WASHINGTON D.C. (CelebrityAccess) — After the Small Business Administration’s launch of the Small Business Administration’s Shuttered Venue Operators Grant application portal was temporarily suspended due to technical issues, the National Independent Talent Organization issued a statement calling for patience, as well as key changes to the program.
“While we were all extremely disappointed at the difficulties suffered by all of the folks under the SVOG umbrella, we look forward to a solid and productive re-opening once these issues are resolved. There is a huge pressure to reopen the portal now – political, economic and social – but to risk a repeat of what happened April 8 would only compound all of our problems. We need to give the SBA, and the implementation of this very new, and innovative program of assistance to all of the organizations that could benefit from the SVOG, the time to rectify these issues, and then hope for as smooth and productive a roll out as soon as possible,” said Frank Riley, President of NITO and High Road Touring.
As the SBA works to correct technical issues and relaunch the application portal, NITO called for the implantation of two changes that the organization says will make the application process both more equitable and efficient.
1. Create a 7-day business window for rejected submissions to allow applicants the opportunity to correct errors or supplement their application with additional documents.
2. To mirror the language of the bill, the SBA should open the application process with the 14-day priority window intended for the hardest hit small businesses that suffered a 90% or greater revenue loss.
“We at NITO appreciate the efforts of the SBA on all of our behalf. They have been appointed with a colossal assignment and although there were issues with the application process yesterday, and we all would like to have the final assistance congress approved for our small businesses, we understand the amount of work that is needed and we would rather get it right than get it fast,” said Entourage Talent/NITO executive board member Wayne Forte.
While the frustration among SVOG applicants is palpable and understandable, we recognize the massive undertaking the SBA has committed to in the interest of helping our small businesses. This past year has left us all taking on new tasks in unfamiliar territory that we had never anticipated, and the SBA is no exception to this struggle. The road to this grant opening has been paved with mutual education, and we trust in the SBA to correct these issues as the survival of our businesses depend fully on the proper execution of this process,” added NITO Executive Board member and Madison House co-founder Nadia Prescher.
