INFORMATION ON AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN PANDEMIC RELIEF PROGRAMS FOR RESTAURANTS & LIVE VENUES

The House Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development has supplied information on certain programs funded by the American Rescue Plan catered towards restaurants and live venues impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Restaurant Revitalization Fund, administered by the Small Business Administration (SBA), will be used to provide application-based financial support to restaurants impacted by the pandemic. Assistance is based on revenue loss, payroll costs, and other factors. Small restaurants (not more than $500k in 2019 gross receipts) are guaranteed at least $5 billion in grants.

When made available to the public, the application will be available at this link: https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/covid-19-relief-options

The Shuttered Venues Grants recapitalize a $15 billion SBA program to assist operators of live venues impacted by COVID-19. Operators can sign up to be notified when the application is available (expected April 8th) at https://www.svograntportal.sba.gov/s/svog-sign-up-form

HOUSING FAMILIES AND THE MALDEN YMCA AWARDED A TOTAL OF $67,000 IN ASOST GRANTS

I'm proud to announce that Housing Families and the Malden YMCA have received a total of $67,000 in After School and Out-of-School Time (ASOST) Quality Enhancements grants from the Commonwealth to improve the academic, physical, social, and emotional wellness of school-age youth both during the school year and in the summer.

VACCINE CAMPAIGN WILL TARGET 20 HIGHEST RISK CITIES

Massachusetts will kick off an outreach campaign next week in the 20 highest-risk cities and towns aimed at boosting access to the COVID-19 vaccine and addressing any hesitation among vulnerable populations, officials said Thursday.

A team of 200 bilingual community organizers will hold a total of 83 events across those communities, plus conduct door-to-door canvassing and phone-banking to spread awareness about the availability and value of vaccines.

Combined with grants the Commonwealth will direct to local health boards in those cities and towns, officials hope to help drive up vaccination in places where rates still lag and where residents have been particularly hard-hit.

The community events set to launch next week, part of a plan developed alongside Archipelago Strategies and Health Care for All, involve locally hired organizers in Boston, Brockton, Chelsea, Everett, Fall River, Fitchburg, Framingham, Haverhill, Holyoke, Lawrence, Leominster, Lowell, Lynn, Malden, Methuen, New Bedford, Randolph, Revere, Springfield, and Worcester.

The Commonwealth will make $4.7 million available to those cities and towns from a pool of $20 million in funding pledged to help support them. The so-called "best value grants" will flow directly to the municipalities without a formal application process.

Source: https://www.statehousenews.com/email/a/2021652?key=3813b0