GLENDALE ARTS WINS ONE-TIME SHUTTERED VENUE OPERATORS RECOVERY GRANT
Funds Earmarked for Use in 2021 to Reopen the Historic Alex Theatre
On-Sale Announcements for Shows Using New Ticketing Platform Funded by Grant
Scheduled to Begin Next Week
GLENDALE, Calif. (July 16, 2021) – Glendale Arts has been selected to receive a one-time $821,960 recovery grant from the Small Business Administration (SBA) through the Shuttered Venue Operators (SVO) Grant. The organization was notified this week. The funds will help ignite Glendale Arts’ efforts to reopen the historic Alex Theatre.
Glendale Arts earned the grant in the third round of a highly competitive process in which $16 billion total was awarded to venues shuttered during lockdowns. There were over 15,000 applications.
Due to cancellations of live performances during the pandemic shutdown, revenue from the Alex dipped by 98% but under the leadership of Glendale Arts, fundraising efforts grew 130%.
“We are fortunate to have dedicated donors who believe in our mission, understand the value of our organization, and rally to our cause when we need them,” said Nina Crowe, incoming CEO of Glendale Arts. “I am so thankful for their support and gratified that their generosity can be matched by the power of the SVO Grant.”
Glendale Arts will use the grant money to pay for the new ticketing platform and digital media production services that the organization’s staff brought online during the pandemic. The new system, Spektrix, will elevate and connect the ticket buying, marketing, and fundraising processes and experiences, allowing tickets to be sold for both in-person and streamed events so audiences have access to programming whether they are physically at the Alex or watching across the globe. The first set of shows since the shutdown are scheduled to go on sale starting next week at www.AlexTheatre.org.
The SVO Grant program was established by the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits, and Venues Act, and amended by the American Rescue Plan Act. With this one-time grant, Glendale Arts can once again support its resident companies and roster of long-time clients, getting them back in front of a crowd and stimulating spending with Glendale businesses.
Glendale Arts is currently in open negotiations, alongside two other organizations, to win a contract to continue to manage the Alex Theatre for the City of Glendale. “To be selected to receive a grant of this size from a pool of over 15,000 organizations is a tremendous honor,” said Crowe. “Our organization was examined closely through a time intensive, rigorous process, and came out on top.”
Glendale Arts received six grants in 2020 totaling $206,700 from Los Angeles County Department of Arts & Culture, The Walt Disney Company, the City of Glendale, CalOSBA, and The Ahmanson Foundation.
#
