2022-01-06
 
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An emergency fund for Canadian artists

© Milan Popovic – Unsplash

In an effort to address the financial insecurity facing artists, the Actors’ Fund of Canada provides charitable assistance to all Canadian show business professionals to ensure that they remain healthy, preserve their dignity, and are able to continue working in the event of hardship. Through donations from theatres, production companies, associations, and private donors, the AFC is able to respond to various types of financial emergencies, on an ad hoc basis. To date, several dance artists have received support from the AFC. Among them is Cai Glover, a dancer with a hearing impairment who works for Cas Public and whose “abilities as a dancer were maximized,” thanks to the financial support he received from the AFC to purchase a new implant.

The AFC, well aware of the financial difficulties sometimes encountered by artists, has a mission to support them when illness, serious injury or other personal or professional challenges threaten their ability to pay their bills or put food on the table.

Over the past two years, the AFC has distributed more than $1 million in emergency financial assistance for various necessities, including rent, medical expenses, transportation, childcare, and even groceries. The organization offers personalized, confidential and respectful support to show business professionals who meet the following basic criteria:

  • Applicants under 65 years of age must have earned more than half their income from the Canadian show business industry in the previous three years.
  • Applicants over 65 years of age must have earned most of their income in the Canadian show business industry.
  • All applicants must have faced an unexpected emergency leading to a financial crisis.
  • Applicants must show that they are making a reasonable effort to find alternative means of income or support.

Please check the eligibility requirements and costs that may be covered by the AFC, as well as the application procedure and the documents required, in the application form (in English). The organization also offers a program for building and maintaining financial stability.