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At the height of dot-com mania and the economic boom that topped out in 2000, the Entertainment Industries Council received multiyear commitments to support programs that provide information on and awareness of major health and social issues to the general public and people in entertainment.
Now most of those commitments are expiring and the world is a very different place. In the wake of recession, consolidation, government cuts, unemployment and terrorism, many of those long-term pledges are not being renewed. "Those commitments were honored but now the resources are less," said Brian Dyak, the EIC's president and CEO. "The potential for financial support has been drastically weakened across the board in terms of philanthropy."
While people in show business continue a tradition of generosity when it comes to those in need, a lot more of the donations are in materials, services and volunteerism instead of in cash. "I think with everything that has happened, besides the economy, there is a different consciousness today than there was," said Mr. Dyak. "Maybe it was 9/11 that fostered this kind of thinking, or in hard economic times simply the notion of caring and giving."
As we move deepen into the holiday season, the problems faced by the EIC are reflected across numerous charities, based on an unscientific sampling of entertainment industry causes.
"There has been a real tightening of the belt," said Todd Vrandenburg, executive director...