Thank Goodness for Grants
A nonprofit, The Music Hall relies on a diversified income plan to ensure we’re able to fulfill our mission to serve our Seacoast community. Ticket income makes up 70% of that budget. Grant funding is another of our many income streams, a stream that’s become a river in the midst of the pandemic.
The Music Hall is proud and grateful to be a recipient of grant funds from the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts, the official state arts agency, and the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, a statewide community foundation. Their multi-year funding commitments allow The Music Hall to strategically invest in our organization and enhance our programming.
This year we were also the beneficiary of a grant from Jane’s Trust. A grant last year supported us as we undertook a leadership transition. This year’s award was unsolicited, a surprise. In this, its final year of grant-making, the Trustees awarded funds to a pool of frequent recipients “as a bookend to the initial grants made at the founding of the Trust.” The Music Hall will use these funds to bring our 19th century assets into the 21st century through upgrades to our lighting system and other infrastructure work.
The NH Community Development Finance Authority has also lent their support to this campaign, awarding The Music Hall $65,000 in tax credits that we can use to finance further upgrades to our lighting system, investments you will no doubt enjoy next time the lights shine bright on our stage. We offer our gratitude to these and all our supporters.
Update: since this article was originally published in the print version of the magazine, we’ve received incredible news! We qualified for funding from the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) program. The SVOG was established by the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits, and Venues Act, and amended by the American Rescue Plan Act, to award more than $16 billion in grants to venues forced to close during the pandemic. Awards were calculated by a formula, and eligible applicants received funds equal to 45% of their gross earned revenue. The funds we received are intended to help us both recoup and rebuild. We have thoughtfully developed a strategic plan of investments to maximize our return, including new programming assets and capital improvements, and look forward to sharing details with you as we progress.