Representatives of Hartford’s theater and arts industries gathered at the Bushnell Performing Arts Center this morning to celebrate the “welcome if delayed” approval of the Save Our Stages (SOS) relief package.
“Keeping Connecticut employed and keeping our institutions whole so that we can wait for better days is so important right now,” said Tom Loughman, director and CEO of the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art.
President Trump’s late-night signature approved a stimulus package that sets aside $15 billion for arts venues as part of $285 billion in new funding for the Paycheck Protection Program.
Unlike the previous round of PPP aid, Save Our Stages funds will come in the form of grants, not loans, and will be capped at $10 million per venue, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal said at Monday’s event. The new round of PPP loans to non-arts small businesses, by contrast, are capped at $2 million and have new restrictions.