UK’s Film & TV Charity Raises $2.6M For Second COVID-19 Recovery Fund

The UK’s Film and TV Charity has set up a second COVID-19 Recovery Fund, this time with a $2.6M (£2M) pot contributed to by numerous companies including Amazon Prime Video, which has put up $1.3M (£1M).

Further donors include BAFTA, BBC Studios, Sky Studios, Sony Pictures Entertainment and ViacomCBS, alongside private individuals.

The fund will look to support those at greatest personal and professional risk as a result of the pandemic. The charity said it was looking to support diverse talent, which is being disproportionately affected by the pandemic, according to its recent research.

The plan will provide targeted financial and wellbeing support that will help support workers for up to six months, it said.

To date, the charity has raised $7.4M (£5.8M) of funding ring fenced for COVID-19 recovery. It needs to raise a further $1.1M (£900,000).

It previously set up a separate fund with support from Netflix and the BFI that swelled to $3M.

Amazon has pledged $2M to two separate funds to date and has said it will donate $6M in Europe in total.

“We know this help is much-needed right now as the UK creative industry rebuilds and productions tentatively re-start across the country, so we’re delighted to be supporting the Film and TV Charity in their continued efforts to attract more donations so that even more members of our creative community, especially those who’ve been disproportionately affected, can be supported,” said Georgia Brown, Director of European Originals, Amazon Studios.

“We know that diverse talent – including women, those who are Black Asian or minority ethnic, and those who are disabled – are now being disproportionately impacted by the crisis due to a range of factors. So we have a real concern that without urgent support we will lose these people from our industry,” said Alex Pumfrey, CEO of the Film and TV Charity.

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