Motion Picture & Television Fund
A charitable organization providing financial assistance, health care, residential support, and social services to people working in the American motion-picture and television industries and their families.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
The Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF) is a nonprofit organization established to provide practical assistance and long-term care to people who have worked in the motion-picture and television industries. Its beneficiaries have included performers and highly visible creative figures, but also technicians, craft workers, production staff, extras, security personnel, administrative employees, and their dependents. The organization’s central principle is that entertainment-industry workers should be able to receive help regardless of celebrity status and, where applicable, according to their ability to pay. Mary Pickford conceived the original relief initiative during a period when many entertainment workers lacked stable employment, health coverage, or retirement security. The Motion Picture Relief Fund was formally established in 1921, with Joseph Schenck as president, Pickford as vice-president, and the Reverend Neal Dodd as administrator. The fund’s mission became more urgent during the following decade after several former Hollywood performers died in impoverished circumstances. These cases helped galvanize support for a permanent residential and medical institution rather than a purely emergency-relief program. In 1940, under president Jean Hersholt, the organization acquired land in the San Fernando Valley for a residential community. The Motion Picture Country House was dedicated in 1942 on a campus that later became associated with the Wasserman Campus in Woodland Hills. A hospital was added in 1948. As television became an increasingly important part of the entertainment business, the organization expanded its eligibility and adopted the Motion Picture & Television Fund name. MPTF’s services have developed beyond residential care. The organization has provided temporary financial assistance, case management, counseling, health care, aging-related programs, palliative care, behavioral-health services, memory care, child care, and support for people who need help remaining safely in their own homes. Its residential campus has included independent living, assisted living, hospital services, long-term care, and specialized memory care. MPTF also operates or supports health-care centers for entertainment-industry members through a partnership with UCLA Health. The organization faced a major institutional crisis in 2009 when it announced plans to close its acute-care hospital and long-term-care unit because of rising costs and the effects of the recession. The proposal prompted strong criticism from parts of the entertainment community and led to a restructuring of operations. Bob Beitcher became chief executive in 2010, and MPTF subsequently undertook a large fundraising campaign designed to strengthen its long-term safety net. Jeffrey Katzenberg and George Clooney helped lead the campaign, which sought to prepare for the retirement needs of a large generation of entertainment workers. Fundraising remains central to MPTF’s model. Events such as The Night Before, The Evening Before, golf tournaments, Reel Stories, Real Lives, and other donor programs have generated support for direct assistance and campus services. The MPTF Foundation, established in 1993 with Jeffrey Katzenberg as founding chairman, has served as an important philanthropic channel. The Samuel Goldwyn Foundation has been identified as one of the organization’s largest historical donors. During the COVID-19 pandemic, MPTF administered or co-administered several relief funds for entertainment-industry groups and companies, including funds associated with the Directors Guild of America, IATSE, ViacomCBS, Cast & Crew, Westworld, and The Comedy Store. Its Woodland Hills campus also experienced a serious outbreak in 2020, resulting in resident deaths and the creation of a dedicated COVID-19 unit. MPTF later coordinated a campus-wide vaccination program. In 2021, during its centennial year, MPTF received the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. It was the first time the Academy selected an organization rather than an individual as a recipient. Today, MPTF remains a specialized safety-net institution for the United States entertainment community, combining charitable aid, medical and behavioral-health services, residential care, aging programs, and emergency relief.
