Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) announced last week in a press release that 62 venues in CA-02 have received a total of over $35 million in Shuttered Venue Operators Grants (SVOG). Rep. Huffman voted to establish the program, which provides support to hard-hit businesses in the music and entertainment sector that were forced to shut their doors due to pandemic restrictions.
The SVOG program was initially plagued by technical challenges, which have since greatly improved. On the day the application portal opened, it crashed and reopened almost 3 weeks later. Huffman took swift action to address the challenges businesses were experiencing and joined over 200 bipartisan Members of Congress in calling for the Small Business Administration to expedite the release of funds. This effort was successful, and the SBA has now approved 9,844 grants, including 1,393 in California.
“Local businesses in the music and entertainment industry are an important thread in the fabric of our communities – they create good jobs, bolster the economy, and contribute to the culture of our region. The American Rescue Plan created the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program to provide a lifeline to struggling businesses, but it’s been difficult for many to access those funds,” said Rep. Huffman. “The Small Business Administration’s move to improve and expedite the approval process for critical funding is welcome news, and I will continue working to ensure local businesses have the support they need to thrive as we rebuild from the pandemic.”
“My company applied for the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan extension and our applications were stuck in the system for weeks. This funding is critical to my business and the local economy. Congressman Huffman’s office was able to seek information about my loans and they’ve finally been approved. It’s great to be able to seek assistance when I need it,” said Ky Boyd, Director of Rialto Cinemas.
The Small Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) program was established through the bipartisan COVID-19 relief package passed in December 2020. Rep. Huffman helped secure additional funding for the SVOG program through the American Rescue Plan, to total over $16 billion in grants for shuttered venues in order to keep businesses afloat and workers on payroll.
The American Rescue Plan also instituted a fix to ensure shuttered venues that received Paycheck Protection Program loans after December 27, 2020 can also receive a Small Venue Operators grant, as long as the grant is reduced by the amount of PPP funds provided. Applying for both grant programs was previously prohibited.
Below is a table listing all of the grantees in California’s Second District and their SVOG amounts:
| Amount | Grantee | City | |
| $155,504 | Brilliant Corners Artist Management LLC – SVOG | San Rafael | |
| $534,427 | California Film Institute – SVOG | San Rafael | |
| $1,668,517 | EC Events, LLC – SVOG | San Rafael | |
| $63,086 | Friends of the CFI-Sequoia Theatre, LLC – SVOG | San Rafael | |
| $484,477 | Marin Civic Ballet Association – SVOG | San Rafael | |
| $322,901 | Mountain Play Association – SVOG | San Rafael | |
| $494,398 | Zeitgeist Artist Management, Ltd – SVOG | San Rafael | |
| $2,261,532 | County of Marin – SVOG | San Rafael | |
| $740,750 | GLITTER CINEMAS,INC – SVOG | San Rafael | |
| $116,427 | Marin Symphony Association – SVOG | San Rafael | |
| $42,927 | MJJ MANAGEMENT, INC – SVOG | San Rafael | |
| $762,209 | WASH HOUSE MUSIC GROUP, INC – SVOG | San Rafael | |
| $885,090 | Lee Neighborhood Theatres Inc – SVOG | Greenbrae | |
