Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Will Donate $155K to Hurricane Harvey Relief

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS announced August 31, 2017, that it is awarding $155,000 in emergenCy Grants to provide immediate, on-the-ground assistance to those battling the ravages of Hurricane Harvey.

Donated on behalf of the Broadway community and all Broadway Cares supporters, the grants are going to 17 social service organizations based in Houston and across Texas and the Gulf Coast. Also receiving a grant is The Actors Fund to support its emergency support efforts for hard-hit members of the entertainment industry in Texas and Louisiana.

"In the best and worst of times, the Broadway community - those onstage, offstage and in the audience - are among the most generous people around," said Paul Libin, president of the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Board of Trustees and executive vice president of Jujamcyn Theaters. "So when tragedy and heartache strike, it comes as no surprise that this community once again looks to offer a helping hand up, a supportive shoulder and tangible assistance. On behalf of the entire theatre community, Broadway Cares is proud to quickly and responsibly assist those affected by these extraordinary events."

The grants will be awarded immediately online to ensure help gets to those affected by the storm, many of whom already face life-threatening odds, marginalization and stigmatization.

"These emergenCy Grants will reach local organizations that might be overlooked by government and other hurricane relief initiatives and for whom our unrestricTed Grant can be put to work immediately on the ground," Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Executive Director Tom Viola said. "The Broadway community reaches far beyond the few blocks of New York City's theatre district and, once again, this community offers help to those desperate for refuge from the storm and with few places to turn."

Six of the Houston organizations receiving emergenCy Grants are already part of Broadway Cares' National Grants Program. AIDS Foundation Houston, Covenant House Texas and Legacy Community Health will each receive an additional $10,000 grant; Brentwood Community Foundation, Casa de Esperanza de los Niños and Fundación Latinoamericana de Acción Social will each receive additional $5,000 grants.

EmergenCy Grants will be provided to nine food banks across Texas that are providing help in areas directly affected by the storm and in places where those displaced have relocated. These organizations also provide resources to smaller community-based food pantries and meal service programs working in local churches and community centers. Grants of $5,000 each will be awarded to Brazos Valley Food Bank in Bryan, Central Texas Food Bank in Austin, Food Bank of Corpus Christi, Food Bank of the Golden Crescent in Victoria, Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley in McAllen, Galveston County Food Bank, Houston Food Bank, San Antonio Food Bank and Southeast Texas Food Bank in Beaumont.

The Actors Fund will receive a $50,000 grant for providing emergency financial assistance and resources for those who work in performing arts and entertainment and are affected by Hurricane Harvey.

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS also will award $10,000 to the The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts in Houston, which has sustained serious flooding and where dozens of national tours have performed and graciously raised money for Broadway Cares; and $5,000 to the SPCA of Texas for its work in Houston and with shelters and rescue organizations across the state to retrieve, save and reunite individuals and families with their beloved companion animals.

"These emergenCy Grants are possible in large part because of the extraordinary fundraising work of the companies of Broadway, Off-Broadway and national touring productions," Viola said. "What they have made possible through their fundraising efforts is equal to 15,500 of us at once making text-to-donate contributions of $10 each. Each day, our community continues to prove that what we do together makes a difference."