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AUSTIN (KXAN) – Local venues in a city that has been declared the “Live Music Capital of the World” are facing another closure.
In December, the Save Our Stages Act was passed as part of the COVID-19 Relief Fund and the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) program was launched.
Money would go to things like operators or promoters of live events, theater producers, cinemas, talent representatives and museums, zoos or aquariums that meet certain criteria.
Save Our Stages Act to save live music events starting this week
Funding through the SVOG program should be available by April 8, but the website where the venues are applying for funds is not working.
The US Small Business Administration, which operates the site, identified the problem on its website earlier this week and stated, “For the next few days, our engineering team and vendors will continue to focus on testing the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant application portal; We aim to reopen the portal by the end of the week of April 18, 2021. As soon as the exact date is fixed, we will inform you in advance. ”
Senator John Cornyn and many other US Senators wrote a letter to the Small Business Administration urging them to strive to achieve the SBA’s goal. The letter reads in part:
“The recent announcement by the government that the portal will be reopened by the end of next week is encouraging and we urge the administration to make every effort to achieve this goal…. With every day that goes by, more independent companies are being forced to close permanently or file for bankruptcy. Landlords and banks no longer allow deferrals … ”
The program includes over $ 16 billion in closed venue grants managed by the SBA’s Disaster Relief Bureau.
Eligible applicants can qualify for grants equal to 45% of their gross sales, with a maximum of $ 10 million for a single grant. Meanwhile, $ 2 billion is reserved for eligible applications with up to 50 full-time employees.
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