CAA Donates to Motion Picture & Television Fund

CAA has made a donation to the Motion Picture & Television Fund, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

The announcement of the gift, whose amount was not disclosed, was made in conjunction with the agency’s confirmation that it is forgoing a pre-Emmy party this year. The donation will be directed to the MPTF’s Community Programs Fund, which supports services and programs that provide emotional and financial relief.

“As longtime supporters of the Motion Picture & Television Fund, we are honored to make this donation to the Community Programs Fund, which provides exceptional resources to those in our community in very challenging and trying circumstances,” CAA managing partner Steve Lafferty said Thursday in a statement. “At CAA, we subscribe to the belief that when we take care of each other, good things happen. In light of the challenges facing so many in our industry today, we are proud to support the MPTF, which, for almost a century, has been dedicated to doing good work for people in our own community in difficult times.”

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THR reported Wednesday that CAA, as well as WME, UTA, ICM Partners and Paradigm, will not be throwing their usual pre-Emmy fetes this year. For more than four months, the agencies have been locked in battle with the Writers Guild of America over accusations that the former’s taking of packaging fees and engaging in affiliate production are conflicts of interest that can put writer clients at a disadvantage. As a result, more than 7,000 WGA members parted ways with their agencies in April.

“Since 1921, MPTF’s legacy of providing a safety net for our community has been a testament to our industry’s commitment to ‘taking care of our own,'” MPTF president and CEO Bob Beitcher said in a statement. “CAA has always stood strong in its own support of MPTF, and we and those we serve are incredibly grateful for their very generous contribution. CAA is playing its part in supporting MPTF and the entertainment industry community.”

MPTF distributed $2,978,612 to the industry last year, with its social workers helping 4,054 members across 336 cities in 34 states with assistance that include rent and grocery payments and crisis counseling.

CAA previously linked a donation to an awards-party cancellation in the early days of the #MeToo movement, when it announced that it would spend money typically earmarked for its Golden Globes bash to a legal defense fund for survivors of workplace harassment.