BEATRICE, NE – Beatrice business selected as one of 98 national grant recipients in response to COVID-19 pandemic.
Main Street Beatrice and the Nebraska Main Street Network are proud to announce that Community Players in Beatrice has received $15,000 in funding through the latest round of the HartBeat of Main Street Grant Program.
The grant, part of Main Street America’s Hartbeat of Main Street Grant Program was sponsored by The Hartford. Community Players was one of 31 small businesses selected in the second round of the grant program which will distribute more than $1.2 million to 98 businesses in Main Street communities in the US, and is the only Nebraska business selected to receive grant funding.
“Keeping our patrons, volunteers, and employees safe while expanding our potential impact will be possible thanks to this grant. We are thrilled the theater has been recognized with this funding,” Jamie Ulmer, managing artistic director, said.
The grant award will be used to pay for COVID-19 safety measures including air scrubbers and touchless fixtures in public restrooms, video equipment for filming and streaming shows, and accessibility upgrades to the facility.
“The Pandemic continues to be a major challenge to our small businesses; it is rewarding to see Community Players and Beatrice awarded this grant, it was well deserved. It also serves as a reminder that our small businesses need our support, let’s challenge ourselves to support local shops during these difficult winter months so they can continue on and recover.” said the Main Street Beatrice Executive Director, Michael Sothan.
Community Players produces a variety of entertainment and educational programming features performers from throughout Southeast Nebraska. Annually the organization’s programming brings more than 7,000 patrons to Beatrice from more than 30 different communities.
“This grant also recognizes the invaluable impact cultural institutions and small businesses make in our communities and local economies. Investing in our sustainability will be a key component of the post-pandemic recovery and rediscovery of our communities,” Ulmer said.
Thousands of businesses from across the country applied for funding. Grants awards ranged between $5,000 and $15,000.
“As Main Street businesses across the state continue to face the challenges brought on by COVID-19, this is the type of support that makes a difference,” said Elizabeth Chase, Executive Director of the Nebraska Main Street Network. “We are grateful to the National Main Street Center and The Hartford for recognizing the needs of businesses in Nebraska Main Street communities by providing this funding to Community Players in Beatrice.”
Grant proposals were judged based on: feasibility; the extent to which the grant will help address an acute business need or help a business owner implement innovative solutions to address COVID-19-related challenges; opportunity for other businesses to learn from work; how the grant would help improve the viability of business; the business’s commitment to giving back to their community and/or community engagement; and strength of letters of recommendation and supporting documents.
For more information and complete list of grantees, visit www.mainstreet.org.
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The Nebraska Main Street Network is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and Main Street America™ Coordinating Program that provides programming and resources to Nebraska communities committed to creating vibrant and attractive business districts using a comprehensive economic development approach. For more information about the Nebraska Main Street Network, visit www.nebraskamainstreet.org.
Main Street Beatrice is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization set on revitalizing Beatrice from city’s core, the downtown, and radiating out using historic preservation to foster healthy economic growth of the downtown and by focusing on generating positive and constructive interactions between businesses, city officials, Beatrice residents and visiting consumers. For more information about Main Street Beatrice, visit www.mainstreetbeatrice.org.
Community Players, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)(3) arts organization that engages and enriches Southeast Nebraska through the arts by deepening connections, utilizing inclusive programming, and producing quality live theatre. For more information about Community Players, Inc., visit www.beatricecommunityplayers.com
Main Street America is a program of the National Main Street Center, which has been helping revitalize older and historic commercial districts for 40 years. Today, its network of more than 1,600 neighborhoods and communities, rural and urban, share both a commitment to place and to building stronger communities through preservation-based economic development. The organization is a nonprofit subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. For more information about Main Street America, visit www.mainstreet.org.
For more details please visit Beatrice Community Players website article
