Buried within the Stimulus Bill is a 15 Billion dollar lifeline for venues that host live events.
Jazz societies that pay performers to appear at monthly gatherings or hold annual festivals should qualify for these grants. Jazz Societies serve a vital purpose in local communities and help keep America's musical heritage alive in the hands of working musicians, their survival is important and this funding can help ensure it.
If your club was impacted by the pandemic you can start preparing to apply for these grants immediately. The Syncopated Times strongly encourages anyone familiar with Small Business Association loans or grant applications to reach out to their local jazz society or other venues and offer to assist them with their application.
The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) was created in April to lobby for pandemic relief for arts and music venues and other industry professionals. It represents 2,800 independent theaters and venues. They created the #SaveOurStages movement and helped draft this bill. The Save Our Stages Act was introduced in July by a bipartisan Senate team of Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and John Cornyn (R-TX), and was eventually supported by large majorities in both Houses.
The final text of the bill is not available but below is the original bill summary submitted in late July:
This bill authorizes the Small Business Administration (SB
