With nearly 2 million letters sent, we're still hoping Congress does the right thing, and passes legislation that will #SaveOurStages. The truth is that while we wait for Congress, many venues are at risk of closing forever if they don't get help today.
National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) has established an Emergency Relief Fund to support the most vulnerable members. The NIVA Emergency Relief Fund is intended to provide short-term relief for independent music and comedy venue owners and promoters on the precipice of eviction or permanently shuttering due to the COVID-19 shutdown. This is a stop-gap measure to work in hand with federal and local programs, to assist with the most immediate needs facing the country’s independent venues and promoters, making it more likely they will be able to re-open fully when it’s safe. The fund will be administered by The Giving Back Fund; a separate non-profit that will collect the money and oversee the application process for venues to receive grants from the ERF.
Learn more about the fund, application process, and requirements here. Applications will open September 24, 2020.
For those looking to donate, please do so here. Give what you can to help, but know that your voice is priceless, so if you haven't already, please go here to tell Congress to #SaveOurStages.
