Motion Picture & Television Fund

The Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF) is a nonprofit support organization serving people who have worked in the motion-picture, television, and related entertainment industries, together with eligible family members. Its work combines charitable assistance, case management, temporary financial aid, health care, senior services, behavioral-health support, residential living, and long-term care. The organization is best known for its Woodland Hills campus, historically called the Motion Picture Country House and Hospital, where entertainment-industry workers can receive care according to need and ability to pay rather than celebrity or financial status. The institution originated in 1921 as the Motion Picture Relief Fund. Mary Pickford conceived the idea of creating an industry-supported safety net for workers who had fallen into hardship. Joseph Schenck became the first president, Pickford served as vice-president, and the Reverend Neal Dodd acted as administrator. The fund was established during an era when motion-picture employment was often irregular and many performers and behind-the-scenes workers lacked dependable pensions, insurance, or public assistance. The deaths of several former Hollywood figures in impoverished circumstances during the 1930s reinforced the need for a permanent support system. In 1940, under president Jean Hersholt, the organization acquired a large tract of former walnut and orange groves in the southwestern San Fernando Valley. Part of the land was sold to help finance construction, and architect William Pereira designed the first buildings. Pickford and Hersholt participated in the groundbreaking, and the Motion Picture Country House was dedicated on September 27, 1942. A hospital was added and dedicated in 1948. As the organization expanded its eligibility beyond film production to television and other parts of the entertainment sector, its name changed to reflect the broader constituency. The Woodland Hills campus developed into a retirement community with individual cottages, assisted and long-term care facilities, medical services, administrative offices, wellness programs, and child-care resources. Eligibility has traditionally focused on sustained employment in entertainment production. Residents and applicants may include actors, directors, producers, writers, cinematographers, editors, artists, extras, camera operators, stage and backlot workers, security personnel, and other production employees. Residential eligibility has generally required a minimum age and a substantial work history in the industry, while fees are assessed according to the resident’s ability to pay. MPTF also operates programs away from the residential campus. These include emergency assistance, social-work and case-management services, palliative care, elder-support programs, home-rebuilding assistance, and initiatives intended to help older entertainment workers remain safely in their own homes. A partnership with UCLA Health expanded access to entertainment-industry-focused primary and specialty care through MPTF health centers in the Los Angeles area. The Saban Center for Health and Wellness, which includes the Jodie Foster Aquatic Pavilion, added aquatic and land-based therapy and senior wellness services. The Samuel Goldwyn Jr. Center for Behavioral Health later broadened services for adults over 55 with acute mental-health needs. The organization faced a major institutional crisis during the recession beginning in 2009, when it announced plans to close its acute-care hospital and long-term-care unit because of rising costs. The announcement prompted criticism from entertainment-industry figures and observers who questioned whether the fund was abandoning its historic mission. A restructuring followed, Bob Beitcher became chief executive in 2010, and MPTF launched a large fundraising campaign led by Jeffrey Katzenberg and George Clooney. The campaign sought to establish a durable safety net for a large wave of aging entertainment workers while preserving care and assistance programs. MPTF’s fundraising identity includes recurring Hollywood events such as The Night Before, held around the Academy Awards, The Evening Before, golf tournaments, and Reel Stories, Real Lives. The organization also maintains a donor and foundation network that has included major support from the Samuel Goldwyn Foundation and many entertainment-industry philanthropists. During the COVID-19 pandemic, MPTF administered or co-administered several emergency relief funds for guilds, production companies, casts, crews, and entertainment businesses. Its campus also experienced a serious outbreak in 2020, leading to resident deaths and the conversion of part of the hospital into a dedicated COVID-19 unit. In 2021, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences selected MPTF for the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, the first time the Academy had given that award to an organization. The recognition coincided with the fund’s centennial. Today, MPTF remains an industry-specific charitable institution whose public identity combines the historic Country House and Hospital with a broader network of financial, medical, residential, behavioral-health, and aging-related services.

