Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is launching a $1 million fundraising campaign aimed at helping members of the entertainment community impacted by coronavirus.
The COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Fund will be administered by The Actors Fund. Broadway Cares will add $250,000 to begin the fund. The goal is to reach $1 million in online donations by April 12, the current deadline through which Broadway theaters are closed.
“When crises hit, the extended Broadway community and the theatre fans everywhere have always responded with generosity, compassion and action,” Tom Viola, executive director of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, said in a press release. “Buoyed by and on behalf of those onstage, backstage and throughout the theaters of New York City and on the road, we are proud to launch this emergency initiative in collaboration with The Actors Fund to provide immediate, basic support for those facing uncertainty in this unsettling pandemic.
The emergency fund will give money to members needing emergency financial assistance, health insurance and counseling. It will also allocate money to the Samuel J. Friedman Health Center for the Performing Arts, operated by the Actors Fund.
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is the single largest financial supporter of The Actors Fund, having provided $101 million to the human services organization since 1987.
The Actors Fund has historically served members across all aspects of the entertainment industry, including in film, theater, television, music, opera, radio and dance.