| $312,191 | Marin Shakespeare Company – SVOG | San Rafael | |
| $1,576 | Alternative Theater Ensemble – SVOG | San Rafael | |
| $177,239 | Paso 190 Incorporated – SVOG | Tiburon | |
| $238,905 | Peri’s Tavern Inc. (Peri’s Inc.) – SVOG | Fairfax | |
| $210,967 | MONGREL MUSIC – SVOG | San Anselmo | |
| $275,000 | Lark Theater – SVOG | Larkspur | |
| $384,553 | Marin Theatre Company – SVOG | Mill Valley | |
| $334,438 | Mill Valley Live Arts dba 142 Throckmorton Theatre – SVOG | Mill Valley | |
| $72,706 | The Mill Valley Fall Arts Festival – SVOG | Mill Valley | |
| $1,531,954 | The Woods Music Hall LLC – SVOG | Mill Valley | |
| $1,039,649 | Red Barn Productions LLC – SVOG | Novato | |
| $269,515 | Cinnabar Arts Corp – SVOG | Petaluma | |
| $62,945 | Cotati Accordion Festival – SVOG | Petaluma | |
| $4,761,396 | David Corkill Cinemas – SVOG | Petaluma | |
| $49,493 | Petaluma Phoenix Center Inc – SVOG | Petaluma | |
| $14,915 | Marin Artists – SVOG | Petaluma | |
| $273,391 | Super Diamond – SVOG | Petaluma | |
| $118,776 | Ross Valley Players – SVOG | Ross | |
| $2,327,429 | High Road Touring LLC – SVOG | Sausalito | |
| $798,389 | Partisan Arts, Inc. – SVOG | Sausalito | |
| $725,500 | Sausalito Art Festival Foundation – SVOG | Sausalito | |
| $7,802 | Shakespeare At Stinson – SVOG | Stinson Beach | |
| $3,865,204 | Palladio Cinemas, LLC – SVOG | Folsom | |
| $73,101 | H-Town Youth Theatre dba Left Edge Theatre – SVOG | Santa Rosa | |
| $2,164,945 | Luther Burbank Memorial Foundation – SVOG | Santa Rosa | |
| $90,452 | Cloverdale Arts Alliance – SVOG | Cloverdale | |
| $39,488 | Cloverdale Performing Arts Center Inc – SVOG | Cloverdale | |
| $209,463 | Hecht Cinemas LLC – SVOG | Cloverdale | |
| $425,286 | Coast Cinemas, Inc. – SVOG | Fort Bragg | |
| $43,598 | Alexander Valley Film Society – SVOG | Healdsburg | |
| $98,406 | Healdsburg Performing Arts Theater, Inc dba Raven Performing Arts Theater – SVOG | Healdsburg | |
| $139,071 | Black Oak Ranch, LLC – SVOG | Laytonville | |
| $266,518 | Flynn Creek Circus LLC – SVOG | Mendocino | |
| $91,145 | Arena Theater Association – SVOG | Point Arena | |
| $52,824 | Performing Artists Coalition for Theater, Inc. – SVOG | Sebastopol | |
| $35,443 | Surefire Productions, LLC – SVOG | Sebastopol | |
| $249,747 | Great Falls Entertainment Inc – SVOG | Sebastopol | |
| $1,348,302 | Pleasantown Motion Picture Company LLC – SVOG | Sebastopol | |
| $1,233,653 | Sonoma Motion Picture Company, LLC – SVOG | Sebastopol | |
| $66,012 | Ukiah Players Theatre – SVOG | Ukiah | |
| $235,850 | Jeffrey & Lois A Hoover (dba Noyo Theatre) – SVOG | Willits | |
| $42,682 | WILLITS COMMUNITY THEATRE INC – SVOG | Willits | |
| $36,408 | Blue Ox Historic Village & School – SVOG | Eureka | |
| $10,803 | Dance Scene Studio – SVOG | Eureka | |
| $29,128 | Redwood Art Association – SVOG | Eureka | |
| $550,301 | Minor Theatre Group LLC – SVOG | Arcata | |
| $28,198 | Playhouse Arts – SVOG | Arcata | |
| $740,710 | Northern Nights Music Group, LLC – SVOG | Garberville | |
| $321,211 | Mateel Community Center, Inc – SVOG | Redway |
Congressman Jared Huffman represents California’s 2nd Congressional District, which spans the North Coast of the state from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Oregon border, and includes Marin, Sonoma, Mendocino, Humboldt, Trinity, and Del Norte counties. He currently serves on the Committee on Natural Resources, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis. In the 117th Congress, he chairs the Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife. He is the founder of the Congressional Freethought Caucus.
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