History
The Motion Picture & Television Fund originated in the early Hollywood era, when employment in the entertainment business was often irregular and many workers lacked reliable access to health care, retirement resources, or emergency assistance. Mary Pickford promoted the idea of a dedicated relief fund for people in the motion-picture industry who were unemployed or in financial difficulty. The Motion Picture Relief Fund was founded in 1921. Joseph Schenck served as president, Pickford as vice-president, and the Reverend Neal Dodd as administrator. The fund’s importance became more apparent during the 1930s. The deaths of several former Hollywood figures in impoverished circumstances created concern that people who had contributed to the industry could be left without support after their careers ended. The organization therefore moved toward a permanent community that could combine relief, housing, and medical care. In 1940, Jean Hersholt, then president of the fund, helped secure a 48-acre parcel of former walnut and orange groves in the southwest San Fernando Valley. The board purchased the property for development of a residential community. Part of the land was sold to help finance the first construction phase, and architect William Pereira designed the initial buildings. Pickford and Hersholt participated in the groundbreaking, and the Motion Picture Country House was dedicated on September 27, 1942. A hospital on the grounds was dedicated in 1948. The campus eventually included individual cottages, administrative facilities, medical services, and other forms of residential care. Eligibility was tied to sustained work in entertainment production rather than fame. Residents who could pay were charged according to their means, while those without resources could receive care without payment. The organization accepted a broad range of workers, including actors, directors, producers, artists, camera personnel, extras, backlot workers, security staff, and other production employees. As television expanded, the fund broadened its mission and changed its name to the Motion Picture & Television Fund. Its activities came to include emergency financial assistance, social work, case management, medical care, aging services, and support for entertainment professionals and their families living outside the main campus. The MPTF Foundation was established in 1993, with Jeffrey Katzenberg as founding chairman, to strengthen philanthropic fundraising. Over time, MPTF developed recurring public events and donor programs, including The Night Before, The Evening Before, golf tournaments, and Reel Stories, Real Lives. These activities helped finance services for both current and retired industry members. The institution experienced a difficult period beginning in 2009. MPTF cited rising health-care costs and the economic recession when it announced plans to close its long-term-care unit and acute-care hospital. The announcement provoked strong criticism because the organization’s historic identity was closely associated with caring for entertainment workers in old age and illness. MPTF restructured its operations, appointed Bob Beitcher in 2010, and pursued a large fundraising campaign beginning in 2012. Jeffrey Katzenberg and George Clooney helped lead the effort, which was presented as a way to create a sustainable safety net for a large population of aging entertainment workers. The campus continued to evolve. The Saban Center for Health and Wellness, including the Jodie Foster Aquatic Pavilion, opened in 2007 and provided aquatic and land-based therapies as well as aging-related services. MPTF later introduced programs such as Palliative Care, Elder Connection, Rebuilding Together, and the Age Well Program to assist older adults in their homes. The Samuel Goldwyn Jr. Center for Behavioral Health opened in 2014 for adults over 55 with acute mental-health needs. In 2019, Harry’s Haven memory care was moved into a renovated section of the hospital, while the long-term-care unit was dedicated as Mary Pickford House, with adjoining beds named Hersholt Place. MPTF also became a producer and subject of cultural material about the entertainment community. The 2004 documentary Glitter Palace examined the Motion Picture Country Home and featured residents of the institution. The campus has also hosted live programming through MPTF Studios, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, the residential campus suffered a serious COVID-19 outbreak. Residents and staff tested positive, several residents died, and the former acute-care J-Wing was configured as a dedicated COVID-19 area. During 2020 and 2021, MPTF administered or co-administered multiple industry relief funds for entertainment workers affected by the pandemic. The organization also began a vaccination program for residents across the campus. MPTF marked its ninety-fifth anniversary in 2016 with a live campus event. In 2021, its centennial year, the organization received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This was the first occasion on which the Academy gave that award to an organization. MPTF continues to combine direct financial aid, case management, health care, residential services, behavioral-health support, aging programs, and emergency relief for the United States entertainment community.
- 2021
MPTF receives the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award
[1]The Academy presents the humanitarian award to MPTF during the organization’s centennial year, the first time the recipient is an organization.
- 2019
Campus care facilities are reorganized
[1]Harry’s Haven memory care moves into a renovated hospital area, while the long-term-care unit becomes Mary Pickford House with adjoining Hersholt Place.
- 2014
Behavioral-health center opens
[1]The Samuel Goldwyn Jr. Center for Behavioral Health begins serving adults over 55 with acute mental-health needs.
- 2009
Care-service closure plan triggers controversy
[1]MPTF announces plans to close its long-term-care unit and acute-care hospital because of financial and operating pressures.
- 2007
Saban Center for Health and Wellness opens
[1]The center, including the Jodie Foster Aquatic Pavilion, expands therapy, wellness, and aging services on the campus.
- 1993
MPTF Foundation is established
[1]The foundation is created as a philanthropic fundraising channel, with Jeffrey Katzenberg as founding chairman.
- 1948
Motion Picture Hospital opens
[1]A hospital is dedicated on the Country House grounds, extending the organization’s residential mission into institutional health care.
- 1942
Motion Picture Country House is dedicated
[1]The residential campus in Woodland Hills is formally dedicated after groundbreaking by Mary Pickford and Jean Hersholt.
- 1940
San Fernando Valley property is acquired
[1]The fund acquires land for a permanent residential community that will become the Motion Picture Country House.
- 1921
Motion Picture Relief Fund is founded
[1]Mary Pickford’s relief concept becomes a formal organization serving people in the motion-picture industry, with Joseph Schenck as president and Pickford as vice-president.
Products and positioning
A specialized charitable safety-net organization for workers and families connected to the American entertainment industry.
Charitable aid
Emergency Financial Assistance
Short-term financial support for eligible entertainment-industry workers and their families facing hardship. Assistance is part of MPTF’s broader safety-net model and is complemented by case management and referrals to other resources.
