The SAG-AFTRA Foundation and the Screen Actors Guild Awards^® today announced Champagne Taittinger is sponsoring a new initiative that will raise additional funds for the Foundation’s critical Emergency Assistance program, which supports actors and their families in times of urgent need.

This initiative is an expansion of the support Champagne Taittinger provides to the Foundation to fund all of its programs, a partnership which celebrates its 17^th year in 2017.
 
As part of this commitment, Champagne Taittinger and the SAG-AFTRA Foundation will ask every nominee for the 23^rd Annual SAG Awards to autograph a Methuselah bottle of Champagne Taittinger they will pass as they enter the Showroom to attend the ceremony on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2017. For every signature, Champagne Taittinger will make a further donation to the Foundation’s Emergency Assistance program. In addition, the unique celebrity-signed bottle will be made available as an item in the online SAG Awards Ceremony Auction, with those proceeds also benefiting the Foundation’s Emergency Assistance program.
 
In what is now a long-standing tradition, that famous SAG Awards red carpet will officially open with a toast from Vitalie Taittinger, daughter of the current champagne house’s president Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger.
 
“Champagne Taittinger is thrilled to continue to build and strengthen our partnership with the SAG Awards and the SAG-AFTRA Foundation by supporting such an important cause,” says Vitalie Taittinger, who serves as Vice President of marketing and communication for the brand. “We are honored to give back to the talented and growing community of actors that the Foundation advocates for.”
 
During times of crisis, the Foundation’s Emergency Assistance program provides financial assistance to eligible SAG-AFTRA members and their families for basic expenses, including but not limited to rent, utilities and car insurance. This program is 100 percent confidential and made possible through gifts, grants and sponsorships. In 2016, the Foundation granted $400,000 in emergency assistance to SAG-AFTRA members and families in need.
 
“Not only does Champagne Taittinger care about the arts, it also cares about the artists and the families who make up this industry,” says JoBeth Williams, President of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation. “It’s extremely difficult to make a steady living as a working actor, and this new initiative and support from Champagne Taittinger exemplifies their deep commitment to actors and performers, not just in the good times, but also during times of real struggle. We could not be more grateful for their support and look forward to continuing our 17-year partnership for many years to come.”
 
Since 1985, the Foundation has granted more than $18 million in financial and medical assistance to SAG-AFTRA members and their families.
 
The 23rd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® will be simulcast live nationwide on TNT and TBS on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2017 at 8 p.m. (ET) / 5 p.m. (PT).
 
About the SAG-AFTRA Foundation
In 2017, the SAG-AFTRA Foundation celebrates 32 years of giving back to the professionals of SAG-AFTRA, their families and communities. The Foundation is a non-profit organization that provides vital assistance and free educational programming to the professionals of SAG-AFTRA while serving the public at large through its signature children’s literacy programs. The SAG-AFTRA Foundation relies solely on support from gifts, grants and sponsorships to maintain its free programs. Visit sagaftra.foundation.