The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) reopened the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) portal on April 26, 2021 at 12:00 p.m. EDT. The portal appears to be now open and working. The SBA, which opened its Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) application portal April 8, but then closed it hours later due to technical difficulties, announced April 22 that the portal had been thoroughly tested and would reopen 12:30 p.m. EDT on Saturday, April 24, but then shifted the opening date to April 26.

The SBA made the change in response to stakeholder feedback about reopening the SVOG application on a weekend and associated challenges. On April 23, SBA also issued a new SVOG user guide with application instructions. SVOG, a $15 billion program, was created when the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits, and Venues Act, P.L. 116-260, was signed into law on Dec. 27, 2020.

The SBA has also released additional information on preparing to apply and established a 24/7 call center for applicants to receive technical assistance on navigating their accounts. You can call 1-800-659-2955 or, for the deaf and hard-of-hearing, 1-800-877-8339 and follow the prompts to SVOG assistance.

Who is eligible for the SVOG Program?

The program’s basic eligibility requirements include a business belonging to one of the entity types listed below, that the business was in operation as of 2/29/20, and experienced a demonstrated revenue loss of at least 25%. There are also additional venue-specific requirements that can be reviewed. Learn more here.

Eligible entities include:

• Live venue operators or promoters
• Theatrical producers
• Live performing arts organization operators
• Relevant museum operators, zoos, and aquariums who meet specific criteria
• Motion picture theater operators
• Talent representatives
• Each business entity owned by an eligible entity that also meets the eligibility requirements

More information from the Small Business Administration on SVOG, here.