Blog | News | Posted on May 18, 2021 at 10:42 am by program manager
Hopewell Theater was featured in this article by Chris Jordan from Asbury Park Press on May 17, 2021.
Like the Tom Petty song says, the waiting is the hardest part.
New Jersey live music venues are waiting for the disbursement of funds from both the federal Shuttered Venue Operators Grant, which will allot $16 billion for venues across the country, and $15 million for Jersey venues from the state’s disbursement of CARES Act funds.
“Our arts and cultural establishments are among the best in the nation, but they have faced difficult challenges over the past year,” said Gov. Phil Murphy when he signed the arts venue allotment of the CARES Act funds on April 8 at the West End Arts Center in Long Branch. “It’s time we lifted up these organizations and venues to ensure they are still with us as we emerge from the pandemic and look to once again experience the joy they offer.”
But not so fast. The application portal for the feds’ Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (www.sba.gov) ran into technical difficulties when it went live on April 8. It was relaunched on April 23 and grant recipients are expected to be announced this week.
In Jersey, for-profit venues have not yet been notified by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority of the application process for $7.5 million of the allocated CARES Act funds. Another $7.5 million will be allocated to nonprofit organizations by the State Council on the Arts, which will make an announcement on Tuesday, May 18, regarding disbursement.
Read the full article here.
