EPISCOPAL ACTORS GUILD OF AMERICA INC

EAG's programs and services focus primarily on sustaining and supporting the careers of working performers. We are here to help bridge those inevitable gaps that happen in performing arts careers and get people back on stage and performing.

The Emergency Aid and Relief Program (EARP)
At the heart of EAG's charitable outreach is the EARP. Through this program, we give grants to qualified performers in financial crisis regardless of religion, race, national origin or ethnicity, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental ability, political ideology/affiliations, or language. Through EARP we address critical issues like eviction, housing court stipulations, utility shutoffs, emergency medical and dental costs, and sustenance needs like food and transportation. Qualified applicants live in one of the five boroughs and have an established career working as a performer for at least five consecutive years.

The HIV/AIDS Program
This division of the EARP addresses the specific, and often ongoing, needs of performers living with this disease. Twenty percent of our annual EARP budget is earmarked for this program.

The Actors Pantry
This on-site, volunteer-supported food pantry offers free groceries to the clients of EAG. To be eligible for this program, you must be a current recipient of the Emergency Aid & Relief Program.

The Susan Carr Pickett Fund for Veteran Actors
Through this fund, a portion of the EARP is designated for working and retired actors who are over 65 years old. This special fund was created in 2013 through the generosity of Susan Carr Pickett.

The Wishing Kids Foundation
The Wishing Kids Foundation is dedicated to helping performers and their families who are suffering from life-altering illness, terminal or otherwise. Through this partnership, we will continue to pay it forward and help ease the inevitable financial hardships accompanied with such struggles.

The Florence James Children’s Holiday Fund
Each December, EARP recipients with children are eligible to apply for an additional grant to address holiday needs. To be eligible for this program, you must have been a previous recipient of our Emergency Aid & Relief Program.

The Headshot Project
Started in 2012, this service provides EAG clients with free, professional headshots, giving them a valuable and necessary tool in advancing their career. This service is a collaboration with photographer Ahron R. Foster. To be eligible for this program, you must have been a previous recipient of our Emergency Aid & Relief Program.

Artist Afternoons
Since 2015, EAG has supported the careers of NYC’s performing artists through Artist Afternoons, our free monthly afternoon workshops covering a range of performance, career development, and self-care topics. Classes have included Tax Tips for Artists, Alexander Technique, Self-Taping, Working in Voiceovers, The Art of Cabaret, Nutrition on the Road, Yoga, Shakespeare Monologues, and Audition Technique. These seminars are open to EAG clients, EAG members, and members of the community at large.

Open Stage
Through Open Stage, EAG awards two NYC theatre companies six weeks, eight hours per week, of free time in our historic theatre space. With this time, the recipient will be able to develop, devise, and/or rehearse a work of their choosing. The residency culminates with four to eight ticketed public performances in Guild Hall, with proceeds being split evenly between the grant recipient and the charitable programs of EAG. Any NYC company without its own space is eligible to apply for this space grant.

Founded in 1923, EAG is not only a nonsectarian charitable organization, but we are also a membership organization, and we welcome the participation of all those who are interested in celebrating the talent and dedication needed to sustain a career in the performing arts. We hold several events each month with all proceeds being used to support performers in need.