The Denver Actors Fund exists to help lift the burden of medical expenses off our local theater artists so they can focus on making the art that entertains Colorado audiences. We never want artists to have to choose between performing and paying off a debt. And that’s true whether that debt is from their own medical expenses – or their pet’s. We never want anyone to have to make brutal decisions that will affect whether an animal lives or dies based on their ability to pay.
Launched in 2023, the PAWS Fund is a separate support source that makes limited financial relief from pet-related medical bills available to qualified members of the Colorado theater community.
“We started the Denver Actors Fund to help Colorado theater artists experiencing medical hardships, and we have discovered that emergency pet medical expenses can be just as financially devastating to them as their own medical expenses, and sometimes more so,” DAF Executive Director and co-founder John Moore said in announcing the new initiative in May 2023 (read the full announcement).
This is a separately funded initiative with a limited balance. Qualified applicants are limited to no more than $500 in PAWS Fund assistance per household. in any calendar year. This distribution policy is subject to change.
View the Distribution Policy explaining what expenses are eligible for consideration >
The PAWS Fund was launched with a $35,000 balance, including a $10,000 dedicated boost from the Howard and Marty Corren family in memory of Denver playwright and director Terry Dodd. The PAWS Fund will exist as long as donations dedicated specifically to the PAWS Fund continue to come in and keep it sustainable. In its first year, the Denver Actors Fund‘s separate #PAWSFund initiative has helped Colorado theater artists and their families pay down their veterinary medical expenses by more than $61,000.
Any donation to The Denver Actors Fund will continue to go directly to the primary general fund and be reserved for human medical-expense reimbursement unless the donor specifically designates that money to go to the PAWS Fund.
Anyone with questions regarding the PAWS Fund or any other Denver Actors Fund business is encouraged to email denveractorsfund@gmail.com.
Apply for help from the Denver Actors Fund PAWS Fund >
You might also consider designating a Facebook or Instagram fundraiser specific to the PAWS Fund! (Let us know if you do!)