Sally Menke Editing Fellowship Grant

Note: Because this application is by invitation only, you will need an access code to successfully submit your application. Please request an invitation and code by email.
Description of Fellowship
The Sally Menke Editing Fellowship will include the following elements:
Two editing mentors; collaboration with Sundance Institute staff to identify the mentors who will be available from July 2026 through May 2027. You will engage in monthly meetings with one or both of the mentors for advice on the editing process and potential opportunities for career development. When appropriate, there might be a key moment to observe mentors at work during an essential part of their process.
Invitation to join the American Cinema Editors as an associate member. Benefits include receiving the ACE CinemaEditor Magazine, invitations to events, and screeners, with the opportunity to vote for the Feature Film Best Editing categories as part of the ACE Awards.
Invitations to join periodic informal gatherings of the cohort of Menke fellows.
Invitation to join the Art of Editing event at the 2027 Sundance Film Festival, where the annual Menke fellow is announced.
Participation as an editor for two of the directing fellows at the 2026 Sundance Directors Lab (fellow must be available to attend in person at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, anticipated dates June 10–23, 2026).

Eligibility

The Sally Menke Editing Fellowship will support an emerging fiction editor who has served as lead editor for at least one, but no more than three fiction features and any number of shorts, documentary films, industrial films, or webisodes. Additionally, the ideal candidate is committed to continuing a career in editing, passionate about collaboration and the creative process, and open to exploration and experimentation in the editing room. We hope to find an editor based in either Los Angeles or New York City, but the fellowship is open to all editors based in the U.S.
Applicants must have working knowledge of editing equipment and be proficient in both AVID and Adobe Premiere.