On Wednesday, the president of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, Courtney B. Vance, announced that over $15 million has been donated to the emergency financial assistance program, according to Variety. The source states that “more than a dozen of Hollywood’s top-earning stars [have] donated $1 million or more.”
In his statement, Vance states, “The entertainment industry is in crisis and the SAG-AFTRA Foundation is currently processing more than 30 times our usual number of applications for emergency aid. We received 400 applications in the last week alone. It’s a massive challenge, but we’re determined to meet this moment.”
In an exclusive with Variety just over a week ago, it was announced that Dwayne Johnson has contributed a “historic” donation. Other stars that have donated include George Clooney, Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lopez, Ryan Reynolds, Julia Roberts, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Meryl Streep, and Oprah Winfrey.
Vance mentioned Streep and Clooney by name in his statement, as they “stepped up with $1 million donations, emails, and many calls-to-action rallying others to give generously.”
Variety mentioned Clooney, who released a statement in support of the strike at the start on July 13th. He stated he was “proud to be able to support to SAG-AFTRA Foundation and my fellow actors who may be struggling in this historic moment… I can’t thank Courtney enough for his determination in putting this effort together by shedding light on the human toll happening right now, and how we can work together to alleviate some of the pain and suffering.”
To support the SAG-AFTRA Foundation fund, visit http://sagaftra.foundation/donate.
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