About the Houdini Fund

Magicians who have fallen ill or have been injured may be helped through the Houdini Fund, an integral part of the S.A.M. Magic Endowment Foundation. The Fund will assist any magician or allied artist who is in financial need, with extra expenses normally not covered by insurance, such as nurses, oxygen, wheelchairs, and other similar medical requirements. Funds are granted for comfort assistance such as in- hospital TV rentals and news paper delivery, outpatient aides and additional drug assistance, per illness. The Fund has paid for transportation to and from medical facilities. These are grants and not loans. Payments are kept confidential.

If you would like to submit a request for funds, please contact the trustees.

You do not have to be a member of the S.A.M. to apply.

You will need to submit a letter by mail from a doctor,  or a copy of a recent medical bill to certify that you are under medical care.

Fill out a form at:

https://sammagicendowmentfund.org/houdini-fund

Phone: 718 336 0605

Email: houdinifund@magicsam.com

or by mail to:

All requests are confidential.

You’ve got money!”

Dear Compeers,

It is amazing that of our more than 6,000 members, no one has requested the Houdini Fund for financial assistance concerning a COVID-19 illness.

Over the years since Harry Houdini donated money to support ailing magicians, the fund has grown through the generosity of S.A.M members as well as their friends and families.  Years later, when mutual funds came on to the scene, the trustees invested the donations to grow the principal of the fund and to be able to provide a greater level of assistance.

Originally a Parent Assembly #1 Fund, the Houdini Fund was merged into the Society of American Magicians Magic Endowment Fund in 1987 where it currently operates as a separate grant-making organization with its own trustees.

Today, there is a sizable amount of money to be given to magicians and to allied artists (clowns, face painters, ventriloquists, storytellers, jugglers and stilt walkers, etc.) who are in need of financial aid for medical assistance from illness or injury.  Dental funding assistance is even allowable!

These are grants, not loans, and all funds distributed are confidential. You do not have to be an S. A. M. Member to be eligible for aid.  While Medicare and medical insurance can primarily cover expenses, Houdini Fund grants can defray other extras such as co-pays and other out-of-pocket costs. Whether you need extra outpatient medication, wheelchairs or oxygen, you should contact us.

If you need extra help, and have fallen ill in the past year, please apply to us.  E-mail an outline of your condition plus a note from your doctor and/or a copy of the medial bill to HoudiniFund@MagicSAM.com or visit us at https://sammagicendowmentfund.org/houdini-fund

Yours in M-U-M,

Houdini Fund Trustees
Robert Kirkpatrick
Dr. Bruce Lish
George Schindler