Actors' Benevolent Fund

The Actors' Benevolent Fund, now known as the Actors' Trust, is a historic UK charity established in 1882 to provide relief, welfare, advice, and financial assistance to professional actors and stage managers unable to work due to accident, illness, old age, or acute employment disruption, extending support to their spouses, civil partners, and dependants. Rooted in the theatre community's mutual aid ethos, it upholds core values of compassion, confidentiality, fairness, inclusivity, and stewardship, with a distinctive focus on preserving beneficiaries' dignity and professional independence amid financial precarity. Recent governance reforms, including Charity Commission oversight and adoption of the Charity Governance Code, have strengthened its operations while maintaining a sharply defined mission.

It funds means-tested emergency grants exclusively for individual UK-resident professional actors and stage managers in crisis, covering living expenses, medical costs, rent, utilities, and urgent needs arising from incapacity—not artistic projects, training, organisations, or broader initiatives. Beneficiaries must demonstrate urgent financial hardship outside their control, with strict savings thresholds and evidence of career, income, benefits, and medical issues where relevant.

Eligible applicants are solely qualifying individuals (no charities or groups), with no geographic sub-restrictions within the UK. Applications start with an online enquiry form (EOI), progressing to a full means-tested form if shortlisted; rolling basis year-round, with decisions typically within 10 working days. Grant amounts are tailored to need, undisclosed publicly but supporting short- or long-term relief. Distinctives include its singular individual-focus, theatre-specific legacy, endowment-driven sustainability, and exclusion of organisational or project funding, setting it apart from general arts grant-makers.