Forty-eight Fairfield County organizations are set to receive $41.7 million in Shuttered Venue Operators Grants from the Small Business Administration (SBA), according to that group”™s Connecticut chapter.
All told, 140 grants worth nearly $102.3 million have been approved for Connecticut venues under the SVOG program, which ended on Aug. 20. Part of the American Rescue Plan Act, the program delivered funds to music hall, theaters and other live-performance venues nationwide.
Nationally, as of Aug. 23, the SBA has issued decisions on 87% of the 17,643 applications it received. It has awarded 11,321 grants totaling $9 billion, for an average of $799,000; $8.4 billion has been disbursed.
Leading the way in Fairfield County was the Bowtie Cinema in Ridgefield, which was approved for the maximum allowable amount of $10 million, while the Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk was granted just over $3.2 million.
