Seth MacFarlane is donating an additional $5 million to just shy of two months after an initial gift of $1 million to assist industry workers impacted by the ongoing SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes.
MacFarlane’s latest donation kicks off a $10 million initiative, the Entertainment Community Fund (formerly The Actors Fund), announced today.
“There aren’t enough words to express our tremendous gratitude to Seth as he continues to help those in need, all while inspiring others with this call to action to do the same,” said Annette Bening, the Fund’s Chair of the Board, in a statement. “At this rate, we’ll need at least $10 million to continue helping people in the coming weeks. Seth’s gift is an incredible contribution to help us be able to do that, and we hope others join in as well.”
As of September 19, the Fund has distributed more than $7.4 million to more than 3,515 film and television workers including writing assistants, production assistants, key grips, gaffers, lighting and sound designers, script supervisors, people working in craft services, hair & make-up, wardrobe and more. The Fund is currently distributing about $400,000-$500,000 per week (compared to an average of $75,000 per week in the first half of 2023).
Fund President and CEO Joe Benincasa said that the strikes’ impact will continue for months.
“We know that there will be long-term ramifications of the work stoppage that will continue to impact people’s lives and well-being for months to come,” Benincasa said, “and this transformative gift will allow us to continue to answer the influx of requests for help we get each day.”