SAN ANTONIO (April 7, 2021) - The San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce hosted a virtual webinar with Deputy District Director David Elizondo from the SBA San Antonio Office to discuss the newly-formed Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG). The United States Small Business Administration has $16 billion in grants to give to shuttered venues that shut down due to COVID-19 and the maximum grant per entity is $10 million.

“I know a lot of folks are eager to learn more about the program. Historically speaking, there’s not a lot of grant opportunities for profit small businesses... The pandemic has caused a lot of stress for small businesses and under the Trump, now Biden, administration, there has been multiple programs that have been released to help small businesses.”

-David Elizondo, Deputy District Director at SBA San Antonio Office

Eligible entities include live venue operators or promoters, theatrical producers, live performing arts organizations, and motion picture theater operators among others. They also must have been in operation as of February 29, 2020.

The application for the shuttered venues Operators Grant goes live on April 8 and grants are awarded on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Elizondo provided more information about the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The deadline to apply for the Paycheck Protection Program has been extended to May 31, so those that wish to apply still have time to do so. He stated that although the Paycheck Protection Program offers loans that must be paid back, they can be completely forgiven if at least 60% of the funds are used for payroll purposes.

Elizondo mentioned the Restaurant Revitalization Fund that was included in the American Rescue Plan as part of SVOG and advised business owners to review the frequently asked questions on the sba.gov website to determine their eligibility for this and other programs.

Before applying for SVOG, those interested must register on SAM.gov, the federal government’s System for Award Management. After registering, those interested may apply directly through grants.gov starting April 8.

SBA has resource partners here in San Antonio to assist business owners in creating their profile at SAM.gov and applying for this grant free of charge: The UTSA Small Business Development Center, San Antonio SCORE, as well as the Liftfund Women’s Business Center are some of the partners available.

Updates about SVOG and other government assistance programs are available at SBA.gov. If you still have questions, feel free to contact Deputy District Director David Elizondo at 210-403-5926 or david.elizond0@sba.gov. The presentation from the event is included below.