JEFFERSON CITY — Gov. Mike Parson is asking lawmakers to approve a $20 million grant program designed to help entertainment venues hit by pandemic-related shutdowns.
As part of his budget request for the fiscal year beginning July 1, Parson hopes to start a fund to provide support for businesses like concert halls, museums and art centers.
The program, if approved, would be similar to the federal “Shuttered Venues” program that sent millions of emergency relief dollars to businesses and organizations in Missouri last year.
And, it would be similar to other pandemic aid packages that were put in place to help specific industries, like a 2020 program that sent $20 million to small Missouri meatpacking companies.
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Tim Weber, who operates the Old Rock House concert venue in St. Louis, said a number of his colleagues have spent the past year trying to convince the Missouri Department of Economic Development to adopt a grant program.
“We’re very appreciative that he’s put it out there,” Weber said.
In 2021, Weber said his concert business was closed until August. Now, however, the latest COVID-19 surge, fueled by the highly contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus, has brought renewed cancellations.
“We’ve had to cancel every one of our shows in January,” Weber said. “January 2022 looked a lot like January 2021.”
If approved, Weber said the grant program could help businesses like his. But, the arc of the pandemic also will determine whether the program is effective.
“The impact it will have on our industry kind of depends on when the money comes out,” Weber said. “I’ve stopped trying to predict the future.”
Unlike Old Rock House and other Missouri venues, St. Louis concert promoter Drew Jameson has weathered the pandemic without receiving direct federal assistance.
“I did not receive any of those funds,” Jameson said. “We’ve been grinding and getting by.”
Jamo Productions has held pop-up shows after many venues stopped hosting concerts. And, his employees went on unemployment during the initial months of the slowdown.
“We were definitely getting by the best we could,” Jameson said.
He said a state-level grant program could help his business stay afloat.
“It’s a breath of fresh air to know that the state is going to step up and help us,” Jameson said. “It would help us lick our wounds a little bit.”
Nearly 60 companies and organizations in the St. Louis area received a share of the federal program.
The St. Louis Zoo and the Fabulous Fox Theater each received $10 million through “Shuttered Venues.” Smaller establishments received grants in the $60,000 to $100,000 range.
The money, which was administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration, could be used for costs like payroll, rent, utility payments, scheduled mortgage and debt payments, personal protective equipment, independent contractor payments, administrative costs, state and local taxes and fees.
Originally posted at 9:15 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 25.
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