The Actors’ Fund of Canada reports that demand for its services has nearly doubled over the past five years. The industry-supported charitable organization – a resource for unemployed entertainment workers – is delivering about $400,000 per year in emergency aid, for a total of $3 million over the past 10 years.

‘We’re playing a more critical support role for industry workers as they try to survive the ups and downs of the industry,’ says David Hope, executive director of the Actors’ Fund, which traces its roots back to 1958 and six founding members from the live theater community.

The fund remains an important aid mechanism, providing 258 clients in 2005/06 with financial relief to help cover rent, mortgage payments and medical expenses. It set a record for fiscal 2004/05, giving out $450,000 in assistance, capping a steady rise from 2000.

‘We’re down a little bit [this year] as conditions improve somewhat – particularly in B.C.,’ Hope notes. ‘But we’re still operating at a much higher level than we were [five years ago].’

Although there has been a rise in demand for Actors’ Fund support – attributable mainly to hard times in the entertainment industry – Hope points out that there is also more industry-wide endorsement of the fund’s mandate. Stronger relationships with professional associations including ACTRA, DGC, NABET and IATSE have translated into direct union and guild support to the tune of 22% of the fund’s total budget.

In the past two years, the fund has also added a six-member national advisory board comprised of representatives in B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec and the Atlantic provinces, providing a direct link with local unions and guilds.

‘They’re also key organizers,’ Hope says of the board. ‘With demand increasing the way it has, we’ve had to make sure that the financial backing is there to provide the necessary level of assistance.’

The group also generates funding from annual industry initiatives such as the Charity Challenge, which last year included cast and crew participation from TV series such as Da Vinci’s City Hall, Godiva’s, The Tournament and This Is Wonderland.

www.actorsfund.ca