Senior living and long-term care · 1942
Residential Living
MPTF’s Woodland Hills campus provides residential options for eligible entertainment-industry workers and spouses, including independent and assisted living and longer-term support. Fees are determined in relation to residents’ ability to pay rather than celebrity or professional prominence.
Health care · 1948
MPTF Health Care
The organization provides health-related services through its campus facilities and entertainment-industry-focused health centers. Services described in the organization’s history include primary care, therapy, aging support, palliative care, and behavioral-health treatment.
Memory care
Harry’s Haven
A specialized memory-care facility named for Kirk Douglas’s father. In 2019, it was relocated from a standalone building into a renovated second-floor area of the hospital.
Behavioral health · 2014
Samuel Goldwyn Jr. Center for Behavioral Health
A behavioral-health center specializing in adults over 55 with acute mental-health needs. It forms part of MPTF’s wider response to the health and social needs of aging entertainment professionals.
Crisis relief · 2020
Industry Relief Funds
MPTF administers or co-administers targeted relief funds for entertainment-industry groups, employers, productions, and workers affected by major disruptions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, these included funds connected with several guilds, companies, productions, and venues.
Controversies
2009
Controversy over proposed care closures
MPTF’s announcement that it intended to close its long-term-care unit and acute-care hospital prompted strong criticism from entertainment-industry supporters and others who viewed the plan as inconsistent with the fund’s historic promise to care for its own community.
Marketing campaigns
- 2020COVID-19 industry relief funds
United States
MPTF administered or co-administered emergency funds for entertainment workers and groups affected by the pandemic, including funds associated with DGA, IATSE, ViacomCBS, Cast & Crew, Westworld, The Comedy Store, and an industry-wide MPTF fund.
Outcome. The programs extended MPTF’s traditional safety-net role to pandemic-related unemployment and hardship.
- 2012MPTF long-term safety-net fundraising campaign
United States
A large campaign led by Jeffrey Katzenberg and George Clooney sought to strengthen MPTF’s financial base and prepare for the retirement of a substantial generation of entertainment-industry workers.
Outcome. The reference reports that $238 million had been raised at an early stage and $325 million had been raised by 2014.
- 2003The Night Before
United States
A major Los Angeles fundraising event held around the Academy Awards period. It was conceived as a high-profile donor and entertainment gathering supporting MPTF programs.
Outcome. The event became one of MPTF’s principal annual fundraising programs and had raised more than $70 million by 2016, according to the cited reference.
Brand decisions
2020
Conversion of former acute-care area into COVID-19 unitStrategyBackground
An outbreak occurred among residents and employees at the MPTF campus during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Action taken
The former acute-care J-Wing was configured as a dedicated COVID-19 unit, and the organization later initiated campus-wide vaccination.
Aftermath
The outbreak resulted in multiple resident deaths and required the organization to adapt campus operations and health protocols.
2012
Launch of long-term sustainability campaignStrategyBackground
After the 2009 care-services controversy and organizational restructuring, MPTF sought a stronger financial base for future aging and assistance needs.
Action taken
MPTF launched a major fundraising campaign led by Jeffrey Katzenberg and George Clooney.
Aftermath
The campaign accumulated substantial pledged and reported contributions and became a central part of MPTF’s effort to support future generations of entertainment workers.
Reported campaign funds raised. $325 million (By 2014)
2009
Plan to close acute and long-term careStrategyBackground
MPTF cited rising costs and recessionary pressures as reasons that its existing care model was financially difficult to sustain.
Action taken
The organization announced plans to close the acute-care hospital and a long-term-care unit serving residents on the Woodland Hills campus.
Aftermath
The decision generated public criticism and was followed by restructuring, new leadership, and a major fundraising effort intended to preserve a sustainable safety net.
Recent events
- 2021
MPTF receives Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award[1]
Other
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences selected MPTF for the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, marking the first time the award was presented to an organization.
- 2020
COVID-19 outbreak affects MPTF residential campus[1]
Other · Regulation
An outbreak at the MPTF campus infected residents and employees and resulted in multiple resident deaths. The organization created a dedicated COVID-19 unit and later implemented campus-wide vaccination.
- 2012
MPTF launches major long-term fundraising campaign[1]
Campaign
MPTF began an ambitious campaign intended to reinforce its financial safety net and address the expected retirement needs of a large cohort of entertainment-industry workers.
- 2010
MPTF appoints Bob Beitcher during restructuring[1]
Leadership change
Bob Beitcher joined MPTF during the period of organizational restructuring that followed the controversy over proposed care-service closures.
- 2009
MPTF announces planned closure of acute-care and long-term-care services[1]
Other
The organization announced that rising costs and recessionary pressures would require the closure of its acute-care hospital and long-term-care unit. The decision generated criticism and prompted a broader restructuring of MPTF’s operating model.
Sources2 sources
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