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Governor Evers announces $10 million in grants for Wisconsin movie theaters

Posted at 1:10 PM, Nov 17, 2020
and last updated 2020-11-17 14:32:36-05

WISCONSIN — Governor Tony Evers announced Tuesday that $10 million from the COVID-19 Movie Theater Grant Program has been awarded to theaters across the state.

54 movie theater operators received relief funding to help them stay open and continue operations amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“Wisconsin businesses across industries and communities have felt the strains of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and movie theaters have been particularly hard as they also battle stalled movie production,” said Gov. Evers. “Movie theaters are often a cornerstone of our main street businesses, and I am glad we were able to get these funds out the door to help them keep theirs open.”

The funds came from the federal CARES act and were administered by the Wisconsin Department of Administration.

Each eligible theater operator was awarded an average of $14,600 per eligible movie theater screen in Wisconsin. Those funds can then go towards pandemic-related operational costs, Governor Evers said in a press release Tuesday.

Those operational costs can include facility improvements to provide appropriate social distancing, cleaning and sanitizing, and personnel costs necessary to provide appropriate COVID-19 safeguards.

“Movie theaters employ thousands of individuals throughout the state,” said DOA Secretary Joel Brennan. “We hope this funding will provide some relief to these institutions in communities large and small so that they can continue to provide Wisconsinites with employment and family memories in the years to come.”

For the list of grant winners, click here.

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