COVID-19 Prepare, Mitigate, Recover

Friends and colleagues,

As we're processing the results of our Coronavirus Preparedness and Impact Survey, we're seeing the unsurprising top issue for theatres right now is cash flow.

We were therefore excited to receive word from our friends at A.R.T./New York that the NYC Small Business Services (SBS) is encouraging theatres to sign up for notification when Employee Retention Grants will become available. You can read about this and other relief and recovery funds here in the library. This is good news for our NYC-area friends, and prompted us to ask whether or not other state and municipal governments are also making some form of Employee Retention Grants (or similar relief) available to theatres.

If there are, could you please respond to this message and let us know what's happening in your region so we can track these efforts and make sure everyone is aware of them?

If there are not, would you like resources to support your case-making with state and municipal governments?

Thanks for letting us know, and we'll continue to share critical resources like this with you on a daily basis.

Gratefully,
Corinna Schulenburg & Laurie Baskin, your indefatigable community co-admins

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Corinna Schulenburg
Director of Communications
(she/her/hers)
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Hello, everyone,

And, here is a slightly updated version from NYC:

Hello My Friends! Thanks for all of your hard work and for all you are doing--I will continue to update you as plans role out, but for now please make sure all of your members and colleagues know to take the following first steps:

• Freelancers should take this survey so they are counted in actions the City's Nightlife Office is actively taking --they are working directly with City Hall, in turn advocating with State and Feds on relief and recovery programs
  http://bit.ly/nycnightlifecovidsurvey

• NFP and small theaters and companies who qualify (see link for info and what you need to apply) can apply to SBS for an Employee Retention Grant.  NOTE: info is updated on a regular basis--make sure to sign up for their email list and/or check their site often
  https://www1.nyc.gov/nycbusiness/article/nyc-employee-retention-grant-program

As I think you know, SBS is offering 0% loans to small business but these are not available to NFPs

 

As well, we are speaking with our counterparts in Seattle, San Francisco, and LA to glean insights from their experiences and cultural recovery plans--please let us know ideas and possible solutions you are thinking about and hearing.

I'll keep you posted...

Thanks! Carla

Carla Hoke-Miller 

Director

Theatre Programs and Partnerships

NYC Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment

 

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Laurie Baskin
Director of Research, Policy & Collective Action
Theatre Communications Group
New York NY
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