News Corp. Donates $20 Million to the Motion Picture & Television Fund

by Gregg Kilday

The contribution goes toward the $350 million fundraising campaign that begun earlier this year.

News Corp. is donating $20 million to the Motion Picture & Television Fund, the charitable organization that cares for workers in the entertainment industry.

In announcing the donation, Rupert Murdoch, News Corp. chairman and CEO, said, “The MPTF is vital to the long-term health of the entertainment industry and provides crucial support to many valued members of the creative community. I’m so pleased we can play a role in its ongoing success and hope that this commitment will spur others within the entertainment community to get involved and join this important mission.”

“Rupert Murdoch has been a major donor to MPTF for nearly twenty years. He was one of the first people I approached when I became involved as Chairman of the MPTF Foundation in 1991. He said yes then and has never stopped, and now this incredible commitment from News Corporation is the ultimate expression of generosity,” said Jeffrey Katzenberg, chairman of the MPTF Campaign as he announced the contribution Wednesday along with Michael Douglas, MPTF Foundation committee member.

The MPTF, which runs a nursing home facility in Woodland Hills among its other activities, announced a $350 million fund-raising campaign in February. Last month, Barry Diller, chairman of IAC/InterActiveCorp., and his wife, fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg made a $30 million contribution through their family foundation.

The $350 million campaign is focused on meeting the needs of current industry workers as well as current and future retirees with charitable programs and services ranging from financial assistance for rent, mortgage, food and healthcare crises to counseling and health care support for uninsured and underinsured members of the entertainment community through a new MPTF program called Bridge to Health.

MPTF president and CEO Bob Beitcher said of the latest donation, “Everyone knows the unpredictable nature of working in the entertainment industry and the needs that can arise as a result.  MPTF is only able to continue to provide a safety net because of generous donations and the gift from News Corporation is extraordinary and will surely impact thousands of lives for years to come.”