SAG-AFTRA Foundation

Emergency financial assistance programs: through its emergency financial assistance programs, the foundation safeguards the health and well-being of performing Artists and provides lifesaving emergency health and financial assistance for Artists in times of need and crisis:emergency assistance: during times of crisis, the sag-aftra foundation emergency assistance program provides emergency financial assistance to eligible sag-aftra members and their families for basic expenses, including but not limited to rent, mortgage payments, utilities, health insurance premiums, car payments and car insurance. During the second half of 2023, the emergency assistance program became more crucial than ever, with the recent work stoppages impacting many Artists in the sag-aftra family of 160,000. While the stoppage has ended, many members continue to struggle covering their basic expenses as our industry returns to work.cobra assistance: the sag-aftra foundation cobra (consolidated omnibus budget reconciliation act) assistance program provides short-term financial grants to eligible sag-aftra members and their families who have lost their earned eligibility through sag-aftra yet wish to continue their health insurance coverage through the 18-month assistance program.catastrophic health fund: provides insurance premium payment grants to eligible sag-aftra members and their dependents who suffer from catastrophic illness or injury and have qualified through sag-aftra pension and health for this program. Disaster relief fund: provides urgent financial support to sag-aftra members and their families affected by natural disasters. Senior financial crisis fund: in 2022, the foundation created the senior financial crisis fund to help sag-aftra members, ages 65 and older, who are experiencing unprecedented financial hardship due to an unexpected life crisis, such as an accident, catastrophic illness or injury, health crisis creating a financial burden, loss of housing due to an eviction, death in the family, natural disaster, or other emergency crisis situations covered under internal revenue service guidelines which pertain to granting tax free monies to individuals.betty mitchell sick & benefit fund: an emergency financial assistance fund designed to assist eligible members from the chicago local who are struggling with a financial, personal, or medical crisis. Nashville performer emergency relief fund: an emergency financial assistance fund designed to assist eligible members from the nashville local who are struggling with a financial, personal, or medical crisis.the scholarship programs provides opportunities for sag-aftra members and their dependents for study at accredited institutions of higher education, to pursue related professions within theentertainment industry, or change their career paths.the john l. dales standard scholarship is awarded to eligible sag-aftra members and their dependents for study at accredited institutions of higher education. The john l. dales transitional scholarship is awarded to eligible sag-aftra members to pursue related professions within the entertainment industry or change their career paths.the george heller memorial scholarship is awarded to eligible sag-aftra members and their dependents for study at accredited institutions of higher education.ken orsatti scholarship fund provides one scholarship annually to a sag-aftra employee who is pursuing a college or graduate degree.

Program facility costs for los angeles and new york locations.

Performers programs: in order to prepare a dynamic talent pool for success in the evolving entertainment media environment, the foundation offers the performers programs, a broad educational roster with subjects ranging from audition technique and self-marketing to panel discussions with accomplished Actors and moderated talks with respected directors. These programs encourage performing Artists to take charge of their careers, refine their craft, learn new skills, and establish lifelong habits of self-motivated professional development. Over the course of the last year the foundation continued to scale up in-person performers programs in house and at off-site venues, while simultaneously providing virtual resources to the sag-aftra community. The foundation also add newly recorded educational content to the foundation's website video gallery and youtube channel, helping to ensure that members who are unable to attend in person because of geographic location, scheduling conflicts, or mobility issues, have access to this programming. The business: the business provides participating members with an enhanced understanding of entertainment's financial and operational mechanics, as well as current trends and conditions across the industry. Attendees learn practical strategies for social media self-marketing, pre-audition preparation, and money management in large format seminars and highly interactive small group sessions. Participants are provided with tools to help them begin to think not only as Artists, but also as small business owners, understanding the various markets and the buyers within those markets, and putting in place long-term career plans.conversations: conversations programs present film and Television screenings accompanied by moderated discussions with cast members, as well as career conversations with leading Actors who have made lasting artistic and professional contributions to the industry. Conversations programming is curated with a focus on projects and associated casts generating both consumer attention and critical honors, offering attendees the opportunity to learn from fellow performing Artists who are working in current or recent productions. Guest speakers explore the process and profession of acting and drill down into the personal experiences and artistic influences that have shaped their careers. These insights provide both new and established performers in the audience with an expanded understanding of fresh methods for approaching material, both in auditions and while working on set.casting access: offering critical insight into the casting process, providing members with cold reading experience in an interactive class setting. Participants receive feedback from respected industry casting professionals they may not otherwise have had the opportunity to meet and learn from.computer lab: the foundation opened a virtual computer lab designed to help members understand and become comfortable using current technology. Classes give participants access to writing software and video and audio editing programs, helping them create their own professional websites and build their online brands. The la computer lab will open in the spring of 2024 and new york in-person classes will be offered later in the year.voiceover lab: this programming is designed to prepare members for careers in the voiceover arts. Vo lab programming provides members with instruction, constructive feedback, and advice on career development strategies from respected industry professionals in interactive classes that explore performance technique in multiple voiceover subsets -- including voicing commercials, voice-to-picture promo work, audiobook narration, and animation and video game voice acting. The foundation re-opened the la and ny facilities and continues to provide both in-person and virtual programming. On-camera: members have the opportunity to rehearse in front of the camera in our la and ny on-camera labs, which offer quiet, dedicated spaces with industry standard lighting and equipment. Staffed by trained engineers, the on-camera labs are currently providing both in-person and remote one-on-one sessions in which our engineers serve as readers or help members troubleshoot tech-related issues they may be having while self-recording their own auditions. Additionally, the foundation has produced a collection of tech tips videos with relevant information for self-recording auditions, such as pointers for lighting, backdrops, and camera and sound technique. These videos are published in our website video gallery and on our youtube channel.

Literacy initiatives: promotes reading and literacy skill development in children. Storyline online: the foundation's digital literacy program, available at no cost and ad-free to the public, continues to be a vital resource for elementary school teachers providing lessons remotely, as well as for the many parents and caregivers who are taking a much larger daily role in their children's educational activities. The storyline online library has grown to 80 videos designed to build reading capacity at the k through 4 level, with acclaimed Actors volunteering their time to read children's books aloud alongside imaginatively produced illustrations. Episodes run between seven and 15 minutes, with each video focusing on topics including community spirit, honesty, perseverance, responsibility, and kindness and compassion for others, encouraging young learners to explore these concepts and identify commonalities in human experiences that on the surface may seem very different from their own. Supplemental activity guides developed by a credentialed elementary educator and aligned with english language arts (ela) common core standards accompany every video for use in the classroom, virtual classroom, hospitals, and at home.