Actors Fund of America

The Actors Fund of America is a charitable organization that supports performers and behind-the-scenes workers in performing arts and entertainment, helping more than 17,000 people directly each year. Serving professionals in film, theatre, television, music, opera, radio and dance, the Fund’s programs include social services and emergency financial assistance, healthcare and insurance counseling, supportive and affordable housing, and employment and training services. The Fund owns and operates the Lillian Booth Actors Home, a skilled nursing and assisted living facility in Englewood, New Jersey.

History

The Actors Fund of America was founded by Albert Marshman Palmer on June 8, 1882, largely due to the efforts of former New York University student Harrison Grey Fiske, editor of the New York Dramatic Mirror, who was aware of the many problems faced by those in the profession. Funds raised at the 1892 Fair, held at Madison Square Garden, enabled the charity to provide individuals and families with assistance, including burial plots in a Brooklyn cemetery and accommodations in The Actors’ Fund Home. The Actors Fund's first meeting was held in the theatre of president J. Lester Wallack. During the next decades, benefit performances held throughout the country raised significant amounts of revenue to subsidize the Fund's many projects. Today, the Fund sponsors many special events and performances, with numerous Broadway stars and Hollywood celebrities hosting, performing, and attending. Theatres throughout the country frequently pledge proceeds from regularly scheduled performances to the charity.