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Dayton Live Wants To Link Local Venues With COVID Relief

Performers on stage during an open house at the Victoria Theatre, just a few days before the pandemic shut down most local venues in March 2020.
Jason Reynolds
Performers on stage during an open house at the Victoria Theatre, just a few days before the pandemic shut down most local venues in March 2020.

Billions in aid is available for small stages across the country.


Dayton Live has launched a new website to help small venues find pandemic relief.

In December, the federal government passed the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant. It includes $15 billion dollars for independent entertainment venues and cultural institutions.

Dayton Live President & CEO Ty Sutton says his organization wants to see small venues here in the Miami Valley go after that funding.

"We don’t want anybody to miss out who is eligible," he says. "There’s a lot of independent music clubs and promoters and independent movie theaters and things like that that are eligible. Even some government owned institutions, like college performing arts centers, might be eligible."

Sutton says he’s talked with small club owners who have been cashing out their retirement plans to stay afloat.

He’s also quick to note that small venues are where most acts start out. That makes them a vital part of the entertainment ecosystem.

To learn more about the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant, visit SVOGrant.org