The foundation is funded by royalties from late lyricist Ebb's catalogue of work, including Chicago, Cabaret and Kiss of the Spider Woman. The Foundation's $1.65 million donation surpasses its record-breaking donation from last year of $1.4 million. To date, the Fred Ebb Foundation has contributed $10 million to BC/EFA since it was created ten years ago.
"Fred Ebb's brilliant legacy - with the extraordinary John Kander - has allowed BC/EFA to increase and expand its support specifically for The Actors Fund, over $4.6 million in 2014 alone. Fred's generosity has allowed BC/EFA to offer support for such new programs over the years as The Dancers Resource and Artists Health Insurance Resource Center, to support the Fund’s response to Hurricane Sandy and other emergency initiatives and capital campaigns, as well as increase annual support for the HIV/AIDS Initiative, Phyllis Newman Women’s Health Initiative, Hirschfeld Free Clinic, the Actors Work Program and other longstanding programs," said BC/EFA executive director Tom Viola in a statement. "Fred, your incredible generosity to BC/EFA has indeed made a difference in the lives of thousands of your colleagues, co-workers, friends and loved ones in 'the business.' As you wrote, it is indeed 'a quiet thing.' But you have truly offered us 'exploding fireworks, from way up there among the clouds' for now a decade. Thank you!"
