--- description: Meryl Streep has funded the formation a writers lab that aims to encourage female screenwriters over 40 title: Meryl Streep Funds Writers Lab for Female Screenwriters image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [celebrities](/tag/celebrities/) ## celebrities Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Meryl Streep Funds Writers Lab for Female Screenwriters  by [Justin Worland](/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Senior Correspondent Apr 19, 2015 9:22 PM CUT  by [Justin Worland](/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Senior Correspondent Apr 19, 2015 9:22 PM CUT A new writers lab [announced](http://variety.com/2015/film/news/meryl-streep-women-screenwriters-lab-1201475337/ "undefined") Sunday that will encourage women over 40 will be funded by Meryl Streep. _Variety_ reports the project, which received a “significant” contribution from Streep, will be called Writers Lab. It will be run jointly by New York Women in Film and Television, which Streep has long supported, and IRIS, a group of female filmmakers. Eight female screenwriters over the age of 40 who have successful submissions, accepted from May 1 to June 1, will receive the mentorship of successful female filmmakers and attend a retreat in upstate New York. Mentors in the inaugural program will include producer Caroline Kaplan, of _Boyhood_, and writer Kirsten Smith, of _Legally Blonde_. \[[_Variety_](http://variety.com/2015/film/news/meryl-streep-women-screenwriters-lab-1201475337/ "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3827653/meryl-streep-female-screenwriters/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3827653/meryl-streep-female-screenwriters/"},"headline":"Meryl Streep Funds Writers Lab for Female Screenwriters","datePublished":"2015-04-19T21:22:52.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T06:30:21.813Z","description":"The size of Streep's contribution is said to be \"significant\"","url":"https://time.com/3827653/meryl-streep-female-screenwriters/","keywords":["celebrities","movies"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Justin Worland","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/justin-worland/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/celebrities/","name":"celebrities"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3827653/meryl-streep-female-screenwriters/","name":"Meryl Streep Funds Writers Lab for Female Screenwriters"}}]}] ```