Financial aid is available for film and TV workers struggling post-strike. Here’s where to look

If your career is in the film and TV industry, you’re probably a freelancer accustomed to ups and downs in your income.

Since the writers and actors went on strike, however, the ups have been few and far between for many workers. The end of the strikes hasn’t brightened their prospects, given how slowly production has ramped up since then.

To help workers manage the tough times, the state of California offers up to six months of unemployment benefits to workers whose employers pay unemployment insurance taxes, the state Employment Development Department says. But film and TV workers are often independent contractors, and those workers typically are not eligible for benefits, according to the department.

The silver lining in the current cloud is that set workers, actors, writers and other entertainment-industry professionals have access to several dedicated sources of emergency financial aid. Supported by unions, foundations and donors, they limit their aid to workers in the deepest financial holes from specific industry segments.

Here is a list of those extra sources and instructions on how to apply for their aid.

Entertainment Community Fund’s emergency financial assistance program

The Entertainment Community Fund, formerly known as the Actors Fund, has an emergency financial assistance program that gives grants to performing arts workers who are unable to pay their basic living expenses, such as housing, food, utility and healthcare costs.

The aid is available for both union and nonunion workers, but applicants need to provide documentation to prove that they have a history of earnings as a professional in the performing arts and entertainment. Eligibility depends on how long the applicant has worked in the industry and the type of work performed.

In addition to its own program, the Entertainment Community Fund also distributes aid from nine other entertainment unions, guilds and related organizations.

The requests for help skyrocketed during the pandemic and the strikes, and the program is still giving out $200,000 to $300,000 a week — four to six times as much money as it did before COVID struck. That’s partly because of the slow resumption in production, fund officials said, but also partly because workers’ savings were depleted by the pandemic- and strike-related stoppages.

The largest number of requests has come from workers in California, followed by those in Atlanta and New York, according to the fund.

Applicants should visit the fund’s emergency assistance page to find out more about the requirements for obtaining a grant. The different funding sources — including the hardship funds sponsored by Casting Society Cares, which supports casting professionals, and IATSE Locals 161 (certain East Coast professionals), 476 (Chicago crew members), 600 (cinematographers), 700 (editors) and 798 (makeup artists and hairstylists) — have their own terms.

To qualify for the Entertainment Community Fund’s core assistance program, film and TV workers should be prepared to show that they’ve earned money in the field in at least three of the previous six years, collecting at least $6,500 in each of those years. Alternatively, you can qualify by showing 20 or more years of employment in the industry, earning at least $5,000 annually in 10 of those years.

You can submit pension or health statements from an entertainment union, W-2 forms, 1099 forms or pay stubs to document your earnings. But you’ll also need to provide your most recent tax return, your bank statements and copies of the bills you need help paying.

Motion Picture & Television Fund grants

Created by Mary Pickford and other top Hollywood figures in 1921, a few years before sound came to motion pictures, the MPTF is a charitable relief organization funded by contributions from the entertainment industry. Among other things, the fund offers grants to anyone working in the entertainment industry who falls on hard times.

Any entertainment industry worker with a “demonstratable financial need” stemming from the strike can apply for temporary help. Decisions about eligibility and grant amounts are made on a case-by-case basis. Counseling, confidential help and referrals to other resources are also available.

To apply, call the fund at (323) 634-3888 if you’re under 65 or (323) 634 3866 if you’re 65 or older. You can also email info@mptf.com.

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SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s emergency assistance program

This fund provides financial support to members of the actors union who are in urgent financial need due to an unexpected event, such as a medical emergency. Cyd Wilson, the foundation’s executive director, said, “You have to show that there’s been a crisis in your life. Then you have to show that you don’t have money, you don’t have cash assets.”

To apply, you’ll have to provide copies of your latest tax return, your two most recent bank statements for both savings and checking accounts, your lease or mortgage statement, and the medical bills or other charges you need help with, Wilson said. A team of social workers and foundation administrators reviews each application and makes decisions on a case-by-case basis.

Members can apply here. Email assistance@sagaftra.foundation or call (323) 549-6773 for more information.

The Directors Guild Foundation’s interest-free loans

Founded in 1945, the Directors Guild Foundation offers two types of aid to members of the Directors Guild of America: standard loans of up to $10,000 to help with temporary hardships, and emergency loans of up to $3,000 for members facing acute financial problems. The application process for emergency loans is simpler and speedier.

According to the foundation’s website, interest-free standard loans are available to active DGA members who have been in the guild for at least five years and have met the required earnings threshold: enough to qualify for DGA health coverage in three of the last five years or in at least 10 years total.

No-interest emergency loans, meanwhile, are available to active DGA members who’ve been in the guild for at least two years and have met a slightly different earnings threshold: enough to qualify for DGA health coverage in at least two of the last five years or in at least 10 years total.

You can apply for a loan on the foundation’s website.

The Good and Welfare Emergency Assistance Fund

The Good and Welfare Emergency Assistance Fund has offered temporary assistance in the form of interest-free loans for Writers Guild of America West members since 2005.

The loans, which are administered by the Motion Picture & Television Fund, are available to current and former members who are experiencing acute financial distress. Applicants may receive as many as two loans of up to $7,000 each, for a total lifetime amount of $14,000.

To begin the process, contact the Motion Picture & Television Fund Community Social Services by calling (323) 634-3888 to leave a message. A professional will call back in about a day — later if the call volume is high.

Eligible applicants will receive a case plan and loan recommendations that will be submitted for consideration. If applicants are rejected, they will be informed of the reasons why and provided with additional referrals.

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Comedy Gives Back grants

Comedy Gives Back is a nonprofit that provides several kinds of support for struggling comedians, including mental health services and grants to those in tough financial straits. According to the organization, the grants can be used to cover costs associated with housing, medical bills, transportation, and substance abuse or mental health treatment, as well as helping with general financial distress.

To apply, you’ll need to create an account online at the Comedy Gives Back website and fill out an eight-page form explaining what help you need and why you need it. You’ll also need to provide details about your income, assets, expenses and employment situation.

Eligibility is limited to people who earned at least $12,000 as a stand-up comedian over the last two calendar years.

Inevitable Foundation’s Young Adult Relief Fund

Inevitable Foundation, which promotes film and TV writers and filmmakers with disabilities, teamed up with the Snap Foundation to offer $500 grants to struggling workers in Los Angeles County ages 18 to 25. The Young Adult Relief Fund was launched about a month ago in response to the industry’s post-strike doldrums, said Richie Siegel, co-founder of Inevitable Foundation.

Grants will be available on a first-come, first-served basis to people who are pursuing a career in film or TV writing or filmmaking who identify as having a disability, Siegel said. According to the foundation’s website, eligible applicants include people with “physical disabilities, developmental disabilities, learning disabilities, intellectual disabilities, chronic health conditions, mental illnesses, blindness, low vision, deafness [and] neurodivergence.”

As part of the approval process, applicants will have to demonstrate that they meet the age and residency requirements, then go through a simple financial needs analysis, he said. Successful applicants may be eligible for additional grants in the future.

Inevitable Foundation created an emergency fund for working writers and filmmakers with disabilities during last year’s Writers Guild of America strike, but it has paused new applications while it looks to raise more money, Siegel said.