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Aided By A $6.7 Million PPP Loan, LACMA Plans To Reopen In July
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art now says it will reopen next month with its entire staff intact, thanks to a substantial government loan.
LACMA, which receives about 40% of its operating budget from the County of Los Angeles, secured a $6.7 million loan from the federal Paycheck Protection Program.
Michael Govan, LACMA's director, told us that without that loan:
"We would have had to furlough or reduce staff. It's done exactly what it was intended to do — it's kept everybody working. We have a lot of [employees] who are young and have families to support."
The announcement that the museum has not, at least for now, reducing its workforce is in stark contrast to what's happened due to the pandemic at some other leading cultural institutions. The -Center Theatre Group and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, for example, have had to cancel entire seasons and lay off or furlough scores of employees.
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