Raleigh, NC - Today, Congresswoman Deborah Ross (NC-02) announced that 31 venues in North Carolina’s Second District will receive nearly $15 million through the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) program. Funded through the American Rescue Plan, this program provides critical grants to venues in the music and entertainment industry that were forced to close operations due to COVID-19.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating effects on our small businesses, especially on venue operators that were forced to shut their doors,” said Congresswoman Ross. “The American Rescue Plan revitalized our economy and delivered urgently needed relief to shuttered venues, restaurants, and small businesses that were struggling to stay afloat under extraordinary circumstances. I am pleased to see that the SBA acted swiftly to expedite the dispersal of these crucial grants to businesses that are so economically and culturally central to Wake County and our nation.”
Congresswoman Ross joined over 200 bipartisan Members of Congress in calling for the SBA to expedite the release of SVOG funds following technical challenges with initial deployment of the grants. This call to action was successful, as the SBA has now approved more than $8.4 billion in grants to more than 10,800 businesses, including 290 North Carolina venue operators.
The Small Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) program was established through passage of the COVID-19 relief package in December 2020. Congresswoman Ross voted for the American Rescue Plan, which provided additional funding to the SVOG program—totaling over $16 billion in grants for local venues across the country. The American Rescue Plan also allowed shuttered venues that received Paycheck Protection Program loans after December 27, 2020 to receive SVOG grants, which was previously prohibited.
While the SVOG program is not accepting any new applications, the SBA announced it will be sending invitations for supplemental SVOG awards.
A full list of 2nd District businesses that have been approved for a Small Venue Operators grant is available here.
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