BEVERLY HILLS, CA – On Oscar Sunday, February 24, charities in 45 cities will bring the Oscar experience to life at viewing parties in each city. The Oscar Experience: Benefits is the Academy’s grassroots outreach program that allows charities across the country to host official Oscar parties while raising money for their causes.
In 2012, the Oscar Experience: Benefits raised more than $3.1 million in 49 cities. Since its inception in 1994, as Oscar Night® America, the program has brought in more than $36.6 million, with all of the funds staying in the communities where they were raised.
All of the parties will feature a live broadcast of the 85th Academy Awards®; many will integrate Hollywood-style glamour elements, including red carpets, local celebrities, “paparazzi” and predict-the-winners contests.
“The Oscar Experience: Benefits is a natural extension of the philanthropic work the Academy does year-round,” said Academy CEO Dawn Hudson. “We are thrilled to share a part of the Oscar experience with movie fans nationwide while supporting charities across the country.”
The 2013 Oscar Experience: Benefits charities and cities are (alphabetical by city):
- The New Mexico BioPark Society, Albuquerque, NM
- The Center for Family Resources, Atlanta, GA
- The Ellie Fund, Boston, MA
- Shea’s Performing Arts Center, Buffalo, NY
- Virginia Film Festival, Charlottesville, VA
- Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
- People Working Cooperatively, Cincinnati, OH
- KidFilm Festival, Dallas, TX
- Denver Film Society, Denver, CO
- Southgate Community Players, Detroit, MI
- AIDS Connecticut (ACT), Hartford, CT
- Hawaii International Film Festival, Honolulu, HI
- American Cancer Society, High Plains Division, Houston, TX
- United Way of Central Indiana, Indianapolis, IN
- Variety of Eastern Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
- Variety Children’s Charity of Southern Nevada, Las Vegas, NV
- Wolfe Street Foundation, Inc., Little Rock, AK
- MEND Meet Each Need with Dignity, Los Angeles, CA
- WHAS Crusade for Children, Inc., Louisville, KY
- Ronald McDonald House Charities of Memphis, Memphis, TN
- COA Youth & Family Centers, Milwaukee, WI
- Aegis Foundation, Inc., Minneapolis, MN
- Belcourt Theatre, Nashville, TN
- American Red Cross Southeast Louisiana Chapter, New Orleans, LA
- Ronald McDonald House Charities of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma City, OK
- Alzheimer’s Association Midlands Chapter, Omaha, NE
- Variety – The Children’s Charity of Florida, Inc., Orlando, FL
- Palm Beach International Film Festival, Palm Beach, FL
- Volunteers of America Delaware Valley, Philadelphia, PA
- Pacific Region of the Arthritis Foundation, Phoenix, AZ
- Community Theatre of Greensboro, Piedmont Triad area, NC
- Rhode Island International Film Festival, Providence, RI
- Central Virginia Film Institute, Richmond, VA
- Utah AIDS Foundation, Salt Lake City, UT
- Special Olympics Texas, San Antonio, TX
- Community Campership Council, Inc., San Diego, CA
- California Film Institute Education Program, San Francisco, CA
- Starlight Children’s Foundation Northwest, Seattle, WA
- Robinson Film Center, Shreveport, LA
- Isabel’s House, Crisis Nursery of the Ozarks, Springfield, MO
- Cinema St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
- Tampa Theatre, Tampa, FL
- Fox Tucson Theatre Foundation, Tucson, AZ
- DC Shorts, Washington, DC
- Waterfront Film Festival, Western Michigan (Grand Rapids)
To set these parties apart from thousands of other events taking place on Oscar Sunday, each Oscar Experience: Benefits party receives from the Academy copies of the official commemorative poster and the official Oscar show program, among other items.
Only one charity in a given media market may participate in the Oscar Experience: Benefits. Events are entirely produced by local nonprofit organizations with the active participation of the local ABC-TV affiliate station.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2012 will be presented on Sunday, February 24, 2013, at the Dolby Theatre™ at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.
