NJIVA's letter to Governor Murphy urging the state to allocate dedicated funding for NJ's indie performance spaces from the remaining CARES Act funds was delivered on Tuesday, December 22nd. The letter requests a $15 million funding allocation to save New Jersey’s independent live arts venues and presenters.
Thank you to the NJIVA associates who dedicated their time to drafting this letter, and to all of the representatives from over 13 NJ businesses and organizations that signed on in support. You can read the full letter to Gov. Murphy attached below or by clicking this link.
The delivery of this letter has coincided with another crucial announcement: NIVA's Save Our Stages Act just passed as part of the COVID-19 Relief Bill! We are thrilled at the news, and congratulate the NIVA team or their monumental grassroots efforts over the last nine months. The legislation, part of a $900 billion fiscal stimulus package, offers critical help to shuttered businesses by
providing a grant equal to 45% of gross revenue from 2019, with a cap of $10 million per entity. NJIVA also joins NIVA in thanking those across the country who sent 2.1 million emails to their elected officials expressing their support for the Save Our Stages Act.
We will be sharing news and instructions on the SOS funding application as we receive it. Our advocacy efforts in New Jersey are not finished, however. It could take weeks or months for SOS funds to flow and they will only cover 45% of losses, per above.
Of the $2.4 billion in Coronavirus Relief Funds (CRF) that New Jersey has received from the March 30, 2020 CARES Act, $200 million has not yet been spent. Recently, five million dollars in CARES funds were made available to nonprofit arts organizations, some of which were performing arts venues. These funds did not aid the many vital for-profit venues and promoters, nor do they completely meet the relief needs of all NJ’s nonprofit performing arts venues. We need to continue advocating in NJ for State relief for all indie venues. Stay tuned for word on our public petition to come.
NJIVA's request of $15 million in CARES funding is a small allocation for New Jersey, but a significant investment to ensure that NJ's independent live arts venues and presenters survive the pandemic shut down.
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