Mystic Aquarium to Receive Over $6 Million in American Rescue Plan Relief Funding, Courtney Announces
NORWICH, CT—Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) made the following statement today after the Mystic Aquarium was officially awarded with more than $6,000,000 in relief funding through the American Rescue Plan. The funding was awarded to the aquarium, located in Mystic, CT, through the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) program, which was authorized by Congress and supported by the American Rescue Plan Act (H.R. 1319) to target support specifically towards live venue operators—museums, theaters, cinemas, and other similar entities.
"This new American Rescue Plan relief funding is going to help the Mystic Aquarium hit the ground running as they get back on their feet after a tough year," said Rep. Courtney. "The Mystic Aquarium is a real gem for eastern Connecticut—it's a popular destination that attracts families to our region, they provide good jobs and seasonal work opportunities, and it's a fantastic place for kids and even adults to learn, explore, and have fun. Steve Coan and his team have always done a great job of making sure the Mystic Aquarium maintains its reputation as our region's premier aquarium, and it's good to see the relief funding we authorized through the American Rescue Plan coming home to support them this summer as we keep getting our economy back to full speed."
"Mystic Aquarium is grateful to Congressman Courtney for his support and leadership throughout the pandemic," said Dr. Stephen Coan, President and CEO of the Mystic Aquarium. "We faced an enormous financial challenge in 2020, as despite being closed to the public and not earning any revenue for several months, we still had the responsibility of caring for, feeding, and providing veterinary care and life support for more than 7,000 marine animals, including many federally protected and endangered species. That key responsibility, along with being the largest provider of STEM education in the State of Connecticut and the region's only federally authorized marine mammal rescue response team for much of Connecticut, New York State and Rhode Island, meant that we could not completely shut down operations."
Dr. Coan continued: "Congressman Courtney understood the mission and the critical role of Mystic Aquarium, and worked hard to assist us in assuring that essential services were provided during the pandemic. This important federal grant program spearheaded by Congressman Courtney is also helping us recoup the losses we incurred during our shutdown, and it is providing much needed support to many zoos and aquariums throughout the nation, all of which are vital in caring for and raising conservation awareness for millions of animals."
A federal SVOG grant of $6,084,252.50 will be awarded to the Mystic Aquarium in Mystic, CT. The SVOG program was created to provide economic relief to live venues shuttered by COVID-19, and is administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Impacted venues are able to put SVOG relief funding to use in a variety of ways, from payroll costs, to rent and utility payments, scheduled mortgage and debt payments, worker protection expenditures, state and local taxes and fees, insurance payments, maintenance and administrative costs, and a wide variety of other ordinary and necessary business expenses. Click here to read more.
Courtney helped create the SVOG program when he voted to pass H.R. 133, which authorized $15 billion for the program. The American Rescue Plan Act authorized an additional $1.5 billion to assist shuttered live venues. Courtney voted to pass the American Rescue Plan Act on March 10th, and it was signed into law by President Biden on March 11th.
In June, Courtney announced two SVOG grant awards totaling more than $420,000 to the Submarine Force Library and Museum Association in Groton, CT, and to Niantic Cinemas (Niantic Cinema Corp.) in Niantic, CT. Last week, Courtney announced that the historic Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, CT will receive more than $2,000,000 in SVOG support. On Tuesday, Courtney shared the news that the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, CT will receive more than $1,000,000 in SVOG relief funds.
The SBA is still working to process SVOG grant applications from other venues, and is expected to provide more updates on outstanding grant applications.
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