The Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) was established to provide economic aid to professional theaters. However some escape rooms meet the criteria for a theater.
“Eligible applicants may qualify for grants equal to 45% of their gross earned revenue, with the maximum amount available for a single grant award of $10 million. $2 billion is reserved for eligible applications with up to 50 full-time employees” (US SBA).
SVOG Eligibility Matrix Guide for ERGO Members
Not every escape room business meets the SVOG eligibility requirements. If you want to learn more about this program and see if you might have success in applying, ERGO Board Member J Cameron Cooper of Strange Bird Immersive wrote a guide to help escape room operators better understand this program and how to apply.
Your business may not meet the criteria, and if it does, there is no guarantee that your application will be accepted, but this information will give you a fighting chance:
SVOG Eligibility Matrix Guide for ERGO Members for Technical Corrections and Appeals
Escape Room Industry Advocacy
If you’re interested in learning more about the ERGO and industry advocacy, ERGO President Andrew Preble of Escape My Room is doing an AMA on this topic at RECON.
How do you talk to the government? When governments control pandemic relief funds and when and how escape rooms are allowed to reopen safely, you’ll want to have the tools to talk to them effectively.
The AMA is on Monday, August 23 at 12:45pm (New York time) in the RECON Discord. You’ll need a Pro Ticket to attend.
Deeply thankful!
We hope it helps.