Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS has launched Red Bucket Match-Up, a two-week online campaign to fund its National Grants Program.
Every donation to the campaign, which has a $2 million goal and runs through April 16, will be matched by Gilead Sciences Inc. dollar for dollar up to $1 million. Funds raised will help those facing challenges from HIV/AIDS, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and other life-threatening illnesses in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.
Six actors are taking to social media to encourage donations to their virtual red buckets: Tony winner Jason Alexander (Seinfeld, Jerome Robbins' Broadway), current Tony nominees Kathryn Gallagher (Jagged Little Pill) and Aaron Tveit (Moulin Rouge!), Eric McCormack (Will & Grace), Jordan Fisher (Dear Evan Hansen), and Jenna Ushkowitz (Glee). Donations can be made to any of the celebrities at BroadwayCares.org/Matchup.
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“The competitive spirit of these actors and the generosity of Gilead will help fill a critical void that’s deepened for local organizations during the pandemic as requests for help dramatically increase and financial support has decreased,” Broadway Cares Executive Director Tom Viola said. “Gilead led the funding of our Emergency Grants for Pandemic Relief last year, ensuring grants that we initially feared wouldn’t be made. While we hoped to be back in theatres fundraising by this time, we’re excited about the opportunity the Red Bucket Match-Up gives us for this year’s National Grants Program.”
Last May, Gilead Sciences offered $1 million to help Broadway Cares award Emergency Grants for Pandemic Relief. They were joined by M‧A‧C Viva Glam, ViiV Healthcare, and the P. Austin Family Foundation. Broadway Cares’ supporters helped raise another $250,000, matched by Gilead, to provide $2 million in emergency grants.
Broadway Cares’ red buckets are a staple for in-person fundraising during the spring and fall at theatres across the country. With the shutdown of Broadway, Off-Broadway, and national tours now beginning its 13th month, the Red Bucket Match-Up takes on even greater importance.
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 raised more than $300 million for essential services for people with HIV/AIDS, COVID-19, and other critical illnesses across the United States.
