Important Updates
Arts Recovery & Resilience
Shuttered Venue Operators Grants
The Shuttered Venue Operators (SVO) Grant program was established by the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits, and Venues Act, signed into law on December 27, 2020. The program includes $15 billion in grants to shuttered venues, to be administered by the Small Business Administration’s Office of Disaster Assistance.

While this program has not yet opened for applications, there are important updates regarding eligibility and the application process. We anticipate that it will open soon.

Updates:

Late on Friday March 5, the US Small Business Administration posted the following Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) informational documents to their website. It provides an extensive checklist of materials to begin preparing for an application and a clear table of eligibility requirements based on the type of venue operator/producer/talent representative entity. SBA also added a few changes to the SVOG’s new FAQs (the added FAQs begin with an * asterisk), as well as a new video tutorial for museums. (Note: any SVOG changes currently in pending legislation cannot be reflected in these newly published documents until enacted into law…hopefully before March 14th.)

American Rescue Plan
Following a record 25-hour debate that went through the night on Saturday, the Senate passed its amended version of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan for COVID relief along party line votes. Here are some of the key allocations in the Senate version of the bill:

  • (important) $1.25 billion additional funds for the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program with the new allowance that entities can apply for both PPP and SVOG for a net award. 
  • $15 billion for additional EIDL funds, with loans prioritized for hardest hit businesses with fewer than 10 employees.
  • $7.25 billion additional funds for Paycheck Protection Program.
  • $135 million for the NEA, $135 million for the NEH, $200 million for IMLS, and $175 million added for CPB.

What’s Next: Now that the Senate passed its version, it heads back to the House of Representatives for a vote on the identical bill -- the vote is expected today or Wednesday. If it passes, it will head to Biden's desk for signature. The target date for enactment is before March 14, 2021.
Safe Outdoor Venues
Don't forget the Safe Outdoor Venues in Vermont discussion at 9 a.m. tomorrow, March 10, via Zoom. The Vermont Recreation & Park Association’s quarterly meeting will include a discussion on ""Planning events & connecting communities & artists during the pandemic." The session will feature panelists from Vermont's Dept. of Health; Agency of Commerce & Community Development (ACCD); Forests, Parks, & Recreation; the Vermont Arts Council, as well as Jody Fried from Catamount Arts and Sherri Birkheimer Rooker from the Chaffee Art Center. Learn more and register here.