Dancers Responding to AIDS Launches Relief Campaign to Assist Entertainment Community

Dancers Responding to AIDS, a program of BC/EFA has launched a special online fundraising campaign to create the Emergency Assistance Fund.

This special fund will be administered by The Actors Fund to assist those in the entertainment community - onstage and behind the scenes - who are facing health care crises and other immediate needs in the wake of the evolving coronavirus pandemic.

Broadway Cares seeded the fund with an initial $250,000 and is asking supporters to donate to the online campaign to reach a goal of $2 million by April 12, 2020.

More than 20 Broadway producers are also offering a $1 million challenge match to double the impact of donations to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS' Emergency Assistance Fund at broadwaycares.org/help2020.

The producers generously coming together to offer the $1 million challenge are Spencer Ross, Rebecca Gold Milikowsky, Elizabeth Armstrong, Bill Damaschke, Diana DiMenna, Jeanne Donovan Fisher, S. Asher Gelman, John Gore & Lauren Reid/The John Gore Organization, Louise Gund, Judi Krupp, Larry & Beth Lenke, Carmen Pavlovic & Gerry Ryan, Marc Platt, Daryl Roth, Jordan Roth, Scott Rudin, Jeffrey Seller, Jana Shea, Iris Smith, David Stone and Barbara Whitman. Lauren Reid, Jordan Roth and David Stone also serve on the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Board of Trustees.

The Broadway producers' challenge was initiated by Ross who pledged $50,000 and began recruiting other producers to join him in each pledging $50,000 for the match. Milikowsky quickly followed suit and joined Ross to co-lead the recruitment effort. Armstrong was the first to sign on. In just a few days, they had 20 producers onboard collectively offering the $1 million pledge.

With the producers' challenge, every new donation made to the emergency fund will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $1 million. You can make your tax-deductible donation at broadwaycares.org/help2020.

Broadway Cares launched the emergency fund March 17 with an initial $250,000. So far, $580,000 has been raised, including $52,000 generated by Lin-Manuel Miranda during a special segment of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: At Home Edition.

You can make your tax-deductible donation at broadwaycares.org/help2020.