The Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (
SVOG) program was created by Section 324 of the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits and Venues Act (
Economic Aid Act), which was enacted on December 27, 2020. The SVOG program requires the Small Business Administration (
SBA) to distribute grants of up to $10 million per grant and an aggregate of $16 billion to qualified applicants in the live performing arts event industry. The grants are designed to replace revenue lost as a result of not being able to stage live events during the pandemic.
Unlike the Paycheck Protection Program, which is primarily administered by participating banks and other financial institutions, the SVOG program is to be administered directly by the SBA. The SBA shut down the SVOG program moments after its launch on April 8 due to technical difficulties. Although the SBA has not yet officially announced when the SVOG program will relaunch, it is anticipated this will occur sometime before the end of