The Motion Picture & Television Fund began in 1921 as the Motion Picture Relief Fund, an initiative associated with Mary Pickford, Joseph Schenck, and the Reverend Neal Dodd. It was created to provide practical support to people in the film industry who were unemployed, ill, or otherwise unable to meet basic expenses. The fund reflected the precarious employment conditions of early Hollywood, where even successful workers could lose income and access to care after illness, injury, age, or changing public taste. The hardship and deaths of former stars during the 1930s strengthened the industry’s support for a permanent institution. In 1940, Jean Hersholt located a large former agricultural property in the San Fernando Valley. The fund purchased the land, sold a portion to help pay for construction, and developed a residential community using designs by William Pereira. The Motion Picture Country House opened in 1942. Its hospital, dedicated in 1948, created a combined residential and medical-care model for aging industry workers. The organization subsequently widened its eligibility to include television and a broad range of production occupations. Its campus came to include cottages, hospital facilities, administrative offices, independent and assisted living, long-term care, memory care, wellness services, and family resources. The institution’s operating philosophy has been that assistance should be available to people throughout the entertainment workforce, including lesser-known technical and support employees. Residents who can afford care pay according to their means, while those without resources may receive subsidized or free services. A foundation structure was established in 1993, with Jeffrey Katzenberg as founding chairman, to organize philanthropic support and fundraising events. MPTF later created or expanded programs addressing the needs of older adults outside the campus, including palliative care, elder support, home-repair assistance, and aging services. The Saban Center for Health and Wellness opened in 2007, while the Samuel Goldwyn Jr. Center for Behavioral Health opened in 2014. MPTF also developed a relationship with UCLA Health for entertainment-industry health centers. The most serious modern challenge began in 2009. MPTF announced that financial pressures associated with the recession and escalating health-care costs threatened the long-term-care and acute-care units. The proposed closures generated strong criticism because the hospital and Country House were widely viewed as the institution’s central expression of its mission. Following restructuring and new leadership under Bob Beitcher, MPTF organized an ambitious fundraising drive. Jeffrey Katzenberg and George Clooney helped lead the campaign, which was designed to provide a long-term safety net for a large aging population of entertainment workers. Fundraising became a central part of MPTF’s public role. The Night Before, held around the Academy Awards, became one of its best-known annual events, alongside other entertainment and golf-related events. Donors have included major studios, performers, executives, foundations, and private philanthropists. The Samuel Goldwyn Foundation became the institution’s largest historical foundation donor according to the supplied reference material. In 2019, MPTF relocated its Harry’s Haven memory-care facility into a remodeled section of the hospital and dedicated the long-term-care unit as Mary Pickford House, with an adjoining section named Hersholt Place. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the campus experienced an outbreak among residents and employees. The organization established a dedicated treatment area, coordinated vaccination efforts, and administered emergency relief funds for multiple entertainment-industry constituencies. MPTF Studios also used the campus theater to provide remote programming and activities for residents. The Academy’s 2021 Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award recognized MPTF’s century-long role in supporting the entertainment community. The organization continues to operate as a nonprofit network of financial, medical, residential, behavioral-health, aging, and emergency-relief services, with the historic Country House and Hospital remaining its most visible physical expression.

• 2021

  Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award

  [1]Motion Picture & Television Funden.wikipedia.org

  The Academy honored MPTF with the award during the organization’s centennial year.

• 2019

  Memory-care and long-term-care facilities upgraded

  [1]Motion Picture & Television Funden.wikipedia.org

  Harry’s Haven was relocated into the hospital, while the long-term-care unit became Mary Pickford House and Hersholt Place.

• 2014

  Samuel Goldwyn Jr. Center opens

  [1]Motion Picture & Television Funden.wikipedia.org

  A behavioral-health center specializing in adults over 55 opened on the campus.

• 2009

  Care-unit closure crisis

  [1]Motion Picture & Television Funden.wikipedia.org

  MPTF announced plans affecting its long-term-care and acute-care services, triggering public criticism and institutional restructuring.

• 2007

  Saban Center opens

  [1]Motion Picture & Television Funden.wikipedia.org

  The Saban Center for Health and Wellness opened with aquatic and land-based therapies and aging-related services.

• 1993

  MPTF Foundation established

  [1]Motion Picture & Television Funden.wikipedia.org

  A foundation structure was created to organize philanthropy and fundraising for the organization.

• 1948

  Motion Picture Hospital dedicated

  [1]Motion Picture & Television Funden.wikipedia.org

  A hospital was added to the Country House campus.

• 1942

  Motion Picture Country House dedicated

  [1]Motion Picture & Television Funden.wikipedia.org

  The first residential facilities on the Woodland Hills-area campus were formally dedicated.

• 1940

  San Fernando Valley property acquired

  [1]Motion Picture & Television Funden.wikipedia.org

  The fund purchased a large former agricultural property for development of a residential community.

• 1921

  Motion Picture Relief Fund founded

  [1]Motion Picture & Television Funden.wikipedia.org

  Mary Pickford’s initiative led to the creation of an industry relief fund, with Joseph Schenck as president and the Reverend Neal Dodd as administrator.

An entertainment-industry safety net that combines charitable aid, health care, senior living, and community support. Its distinctive promise is to help people from across the production workforce, not only famous performers, with fees and assistance determined primarily by need and ability to pay.

• Residential and health-care campus · 1942

  Motion Picture Country House and Hospital

  The Woodland Hills campus is MPTF’s historic flagship facility. It combines residential cottages and senior living with hospital, long-term-care, memory-care, wellness, behavioral-health, and administrative services. The campus serves eligible entertainment-industry workers and their families, with costs assessed according to financial ability rather than public prominence.

