The Actors Fund Breaks Records with Over $10 Million Raised for COVID-19 Relief

Since the original announcement of the Broadway shutdown on March 12, the theater community has united to raise funds for The Actors Fund, the national human services organization for those involved in the performing arts and entertainment industries. The charity announced on May 14 that in just eight weeks it has raised a record-breaking $10,500,000 to help provide emergency financial assistance for those in need due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. That amount is more than five times the funds normally provided in one year for those in need of the organization's services.

“Looking at a number—even one as large as 10 million—doesn’t begin tell the whole story. In an instant, our friends and supporters, people like Rosie O’Donnell, Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley and others, began dreaming of entirely new fundraising models that would prove to be nothing short of lifesaving," The Actors Fund Board Chairman Brian Stokes Mitchell said in a statement. "In all my years working with The Fund, I’ve never been so moved, so inspired, or so grateful.” As previously reported, the one-night-only return of The Rosie O'Donnell Show presented by Broadway.com raised $600,000 for for the 138-year-old organization.

"It is an unbelievable honor to be able to do so much good for so many people, thanks to the unprecedented level of support we continue to receive," said Actors Fund President and CEO Joseph Benincasa. "It’s also important to note that this is by no means a victory lap. In the coming months, we anticipate helping our entertainment industry colleagues navigate issues such as union health insurance, the new COVID-economy, mental health support, addiction and recovery resources, affordable housing, securing government resources, and more. The level of need is overwhelming, and our work has only just begun.”

Through offices in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, The Actors Fund serves everyone in film, theater, television, music, opera, radio and dance with programs including social services and emergency financial assistance, health care and insurance counseling, housing, and secondary employment and training services. To lend your support, donate here.