Accounts Navigator
Theatre and Entertainment Professionals and the Hospitality sector have been struggling and relying on government finance schemes to remain afloat after multiple nationwide lockdowns. Throughout the course of the pandemic, the government have introduced a range of schemes to help support businesses adversely impacted by the pandemic such as: Eat Out to Help Out, Christmas Support Payment for pubs, Mortgage Payment Holidays etc. but support for theatres and professionals within the sector seems to have been widely overlooked.
Here at Accounts Navigator, we want to support Theatre and Entertainment Professionals as well as Talent Agents as much as possible through such a stressful time. We have researched funds, grants and support available to everyone in the industry – from actors to front of house and outlined them down below:
The Theatrical Guild
A UK charity for backstage and front of house workers, providing financial help and access to counselling, training sponsorship and wellbeing services.
The Royal Theatrical Fund
This fund may provide financial help and support to all those who worked or have worked on stage, backstage and front of house who are unable to work due to illness or injury.
Theatre Artists Fund
The fund was set up to provide emergency support to theatre workers and freelancers across the UK who need urgent financial support due to the impact of the Coronavirus Pandemic.
Backup
A Technical Entertainment Charity providing financial support crew/production personnel and people working in the technical supply chain within the entertainment industry who are seriously ill or injured.
Due to the impact of COVID-19, Backup also created a separate Hardship Fund to provide financial assistance to the above criteria.
Equity Charitable Trust
Grants for retraining, welfare grants, benefits and debt advice for equity members, theatre performers and their dependents.
Actors’ Benevolent Fund
This non-profit has two funding programmes open for actors, actresses and stage managers experiencing hardship – support if you are unwell, injured or elderly or one-off grants for individuals experiencing financial hardship due to the Coronavirus Pandemic.
Actors Children’s fund
Has Corona-grants of £300 per family per month towards food and bills, as well as specific grants for children’s cost.
Dance Professionals Fund
Assists dancers, dance teachers and choreographers with grants for illness/injury, everyday living costs or crisis funding. Also have a range of bursary schemes available for dance professionals.
Help Musicians
Able to provide financial support in cases of significant financial hardship and guidance for welfare/debt related issues
Stage One
Offer advice/support to emerging producers as well as providing practical workshops and financial awards.
The Entertainment Sector can be a confusing area of work – especially if it is your full-time career. Knowing how to take control of your time and money while still adhering to HMRC rules can be a tedious task.
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Written: 27.01.2021
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