thank you! - Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS

BROADWAY CARES/EQUITY FIGHTS AIDS
THE ACTORS’ FUND
OF AMERICA
The Actors’ Fund of America provides for the welfare of all who earn their living through employment
in the entertainment industry. The stage manager or dancer with AIDS and no health insurance, the actor looking to make a
transition into a second career, the retired costume designer having difficulty living on social security and unclear about his
Medicaid benefits, the stage carpenter or actress facing a crisis around an issue of addiction, the musician in need of supportive
housing – all are part of the entertainment industry and all can find assistance through The Actors’ Fund.
The Actors’ Fund continues the industry tradition of “taking care of its own,” forged more than a century ago when attitudes of
prejudice against people in show business prevailed. The Actors’ Fund served as a catalyst for reducing that discrimination and
integrating theatre professionals into the social, political, and economic aspects of their communities.
Through its partnership with The Actors’ Fund, BC/EFA touches the lives of thousands of entertainment professionals living
with HIV/AIDS, as well as those coping with a variety of other health issues and life challenges.
THE AIDS INITIATIVE
The collaboration between BC/EFA and The Actors’ Fund’s AIDS Initiative is a model for how an industry can respond with
effectiveness and compassion to the AIDS crisis. The AIDS Initiative provides a full spectrum of essential supportive services,
including emergency financial assistance (for basic necessities such as rent, food, health insurance, and non-reimbursable medical
expenses), case management referrals to other sources of community and public assistance, benefits advocacy, vocational retraining,
counseling, and support groups for people with HIV/AIDS and their partners, families, and caregivers.
Of the $3,022,500 awarded to The Actors’ Fund by BC/EFA in 2003, $1,154,472 was distributed as direct financial assistance
to 577 clients living with HIV/AIDS in 22 states through Actors’ Fund offices in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Of this,
$484,373 (41%) was provided for rent payments and $366,293 (31%) for health insurance payments. In addition to underwriting
the direct financial assistance, BC/EFA’s total AIDS Initiative grant of $2,100,000 supports personnel, administrative costs,
volunteer needs, and other expenses associated with client case management.
Changes in the AIDS environment have had a significant impact on clients. The effectiveness of protease inhibitors, available
Joseph Benincasa, Executive Director of The Actors’ Fund (second from l), accepts a $1 Million check from BC/EFA’s President, Paul Libin (second from r),
and (l-r) Larry Cook, Fred Vogel, Maria Di Dia, Phil Birsh, Judy Rice, Scott Barnes, and Tom Viola. Clients of The Actors’ Fund: costume and props designer Zoe Morsette,
actors Mark Hooker and David Pawley Martin, and set and costume designer Frank Boros.
the actors’ fund of america
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