Broadway Cares Awards $3.2 Million to U.S. Food and Meal Delivery Programs | Playbill
News
Broadway Cares

Broadway Cares Awards $3.2 Million to U.S. Food and Meal Delivery Programs

Over 150 food service organizations around the country will benefit from the grants.

February 13, 2026 By Andrew Gans

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS has awarded a record $3,207,500 to 158 food pantries, meal delivery services, and congregate meal programs nationwide. 

A committee of 19 actors and stage managers, who all played an integral role in Broadway Cares’ in-theatre fall fundraising, awarded the grants February 10. The 2026 grants eclipse the previous record, set last year at $2.9 million. Distributed annually, these grants mark the first round of Broadway Cares’ 2026 National Grants Program.

Through this support, people affected by HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening illnesses will receive healthy, nourishing meals through often underfunded programs and organizations in 38 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C.

These grants are made possible by the theatre community, including donations from audiences on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and across the country through the annual #RedBuckets fall fundraising campaign and Broadway Cares events.

“At a moment when so many trusted safety nets are at risk nationwide, these grants are about showing up with consistency, dignity, and care,” Broadway Cares Executive Director Danny Whitman said in a statement. “For communities facing hardship and individuals living with life-threatening illnesses, access to nutritious food is not a luxury. It’s a lifeline. We are deeply grateful to the theatre community and audiences, whose generosity allows Broadway Cares to reach people in every corner of the country.”

These grants follow an unprecedented $1.5 million in emergency funding awarded to each organization during the federal government shutdown last November. The emergency grants helped ensure access to meals for millions impacted by the uncertainty surrounding federal SNAP benefits.

This spring, Broadway Cares will award additional grants to nationally recognized AIDS service and advocacy organizations, as well as theatre and entertainment industry social service, advocacy, and emergency assistance programs. In the summer, grants will extend to hundreds more social service organizations nationwide.

Broadway Cares is also the single largest funder of the Entertainment Community Fund, which provides a safety net for professionals across the performing arts and entertainment industry. Already this fiscal year, Broadway Cares has given the Fund $3 million with a goal of at least $5.8 million.

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is one of the nation’s leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising, and grant-making organizations. By drawing upon the talents, resources, and generosity of the American theatre community, since 1988 Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS has awarded more than $300 million for essential services for people with HIV/AIDS and other critical illnesses across the United States.

Visit BroadwayCares.org.

Trending Articles

Read more stories about

More latest news

See All Latest News