The AFC (formerly the Actors’ Fund of Canada) provides compassionate aid to Canadian entertainment professionals helping them maintain their health, dignity and ability to work. The AFC was founded in 1958. Its services are available to everyone working in all aspects of film, television, theatre, music and dance. David Hope, The AFC’s Executive Director, shares some news with us. 
‍
Keith: Last year, The AFC distributed a record $706,440 in emergency financial aid to entertainment professionals. How can The AFC continue to meet this demand?
David: Our last fiscal year showed the largest amount of emergency financial aid distributed in The AFC’s history, up over 40 per cent from the previous year. This shows an extraordinary need for our services. It also shows we need to ramp up our fundraising efforts and reinforce our call to the community to continue to support entertainment professionals facing crisis situations.
‍
The AFC does not receive public funding, so our work is made possible by contributions from industry organizations and individual donors. We are very grateful for the support we receive.
‍
The AFC’s work goes beyond distributing financial aid to industry members facing crisis situations. Could you speak about the community and personal support offered by The AFC?
The circumstances that bring people to The AFC are often multi-faceted and complex. Our program team members have extensive professional training and expertise in personal support and advocacy. In addition to short-term financial aid, they are also able to provide our clients with compassionate support and help them carve out a viable long-term plan to deal with their crises in a sustainable way. 
‍
Our team members are also able to connect our clients with existing community support systems and resources within the industry and beyond. 
‍
The AFC has added a financial wellness program that is FREE to all of us who work in the Canadian entertainment industry. Please tell our members how this works.
Our Financial Wellness Program is open to all Canadian entertainment industry professionals and was designed to get people started on the road to financial stability. To sign up, fill out a simple form at AFChelps.ca. A member of our team will get in touch to discuss your goals and connect you with seasoned financial counsellors from Credit Canada who are experienced in working with people who make their living in our industry. 

What’s in the plan for the future? How is The AFC going to evolve its services to continue to support everyone in the entertainment industry?
We have many things in the works! We are going to continue to develop our Financial Wellness Program. We are going to explore how we can be of service to the community in the realm of personal support and advocacy. Our strategic goal is to evolve our existing programs and create new initiatives to respond to the needs of our community in the most efficient and sustainable way.
‍