UNM Popejoy Hall to Receive Shuttered Venue Operators Grant

UNM Popejoy Hall has been awarded $3,369,711 from the Small Business Administration's $16.2 billion Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) program. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic's economic impact on venue operators nationally, the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant was established by the Economic Aid to hard-Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits, and Venues Act and amended by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

In a statement today, UNM Popejoy Hall's Director, Tom Tkach, said "This grant will ensure the safe reopening of Popejoy Hall. We are forever grateful to our extraordinary donors who also stepped up to support the organization and for all our patrons, old and new, who subscribed to the new season in record numbers. It is clear our community wants and needs live performing arts and we're planning and hopeful for a reopening this fall."

Tkach further expressed gratitude to Senator Martin Heinrich for "his ongoing support of the arts in New Mexico and for co-sponsoring the original Save our Stages Act in 2020 that garnered the initial $15 billion in relief for independent venues throughout the country."

"I fought to fund the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program in the American Rescue Plan so that New Mexico's arts and culture community can rebuild and thrive," said Heinrich. "I'm proud to see UNM Popejoy Hall receive over $3 million in SVOG funding and can't wait to attend their next performance."

The Save Our Stages Act was amended to add an additional $1.2 billion creating a $16.2 billion Shuttered Venue Operators Act in 2021.