Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck have donated $1 million to the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) Foundation to help fellow actors who are being impacted by the ongoing Hollywood strike.
According to Deadline, Lopez is one of the many Hollywood celebrities who has contributed a large amount to the nonprofit organization. Some of the other celebrities who have donated to the foundation include Leonardo DiCaprio, George and Amal Clooney, Luciana and Matt Damon, Hugh Jackman and Deborra-lee Furness, Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively, Dwayne Johnson, Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Meryl Streep, and Oprah Winfrey.
From its official website, the SAG-AFTRA Foundation is “dedicated to providing the most comprehensive, educational and state-of-the-art resources to SAG-AFTRA members.”
On Wednesday (August 2), the organization said it had raised more than $15 million through donations to its Emergency Financial Assistance program. “Thanks to the support of some of Hollywood’s top-earning stars, the Foundation is preparing to bring aid and hope to thousands of journeymen actors facing tremendous economic hardship,” the foundation said in a release.
SAG-AFTRA Foundation president Courtney B. Vance said the organization was processing more than 30 times its usual number of applications for emergency aid. Last week, they received 400 applications that will absolutely be helped by donations like the ones by Jennifer Lopez.
“Our Emergency Financial Assistance Program is here to ensure that performers in need don’t lose their homes, have the ability to pay for utilities, buy food for their families, purchase life-saving prescriptions, cover medical bills and more,” Vance said. “It’s a massive challenge, but we’re determined to meet this moment.”
SAG-AFTRA members have been on strike since July 14, 2023. They joined members of the Writers Guild of America who have been on the picket lines since May 2, 2023.