Yes. “This was Preventable” is a Message that Applies to Much in the News These Days!
Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D) has joined 164 bipartisan members of Congress in a letter dated April 19, to the Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Isabella Guzman to request the agency urgently fix the online application portal for Shuttered Venue Operations Grants (SVOG). When the program went live on April 8, the website crashed due to increased web traffic leading to frustration among struggling cultural organizations nationwide.
In their letter, the members stressed the urgency of SVOG grant applications for venues. They wrote,” With each passing day, more independent businesses are forced to shutter permanently or file for bankruptcy. Landlords and banks are no longer permitting deferrals and are pressing for immediate payment of past due accounts, businesses are receiving eviction notices; mom-and-pop businesses are being forced to sell. The Administration’s announcement is critical to these businesses as they work to meet existing debt obligations during these unprecedented times.”
The members also urged that the agency established open lines of communication and provide clear guidance to applicants. They wrote in the one page letter, “We also respectfully request you continue outreach to potential applicants and finalize guidance that will inform applicants of the precise requirements for eligibility and grant amount. We continue to urge SBA to implement a technical corrections process so reviews may seek additional information if a submission is rejected due to an obvious technical error. This is consistent with the review opportunity provided under other federal grant programs and would ensure that eligible applications are not excluded due to an inadequate failure to comply with a technical requirement of the application process.
Pingree has served as Chair of the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee since January 2021, where she overseas funding for the National Endowment for the Arts and other cultural agencies.