Over a century ago, when actors and others in the theatrical profession needed help, they had nowhere to turn. The more successful members of the entertainment community decided to assist those who were less fortunate in the industry by collecting money from their peers. Thus, in 1882 The Actors' Fund was founded with a tradition of “taking care of our own.”
The Actors’ Fund’s mission is “to advance, foster and benefit the welfare of all professionals in the entertainment community who are in need of help, ensuring that these efforts are accomplished with compassion, confidentiality and preservation of dignity for the individuals concerned.”
Programs—A Continuum of Care
The Actors’ Fund provides comprehensive human services, enhanced by a variety of specialized programs, in addition to emergency grants for essentials such as food, rent and medical care. Services are designed to meet the needs of entertainment professionals throughout their lives including personalized case management and counseling, training and seminars.
Social Services
Services To Employable Professionals (STEP) addresses the needs of members of the entertainment community by focusing on the unique challenges of those with inconsistent incomes. Services include assessment and referral, individual and group counseling, financial management seminars and emergency financial assistance.
Mental Health Services provide evaluation and referral to a wide network of clinical providers, who are familiar with industry issues and offer high-quality, affordable services. Intensive case management and short-term treatment may be provided by Actors’ Fund's licensed social workers.
The AIDS Initiative helps those who are living with HIV/AIDS by ensuring that they receive the care and support services necessary to cope with the disease. The Fund offers HIV support groups, benefits advocacy, care partner support services, a return-to-work program, as well as HIV-related counseling and financial assistance.
Chemical Dependency Services assist entertainment professionals, their families, and industry employers to identify and respond to drug and alcohol addiction problems. By staying involved through the recovery process, Fund social workers help individuals through the transitions of treatment and provide ongoing support.
Senior and Disabled Program coordinates entitlements, home health care services and medical care for retirees and the disabled to help them remain independent in the community. Home and hospital visits are made as needed, and referrals to community-based elder care programs are available nationally.
Funeral and burial arrangements have been provided by The Fund since 1904.
Phyllis Newman Women’s Health Initiative identifies and addresses health issues which impact women in the entertainment industry and enhances The Fund's health-related services for women.
Musicians Assistance Program provides a full range of services on-site at the offices of the American Federation of Musicians Local 802 in New York City.
Vocational Services
The Actors’ Work Program with offices in New York City and Los Angeles, offers individual career counseling, workshops, tuition grants and scholarships for entertainment union members nationwide, and provides job listings throughout the nation.
AIDS Training and Education Project combines an Actors’ Fund social worker, in conjunction with an Actors’ Work Program career counselor, in assisting colleagues who are living with AIDS to deal with an important implication of their suddenly increased life expectancies—the possibility of returning to the workplace. ATEP addresses a critical need among entertainment professionals who are living with AIDS by providing training, education and counseling to help them achieve this return-to-work goal—a goal which was out of reach until recent medical developments.
Supportive Housing
Nursing Home and Assisted Living Care Facility, located on six beautiful acres in Englewood, New Jersey, provide a comfortable environment for entertainment professionals to enjoy their later years, regardless of resources. The Assisted Living Care Facility is for individuals who are still active and can benefit from special assistance. The Extended Care Nursing Home serves patients who can no longer take care of themselves. Thus, the continuum of care allows for a smooth transition from retirement, to assisted living, to extended care.
Headquarters and The Aurora Residence are located in New York City. The Western Region office is in Los Angeles, and The Palm View Residence in West Hollywood, California. The Midwestern Region office is in Chicago.
The Aurora Residence on West 57th Street in New York City provides supportive housing for special low-income groups including seniors, working professionals and persons with AIDS. The Actors’ Fund, sponsor of the project, offers on-site social services. The 178 residential units combine a majority of shared living apartments with individual occupancy units.
The Palm View provides homes to entertainment professionals with HIV/AIDS. The Palm View consists of three buildings surrounding an outdoor courtyard, located behind two historic bungalows in West Hollywood, California.
New Directions
Artists’ Health Insurance Resource Center, designed by The Fund and the National Endowment for the Arts, is a major health insurance information resource center for the arts community nationwide. The project helps entertainment professionals gain the information needed to secure the best and most economical health care coverage.
The Actors’ Fund Budget
Through an annual budget of $17 million, The Actors’ Fund serves more than 6,000 individuals nationwide. In addition to the Homes in Englewood, The Aurora, The Palm View and providing social services, career training and counseling programs, The Actors’ Fund dispersed more than $2.8 million in financial assistance grants in 2000. Approximately 79% of all expenditures directly support programs, and 21% of the budget covers administrative services. In 2000, 22 Special Performances of Broadway shows across the country benefitted The Actors’ Fund, raising over $1 million.
Membership/Contributions
The Actors’ Fund of America depends primarily on support from private contributions--individuals, foundations, corporations, organizations, unions. Planned gifts and bequests provide an invaluable source of support and are critical to the stability of The Actors’ Fund. In addition, Inner Circle Memberships and Corporate Stars offer a range of opportunities including the purchase of house seats to Broadway shows, priority seating for Special Performances and star-studded events.
Tax-deductible contributions may be sent to:
The Actors’ Fund, Dept.BTN
729 Seventh Avenue, 10th fl.
New York, NY 10019.
