Bechdel Project Launches $5,000 Micro-Grant Program
The Road Back to Roe campaign will fund at least 20 presenters with $250 grants to offset production costs.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Women’s Issues
Live Poll
Would you support a theater event on abortion rights in your community?
The Bechdel Project has launched a $5,000 micro-grant program for its Road Back to Roe campaign, with at least twenty presenters set to receive $250 each. Four partner anchor theatres have also joined the campaign.
Why it matters
The grants are intended to help offset production costs for presenters staging the campaign's productions across the country. Additional donations will fund micro-grants beyond the initial 20 awards, extending access to more theatre groups.
The program totals $5,000 in funding, with at least twenty presenters receiving $250 grants each. Presenters in abortion-restricted states and those mounting fully staged productions receive additional lottery entries, and the total number of additional awards beyond the initial twenty remains undetermined.
The players
Bechdel Project
The Bechdel Project is an organization that promotes gender-equitable representation in theatre and runs the Road Back to Roe campaign.
Courtney Bailey
Courtney Bailey is a playwright who is waiving all performance royalties for the campaign and previously volunteered as a clinic escort in St. Louis, Missouri.
Rivendell Theatre Ensemble
Rivendell Theatre Ensemble is a Chicago-based theatre company that serves as one of the four partner anchor theatres for the campaign.
The details
Interested presenters register, download the script, and enter the weighted micro-grant lottery at bechdelproject.org. Registration closes November 30 at 11:59 pm EST, and playwright Courtney Bailey is waiving all performance royalties for the campaign. Rivendell Theatre Ensemble in Chicago is among the four partner anchor theatres.
Timeline
November 30, 2026: Micro-grant registration closes at 11:59 pm EST.
December 1, 2026: Micro-grant winners will be drawn.
December 15, 2026: Micro-grant payments will be distributed to presenters.
January 22, 2027: The anniversary of Roe v. Wade, toward which the campaign builds.
Roadmap
The campaign builds toward January 22, the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, using theatre as a platform to respond to the 2022 reversal of that decision. The micro-grants extend this effort by lowering production barriers for presenters across the country.
Theatre-goers in participating communities may see staged productions tied to the campaign as presenters use the $250 grants to offset costs. Interested presenters can register and enter the lottery at bechdelproject.org before the November 30 deadline.
The takeaway
Presenters who register early and meet the lottery criteria can access grant funds to help cover production costs. Readers interested in participating can follow the registration timeline ahead of the November 30 deadline.
What happens next
Micro-grant registration closes November 30, 2026 at 11:59 pm EST, winners will be drawn December 1, and payments will be distributed by December 15, 2026.
Further reading
For more on related reproductive rights coverage, explore Women’s Issues across the site.
More information
Register for the micro-grant lottery and download the play script through the Bechdel Project micro-grant registration page.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Broadway World.
Live Poll
Would you support a theater event on abortion rights in your community?
