Frequently Asked Questions
The SAG-AFTRA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides emergency financial assistance, scholarships, and free educational programming and resources to SAG-AFTRA members.
The SAG-AFTRA Foundation and SAG-AFTRA are separate organizations that serve different, but complementary roles for SAG-AFTRA members and within the entertainment industry.
SAG-AFTRA is a membership-based, dues-paying labor union that is part of the AFL-CIO, representing over 160,000 actors, announcers, broadcast journalists, dancers, DJs, news writers, news editors, program hosts, puppeteers, recording artists, singers, stunt performers, voiceover artists and other media professionals nationwide. SAG-AFTRA focuses on labor representation, pay and benefits, negotiating contracts, and protecting the rights and work-related interests of its membership.
The SAG-AFTRA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting SAG-AFTRA members and their families with emergency financial assistance, scholarships and free educational programs. As a nonprofit organization, the SAG-AFTRA Foundation relies entirely on gifts, grants and donations to fund its programs, and is not funded by union dues.
All of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s programs, services and resources are FREE for eligible SAG-AFTRA members.
All SAG-AFTRA members in good standing can create an account on the SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s website. A member in good standing means being a paid up and active member.
As long as you are a member in good-standing with SAG-AFTRA, you are eligible for all Foundation classes, programs and services. Some classes may require uploading additional information like a headshot or resume, and some other classes may require completion of an orientation, or other qualifying class. Many classes are restricted to adults only, but we do host special classes for minors, and most of our screenings and large-format classes are open to performers under the age of 18.
All SAG-AFTRA members are encouraged to create their free user accounts with the Foundation to maximize their union benefits and access free programs, including Conversations screenings and Q&As, The Business panels and Small Group Sessions, Casting Access classes with casting professionals, Voiceover Lab workshops and audio recording booth sessions, On-Camera Lab self-tape recording sessions, emergency financial assistance and scholarships.
Click here and fill out the brief form. Once you have verified your email address, you will have access to all our programs. Once completed, create a Voiceover and Casting Access profile to access those programs.
First, check Your Profile and make sure the ‘General Interest’ button is checked. If this is checked, look in your Spam folder to make sure Spam is not filtering our emails. Contact us if you are still not finding our emails.
To learn about how to donate residuals, click here.
