Dear IFEA Friends,
For those of you who have applied for or are considering applying for a Shuttered Venue Operator Grant (SVOG), we have been careful not to fill your in-box with every rumor, as it can become very confusing, and often is not fully verified, but from our best sources, we wanted to share the latest information that is available:
- SBA will begin notifying the first batch of Priority 1 applicants by email of their awards this week. Additional batches of Priority 1 award notifications are expected the following week, but the SBA wanted to meet their deadline of beginning to announce awards by late May.
- SBA indicated that they have 400 Application Reviewers who have opened and begun reviewing every submitted application, regardless of which priority level they are in. There appears to be a glitch in the system in that some applications are noted in the portal as “Under Review” while others are not. In fact, all applications are under review, and some are even further along with the notation of “Final Review.”
- SBA acknowledged that they incorrectly sent out emails to some applicants stating their application had been started, but not officially submitted yet. In fact, many of these applications had been officially submitted.
- SBA reaffirmed that SVOG awards will still be released on a first in, first out basis within each priority group.
- SBA acknowledged that they continue to see technical errors with the IRS tax form 4506-T and they are attempting to first cure the problem on behalf of applicants, when possible. Otherwise, they are emailing the applicants directly with instructions to fix the problem and they assure us that applicants will not lose their spot in the queue as a result.
-
SBA also acknowledged that they continue to hear of problems with their Technical Assistance Call Center. They have now corrected the connection problem of transferring calls between two tech centers, so your calls are no longer dropped. Please be sure you are calling the correct number, as SBA has multiple call centers for various issues. The only number to call for SVOG technical questions is 1-800-659-2955.
- SBA confirmed that there are still ample funds and all eligible organizations and individuals are encouraged to still apply.
- SBA is expected to publish additional FAQs this week. Please check their website regularly.
- While the SBA has not officially released updated stats on the number of SVOG applications, they did provide some updated numbers to a media source last week. As of May 20th, 12,213 SVOG applications have been submitted to the SBA, of which 5,004 were from Live Venue Operators/Promoters, 2,853 from Live Performing Arts Organizations, and 1,411 from Talent Representatives.
|
|
While there continues to be many questions and a good bit of confusion surrounding the SVOG process and details, we will continue to keep you updated as we have more information.
|
|
About the IFEA:
The International Festivals & Events Association (IFEA) is The Premier Association Supporting and Enabling Festival & Event Professionals Worldwide. With a target audience that includes all those who produce and support quality celebrations for the benefit of their respective "communities," the IFEA's primary focus is identifying and providing access to the professional resources and networks that will inspire and enable those in our industry to realize their dreams, build community and sustain success through celebration. Membership in the IFEA provides value from all directions, including invaluable contacts and cash budget savings worth many times the membership investment. The more you use them, the higher your return.
|
|
Top IFEA Member Benefits & Resources
|
|
Thank You to Our Association Endorsed Partners:
The IFEA would like to thank the following partners for their dedicated support of the association. Association Endorsed Partners have made a commitment to the continued success of our association, our members, and our industry through their umbrella sponsorship support of all IFEA programs and services. Show your support for these dedicated providers to our industry by getting to know them, and the high-quality products and services that they supply, better.
|
|
|
|
|
International Festivals & Events Association
2603 W. Eastover Terrace - Boise, ID - 83706 USA
|
|
|
|
|
|
|