Seth MacFarlane has donated $1 million to The to help provide financial assistance for industry workers during the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes.
The organization, formerly known as The Actors Fund, also exclusively tells me that recent donors include The Katie McGrath & JJ Abrams Family Foundation, Stacey Abrams, Annette Bening, Tom Bergeron, Greg Berlanti, Rachel Bloom, Rosanne Cash in memory of Johnny Cash, Suzanne Collins and Cap Pryor, Vince Gilligan, Lynn Nottage, Michelle Pfeiffer and David E. Kelley, Shonda Rhimes, and Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw.
The fund has raised more than $6.3 million since May 1 from more than 7,500 donors in support of film and television workers.
“The Entertainment Community Fund is overcome with gratitude to the prominent leaders in our community who have donated in support of film and television workers in need,” Entertainment Community Fund chair Annette Bening said in a statement Tuesday morning. “Each day, the calls for help increase; these gifts will immediately assist so many in our industry who are still struggling to recover after the pandemic. We also hope that these impactful gifts will inspire others, if they can, to donate to support our crucial work.”
Due to the work stoppage during the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, the fund has seen a significant increase in requests for emergency financial assistance. Weekly distribution has increased to about $400,000-$500,000, compared to an average of $75,000 per week in the first half of 2023.
News of the donations comes on the heels of Dwayne Johnson making a “historic” donation to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation Relief Fund. “This is him saying, ‘In such a time as this, I’m here and I’m not going anywhere, whatever you need me to do,’” foundation president Courtney B. Vance told Variety at the time. “And that sends a huge message to other folks to do the same thing.”
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