Seth MacFarlane has donated $1 million to the Entertainment Community Fund to assist industry workers impacted by the ongoing SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, the organization said Tuesday.
Since May 1 — the day before the Writers Guild went on strike — the fund has raised more than $6.3 million from more than 7,500 donors including MacFarlane in support of film and television workers.
“Given the heightened rate of requests for emergency financial assistance due to the work stoppage, the Fund is distributing about $400,000-$500,000 per week, compared to an average of $75,000 per week in the first half of 2023,” the fund said.
As of July 28, the fund says it has provided more than $2.7 million to more than 1,500 people affected by the current work stoppages, providing them with emergency financial assistance to cover basic living expenses such as rent, groceries, health insurance, and medical bills, as well as mental health support.
The move comes after Dwayne Johnson last week donated $1 million to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s Emergency Assistance Program, its own charity funded by donations. The program, available to SAG-AFTRA members impacted by the work stoppage and in urgent need, also includes job training and development.
Also this week, the Motion Picture Industry Pension and Health Plans announced it was finalizing a hardship plan that would be accessible to impacted members beginning September 1. The MPIPHP has been pointing members of its more than 30 industry-related unions to relief funds including the ECF, the Motion Picture & Television Fund, the Union Solidarity Coalition and the Will Rogers Motion Pictures Pioneers Association.
Tuesday marks Day 92 of the Writers Guild strike and Day 19 of the SAG-AFTRA strike in their contract fights with studios.
Variety first broke the story today of MacFarlane’s donation.
