Meryl Streep revealed at the Tribeca Film Festival this week that she would help fund a screenwriting lab designated for women over 40.
New York Women in Film and Television, the organization in which Streep is an active board member, will be responsible for overseeing the workshop titled The Writers Lab.
Several female celebrity mentors will work to help aspiring screenwriters through one-on-one meetings, as well as group gatherings.
According to Variety, Streep has already made a "significant" contribution to pay for the program.
Streep herself can vouch that it is often a struggle for aging women in Hollywood to obtain a noteworthy role.
In December, the 65-year-old actress told People that "youth-obsessed" culture has made employment difficult for people older than 40.
"When I was 40, I was offered three witch [roles]," she said in reference to her performance as a witch in 2014's "Into the Woods." "I was not offered any female adventurers or love interests or heroes or demons. ... I was offered witches because I was 'old' at 40."
"Once women passed childbearing age they could only be seen as grotesque on some level," she added.
The Writers Lab is the first of its kind, and was created "due to the absence of the female voice in narrative film, along with the dearth of support for script development," the organization's official website reads.
Applicants can submit scripts between May 1 and June 1, and the eight winning writers will work with mentors such as Kirsten Smith ("Legally Blonde"), Jessica Bendinger ("Bring It On"), Mary Jane Skalski ("The Station Agent") and Gina Prince-Bythewood ("Beyond the Lights") at a retreat in Lake George, N.Y, Sept. 18-20, People reported.
Details on applying can be found here.
