BC/EFA Awards Grants to Help California Wildfire First Responders and Victims

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is awarding $225,000 in emergency grants to immediately help those battling and affected by the wildfires spreading in California.

Broadway Cares is providing a $100,000 grant to Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, $25,000 to Los Angeles County Animal Care Foundation, and $100,000 to the Actors Fund, all on behalf of "the entire theater community — those onstage, offstage and in the audience."

The $100,000 emergency grant to the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation supports the heroic men and women in the Los Angeles Fire Department who are responding to the wildfires, protecting life, property and the environment by providing essential equipment, training, and public outreach programs to supplement city resources. The grant to the Los Angeles County Animal Care Foundation will help shelters and rescue organizations across the state save and reunite beloved companion animals with their owners and families. The Actors Fund will receive an additional $100,000 grant for providing emergency financial assistance, connections, and referrals to essential community resources for those who work in performing arts and entertainment and are affected by the California wildfires.

The emergency grants, which will be sent this week, come as dozens of Broadway, off-Broadway and national touring shows are participating in Broadway Cares' fall fundraising initiatives. At least two shows that are part of the fundraising — the national tours of A Bronx Tale and Dear Evan Hansen — are playing to audiences in California that have been directly affected by the wildfires.

"The theater community is always among the first to look for tangible ways to provide immediate assistance for these in need," said Tom Viola, executive director of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, in a statement. "And as we have for 30 years, Broadway Cares, on behalf of our entire community on Broadway, Off-Broadway as well as on the road, is proud to quickly and responsibly support those doing the essential work that might not otherwise be recognized."

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is one of the nation's leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations. By drawing upon the talents, resources, and generosity of the American theater community, since 1988 Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS has raised more than $300 million for essential services for people with AIDS and other critical illnesses across the United States.