• Social services · 1921

  Emergency assistance and case management

  MPTF provides temporary financial help, social-work support, referrals, and case management for entertainment workers and family members facing hardship. These services extend beyond residential care and are intended to address urgent needs such as housing, health, employment disruption, and household expenses.

• Wellness and rehabilitation · 2007

  Saban Center for Health and Wellness

  Opened in 2007, the center provides aquatic and land-based therapies and aging-related programs. The Jodie Foster Aquatic Pavilion is part of the facility, which was designed to support quality of life and functional health among older members of the entertainment community.

• Behavioral health · 2014

  Samuel Goldwyn Jr. Center for Behavioral Health

  This center specializes in acute mental-health needs among adults over 55. It complements MPTF’s residential, medical, and aging services by providing focused behavioral-health treatment within the broader campus system.

• Emergency relief · 2020

  Industry relief funds

  During the COVID-19 pandemic, MPTF administered or co-administered relief funds connected with guilds, production companies, casts, crews, and entertainment businesses. These programs offered financial support to industry workers affected by shutdowns and lost work.

• 2020COVID-19 entertainment relief programs

  United States

  MPTF administered or co-administered multiple pandemic relief funds for organizations and groups including the Directors Guild of America, IATSE, ViacomCBS, Cast & Crew, Westworld, and The Comedy Store.

  Outcome. The programs provided emergency financial assistance to entertainment workers affected by the pandemic.

  Source
• 2012MPTF safety-net fundraising campaign

  United States entertainment industry

  MPTF launched an aggressive capital campaign led by Jeffrey Katzenberg and George Clooney after the 2009 care-unit crisis. The campaign was intended to stabilize services and prepare for the projected retirement of tens of thousands of entertainment workers.

  Outcome. The supplied reference reports that approximately $325 million had been raised by 2014.

  Source
• 2003The Night Before

  United States

  Jeffrey Katzenberg helped create this annual entertainment-industry fundraising event held around the Academy Awards. It became one of MPTF’s signature philanthropic occasions and brought together performers, filmmakers, studios, and donors.

  Outcome. The event had raised more than $70 million by 2016, according to the supplied reference material.

  Source

• 2020

  Conversion of hospital space for COVID-19 careOther

  Background

  A COVID-19 outbreak affected residents and employees at the Woodland Hills retirement community.

  Action taken

  The former acute-care area, known as J-Wing, was configured as a dedicated COVID-19 unit for infected residents.

  Aftermath

  MPTF later began a campus-wide vaccination program for residents and continued pandemic relief work for the wider entertainment community.

  Source

• 2012

  Launch of long-term safety-net campaignStrategy

  Background

  MPTF projected that a large population of baby-boom entertainment workers would reach retirement age over the following two decades.

  Action taken

  The organization launched a $350 million fundraising campaign led by Jeffrey Katzenberg and George Clooney.

  Aftermath

  The campaign attracted substantial support from entertainment companies, performers, executives, and philanthropic donors.

  Fundraising target. $350 million target (2012 campaign)

  Source

• 2009

  Proposed closure of acute and long-term careStrategy

  Background

  MPTF cited rising health-care costs and recession-era financial pressure as reasons for considering closure of its acute-care hospital and long-term-care unit.

  Action taken

  The organization announced the proposed closures, prompting criticism from entertainment-industry figures and questions about its commitment to its founding mission.

  Aftermath

  MPTF restructured, appointed Bob Beitcher in 2010, and pursued a major fundraising campaign to preserve its broader safety-net system.

  Source

• 2021

  Academy selects MPTF for the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award[1]Motion Picture & Television Funden.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The Academy announced MPTF as a recipient of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, marking the first time the award had been presented to an organization.

• 2020

  MPTF campus experiences COVID-19 outbreak[1]Motion Picture & Television Funden.wikipedia.org

  Other

  An outbreak affected residents and employees at the Woodland Hills campus. A former acute-care area was converted into a dedicated COVID-19 unit, and several residents died.

• 2020

  MPTF administers entertainment-industry pandemic relief funds[1]Motion Picture & Television Funden.wikipedia.org

  Campaign · Other

  MPTF administered or co-administered relief programs for multiple guilds, production organizations, casts, crews, and entertainment businesses during the COVID-19 crisis.

• 2012

  MPTF launches major campaign to preserve its safety net[1]Motion Picture & Television Funden.wikipedia.org

  Campaign

  MPTF began a large fundraising campaign led by Jeffrey Katzenberg and George Clooney to support future generations of aging entertainment workers.

• 2009

  MPTF announces closure plans for long-term care and acute-care units[1]Motion Picture & Television Funden.wikipedia.org

  Other · Regulation

  The organization announced that recession-era financial pressure and rising operating costs could require the closure of its long-term-care and acute-care units, prompting widespread criticism.

1. 1Motion Picture & Television Funden.wikipedia.org
2. 2Motion Picture & Television Fund official websitemptf.com