The Entertainment Community Fund has received a $250,000 matching gift challenge donation from trumpeter, A&M Records co-founder, and philanthropist Herb Alpert, via the Herb Alpert Foundation. 

The donation was immediately matched by an anonymous donor, bringing the total gift to $500,000. Those inspired to donate in celebration of the matching gift challenge can do so by clicking here.

Alpert's albums have sold over 72 million copies, with Billboard listing Alpert as No. 7 on their Greatest of All Time Billboard 200 Artists. Lani Hall, Alpert’s wife of 49 years, is a two-time Grammy-winning vocalist, lyricist, and author who rose to international fame as the lead vocalist with Sergio Mendez & Brazil ’66. In the early 1980s, they established the Herb Alpert Foundation which has, to date, given over $200 million in grants to organizations dedicated to arts education and artist support as well as organizations focused on compassion and well-being.

“When artists are in need, it is important for society to offer support. The reason is simple: our society is poorer when artists aren't able to share their work with us. My hope is that our matching grant to the Entertainment Community Fund will keep inspiring others to support our artists in need,” shared Alpert.

“The Entertainment Community Fund is so thankful for the Herb Alpert Foundation’s generous donation and for inspiring others to continue to give to the Fund during such an important time,” added Chair of the Board Annette Bening. “These gifts will immediately assist film and television workers, and so many in our industry who are still struggling to recover after the pandemic.”

Since May 1, the Fund has raised over $9.1 million from more than 10,500 donors to support film and TV workers. Seth MacFarlane recently donated $1 million directly to the Fund, and Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw donated $1.5 million to be dispersed between the Fund as well as the SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s Emergency Financial Assistance Program. Additional notable donors include The Katie McGrath and JJ Abrams Family Foundation, Stacey Abrams, Annette Bening, Tom Bergeron, Greg Berlanti, Rachel Bloom, Rosanne Cash in memory of Johnny Cash, Suzanne Collins and Cap Pryor, Minnie Driver, Vince Gilligan, Lynn Nottage, Michelle Pfeiffer and David E. Kelley, Daniel Radcliffe, Shonda Rhimes, and Chandra Wilson.

As of September 8, the Fund has distributed more than $6.5 million to more than 3,100 film and TV workers.

The Entertainment Community Fund is a national human services organization that addresses the unique needs of people who work in performing arts and entertainment with services focused on health and wellness, career and life, and housing. Visit EntertainmentCommunity.org.