Defy:Disaster

Building on the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s historic commitment to furthering the philanthropic efforts of the entertainment community, the program aims to support immediate and long-term relief with a primary goal of making a powerful and sustainable impact in highly affected areas.

In October 2020, EIF reintroduced the full breadth of its disaster relief efforts under the program name Defy:Disaster. The program is dedicated to providing aid to survivors and communities affected by natural disasters to help them recover and rebuild. Supported by the entertainment community and the public, EIF’s disaster relief program has responded to more than 40 natural disasters, including the COVID-19 pandemic and hurricane relief for the Southeast.

In 2020, EIF’s disaster relief program and its fund partners supporting disaster response granted more than $10 million to beneficiaries.  Since its inception, the program, with the help of its unity partners throughout the entertainment industry, donated funding for vital equipment, including hydration packs central to firefighters’ safety, to first responders across California and made grants to local partner organizations supporting families impacted by the wildfires.

EIF’s disaster relief efforts originated with the nonprofit’s formation more than 75 years ago, when the organization provided grants to wartime agencies such as the United States Organizations and American Red Cross. Later efforts included Hope for Haiti Now and Somos Una Voz, during which national, multi-network telecasts raised millions of dollars for those impacted by the disasters.

In 2018, Music for Relief, a nonprofit founded by the band Linkin Park, joined EIF and became the name of its official crisis relief program with the goal of expanding the vision and scope of its efforts.  In just two years, the program has been utilized and supported by the entire entertainment community.  As EIF’s program changed its name to Defy:Disaster to reflect a broader entertainment effort, Music for Relief continues as a fund of EIF dedicated to music-driven efforts in response to disasters.

Learn more at defydisaster.org.