Seth MacFarlane, the creator of hit animated sitcoms Family Guy and American Dad! as well as the live-action sci-fi comedy The Orville and feature films Ted and A Million Ways to Die in the West, has donated $1 million to The Entertainment Community Fund. Formerly known as The Actors Fund, the organization is collecting donations to provide financial assistance to entertainment industry workers during the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
The fund has seen a significant increase in requests for emergency aid amidst the work stoppages ordered by the historic two-union strike. The ECF reportedly has had to increase weekly distribution of financial support to $400,000 to $500,000, compared to an average of $75,000 per week in the first half of 2023. The fund has received more than $6.3 million in donations since the WGA strike began May 1, with more than 7,500 supporters donating to the cause. Other notable contributors to the ECF strike fundraising include Steven Spielberg, The Katie McGrath & JJ Abrams Family Foundation and Georgia politician Stacey Abrams.
In a statement provided to Variety, ECF chair Annette Bening said, “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. 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.”
MacFarlane’s generous donation follows a historic “seven-figure donation” made by actor-producer Dwayne Johnson to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s Emergency Financial Assistance and Disaster Relief Fund. The action star is well known to animation fans as the voice of Maui in Disney’s animated feature Moana.
You can donate to the Entertainment Community Fund or apply for Emergency Financial Assistance at entertainmentcommunity.org.
[Source: Variety]
