Governor Kelly announced Tuesday that the Small Business Administration allocated 90 grant awards totaling $45.7 million to Kansas venues through the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) program.
The SVOG is administered by the Small Business Administration’s Office of Disaster Assistance, and provides emergency assistance for venues negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Eligible recipients include live entertainment venues, theaters, museums, or cultural institutions. The grants can be used for payroll costs, rent, utilities, scheduled mortgage payments and more.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 15,166 Kansas establishments closed last year because of the pandemic. Governor Kelly’s office says it is imperative to ensure that as many as possible are able to keep their doors open through the funding opportunity.
Among the 90 grants have been awarded to local theaters, museums, live venue operators, motion picture operators, and talent representative businesses.
