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| The Actors Fund | |
|---|---|
| Name | The Actors Fund |
| Type | Nonprofit organization |
| Founded | 1882 |
| Headquarters | New York City, New York |
| Key people | Richard A. Kline (President and CEO) |
| Mission | Support performing arts and entertainment professionals across all disciplines |
| Services | Social services, emergency financial assistance, employment assistance, health care navigation, housing, senior care |
The Actors Fund is a national human services organization serving professionals in the performing arts and entertainment industries. Founded in 1882, it provides social services, emergency financial assistance, health care navigation, housing, and career support to actors, musicians, dancers, stagehands, and other entertainment workers. The organization operates residential facilities, outreach programs, and advocacy efforts across the United States, engaging with unions, foundations, and major cultural institutions.
The organization was established in 1882 during a period when theatrical troupes and vaudeville companies toured cities such as New York City, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. Early supporters included performers from productions like Hamlet, The Pirates of Penzance, and A Doll's House, while benefactors included managers of venues such as Palace Theatre (New York City), Lyceum Theatre (New York), and Metropolitan Opera. Over decades the Fund intersected with figures from the worlds of Broadway theatre, Hollywood, Tin Pan Alley, and Vaudeville, and worked alongside organizations such as Actors' Equity Association, Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, American Federation of Musicians, and International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. Its timeline reflects broader entertainment milestones including the rise of silent film, the growth of radio broadcasting, the advent of television broadcasting, and the digital transition associated with streaming media.
The Fund's mission centers on providing financial relief, health care navigation, employment resources, and long-term support to professionals connected to productions, tours, and recordings. Clients have included cast and crew from productions like Oklahoma!, West Side Story, Hamilton (musical), and Rent (musical), as well as film crews from studios such as Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, and Netflix. Services are coordinated with health plans and institutions like Medicaid, Medicare, Actors Fund Health Services, and partner clinics associated with Mount Sinai Health System, NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital, and NYU Langone Health. The Fund assists with emergencies from events tied to productions at venues including Radio City Music Hall, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and touring schedules through companies like Cirque du Soleil and Ringling Bros..
Programmatic offerings include emergency grants, career transitioning programs, mental health counseling, and educational workshops. Initiatives often target seasonal pressures experienced by performers in shows such as The Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables, Chicago (musical), and touring companies through networks encompassing Broadway League, The Public Theater, and regional theaters like Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Arena Stage, and Goodman Theatre. Specialized programs address needs of dancers affiliated with companies such as American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, as well as musicians linked to ensembles like the New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, and Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The Fund has mounted disaster relief responses for crises involving productions in cities like New Orleans, Los Angeles, and Houston.
The organization operates residential and care facilities for industry professionals, providing supportive housing, assisted living, and memory care in locations including Manhattan, Brooklyn, and southern California. Facilities have served performers formerly associated with touring shows at venues like Orpheum Theatre (San Francisco), film communities near Hollywood, and regional arts communities in Atlanta and Cleveland. Residential services coordinate with elder care providers such as AARP-affiliated programs and long-term care standards adopted by institutions like The John A. Hartford Foundation.
Governance is provided by a board of trustees and leadership that collaborates with industry unions, philanthropic foundations, and corporate sponsors. Fundraising sources include private donations from individuals in circles of artists linked to productions such as A Chorus Line and Funny Girl, foundation grants from entities like Ford Foundation and Pew Charitable Trusts, corporate partnerships with companies including Disney, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Amazon Studios, and benefit events often staged in partnership with theaters such as Gershwin Theatre and Majestic Theatre. The Fund also receives bequests and legacy gifts from performers associated with institutions like Juilliard School and Syracuse University.
The organization has been active in advocacy on issues affecting performing arts professionals, collaborating with unions like Actors' Equity Association, SAG-AFTRA, and IATSE on matters including safety protocols, health benefits, and retirement planning. It has issued public statements during industry-wide disruptions such as the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike, the 2019–20 Broadway shutdown due to COVID-19 pandemic, and labor negotiations that impacted productions at Broadway. The Fund's impact includes emergency relief distributions following events at venues such as Apollo Theater and supporting recovery for artists after disasters like Hurricane Katrina.
The Fund maintains partnerships with cultural institutions, unions, educational organizations, and philanthropic entities. Collaborators include Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, The Juilliard School, New York University Tisch School of the Arts, University of Southern California School of Dramatic Arts, and regional arts councils such as New York State Council on the Arts and California Arts Council. It works with advocacy organizations and funders including United Way, Philanthropy New York, and industry groups like The Broadway League and Film Independent to extend services to artists nationwide.
Category:Non-profit organizations based in New York City