Eligibility - Behind the Scenes

Who is Eligible for a Behind the Scenes Grant?

It is common to experience depression or anxiety when you are dealing with a serious illness or injury, natural disaster, or a lack of work. Our Mental Health Initiative has many tools and resources available to help.

You must be an entertainment technology professional and meet the following criteria:

For the Basic Needs Grant: You are seriously ill or injured, or have an immediate, dependent family member such as a spouse/partner or dependent (minor) child who is seriously ill or injured. (If you are applying because of Covid-19 you must show proof of hospitalization.) Due to the small size of our organization, we are unable to provide Basic Needs financial grants due to lack of work or natural disasters.
For the Counseling Grant: You wish to see a mental health professional or enter in-patient or out-patient rehab.
For the Natural Disaster Relief Grant: You must have been severely impacted by a natural disaster such as fire, hurricane, tornado, flood or earthquake that occurred on or after January 1, 2025.
Additionally, you must:
- Currently reside in the US or Canada
- Have earned your living for at least five recent years in the entertainment technology industry. This means that your major source of income is from your work in this industry, which includes being directly involved with a production-related craft:
  - - Behind the scenes in any type of performance venue, or
    - Behind the camera, or
    - On the road, or
    - Work for companies who are directly involved in supplying entertainment technology products and services such as dealers, manufacturers, production or rental companies, consultants, and design firms.

If you are retired or on disability from a career in the entertainment technology industry, and are experiencing serious illness or injury, you may apply as long as your time out of the industry is less than the total time you worked in the industry.

Performing artists are not eligible. If you are unsure of your eligibility, please contact us at [email protected] prior to completing the application.

Final determination of eligibility is at the sole discretion of the Board of Directors of the Behind the Scenes Foundation.

Available Grants

(Click on the name of the grant to apply):

The Basic Needs Grant
For entertainment technology professionals who are seriously ill or injured and are seeking assistance with basic living expenses (such as rent or mortgage, property taxes, utilities, insurance and transportation) or for medical expenses (including health insurance, doctor and hospital bills, medication, physical therapy, home health care, and medical equipment.This grant is also appropriate if the eligible person has an immediate, dependent family member who is seriously ill or injured.
The Counseling Grant
For entertainment technology professionals who would like to initiate or support ongoing counseling or participate in an in-patient or out-patient chemical dependency recovery program. Grants are issued directly to the recipient’s self-selected provider, which must be a licensed social worker, psychotherapist, psychiatrist, mental health facility, emergency medical facility, or chemical dependency recovery facility.
The Natural Disaster Relief Grant
For entertainment technology professionals who have been severely impacted by a natural disaster. Grants are $250 and are issued in the form of an electronic American Express Gift Card emailed directly to you. These are intended to be used for immediate needs such as food, clothing, medication, or toiletries.
The Funeral Assistance Grant
For immediate family members of an entertainment technology professional who has passed away and assistance with funeral costs is needed.