, writers, filmmakers, and other creatives, the initiative will invest $1 million in supporting 20 disabled creators whose work “advances the cultural landscape,” as the foundations put it. Through the Disability Futures Fellowship, Ford and Mellon hope to address industry-wide problems in the arts, journalism, and film — including a lack of disability visibility, accessible professional development opportunities, and a national grant program that considers the unique financial challenges of disabled creatives.