Austin music venues at risk of closure could start applying for emergency aid within next 2 months, city says

By Christopher Neely | 7:10 PM Nov 18, 2020 CST | Updated 7:27 PM Nov 18, 2020 CST

Music venues and legacy small businesses at imminent risk of closure due to the pandemic will be able to apply for emergency taxpayer-funded grants up to $20,000 by early to mid-January 2021, according to new city documents that outline the local stimulus package Austin City Council directed back in October.

The money will come from the Saving Austin’s Vital Economic Sectors, or SAVES, program, a $17.3-million local effort to not only buoy but protect Austin’s live music venues, legacy small business and child care facilities—vulnerable industries the city has tapped as representative of its essence and that, if lost, would be difficult to revive.

In a Nov. 18 memo to Austin’s mayor and City Council, Chief Economic Recovery Officer Veronica Briseño said the city’s economic development department could begin accepting applications from live music venues and legacy small business for immediate grants in the next 45-60 days. With City Council approval of the program’s guidelines set for Dec. 3, she said, the more robust, long-term-focused program could launch by February 2021. In the meantime, the city has and will continue to offer services, such as webinars, training and coaching, to support struggling businesses.

To receive one of the short-term grants, eligible businesses will have to prove they are at immediate risk of closing if they do not receive the grant. They will also have to agree to enter a technical assistance program administered by a to-be-named third-party vendor. The details of the technical assistance program remain vague, but Mayor Steve Adler said the point is to offer professional expertise in the realm of accounting, legal help and more that these small businesses and venues may not otherwise be able to access.

Adler has said he wants the businesses helped by the program to end up better off than they were before the pandemic hit the city in March. Many of the businesses in these industries were at risk of closure long before the pandemic due to skyrocketing property values and thin financial margins.