I 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7894 
To amend the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 to 
authorize the Secretary of Commerce to make grants to professional 
nonprofit theaters for the purposes of supporting operations, employment, 
and economic development. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 9, 2024 
Ms. BONAMICI introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Com-
mittees on Financial Services, and Education and the Workforce, for a 
period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the com-
mittee concerned 
A BILL 
To amend the Public Works and Economic Development 
Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Commerce 
to make grants to professional nonprofit theaters for 
the purposes of supporting operations, employment, and 
economic development. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Supporting Theater 
and the Arts to Galvanize the Economy Act’’ or the 
‘‘STAGE Act’’. 
SEC. 2. PROFESSIONAL NONPROFIT THEATER GRANTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Title II of the Public Works and 
Economic Development Act of 1965 is amended by insert-
ing after section 207 (42 U.S.C. 3147) the following: 
‘‘SEC. 208. PROFESSIONAL NONPROFIT THEATER GRANTS. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall estab-
lish a grant program, to be known as the ‘Professional 
Nonprofit Theater Grant Program’ (referred to in this 
section as the ‘program’), to provide to eligible entities 
funding for the purposes of— 
‘‘(1) supporting employment and economic re-
covery; 
‘‘(2) stimulating economic development; 
‘‘(3) strengthening community-based arts orga-
nizations; and 
‘‘(4) improving theater facilities. 
‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An entity eligible to receive 
a grant under the program is a nonprofit organiza-
tion described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal 
Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from taxation 
under section 501(a) of that Code— 
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‘‘(A) that produces or presents live theater 
and other performing arts; 
‘‘(B) that compensates all professional per-
formers and related or supporting professional 
personnel at a rate that is not less than the 
prevailing minimum compensation for persons 
employed in similar activities as described in 
section 5(m) of the National Foundation on the 
Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 954(m)); 
‘‘(C) that, prior to the date of application, 
has not less than a 3-year history of program-
ming; 
‘‘(D)(i) that demonstrates a loss in gross 
or net revenue, adjusted for inflation, as de-
fined by the Secretary; or 
‘‘(ii) that primarily serves historically un-
derserved communities, including populations 
whose opportunities to experience the arts have 
been limited relative to geography, economics, 
race or ethnicity, or disability; 
‘‘(E) that has no net earnings benefitting 
a private stockholder or individual; 
‘‘(F) the primary purpose of which is the 
nonprofit arts industry; and 
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‘‘(viii) the Family and Medical Leave 
Act of 1993 (29 U.S.C. 2601 et seq.); 
‘‘(ix) title VII of the Civil Rights Act 
of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000e et seq.); 
‘‘(x) title I of the Americans with Dis-
abilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12111 et 
seq.); 
‘‘(xi) the Age Discrimination in Em-
ployment Act of 1967 (29 U.S.C. 621 et 
seq.); 
‘‘(xii) Executive Order 13658 (79 
Fed. Reg. 9851; relating to establishing a 
minimum wage for contractors); 
‘‘(xiii) the Pregnant Workers Fairness 
Act (42 U.S.C. 2000gg et seq.); 
‘‘(xiv) the National Labor Relations 
Act (29 U.S.C. 151 et seq.); or 
‘‘(xv) any applicable State or local 
labor or employment law, as defined in 
regulations issued by the Secretary of 
Labor. 
‘‘(2) DEFINITION OF 3-YEAR HISTORY OF PRO-
GRAMMING.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In this subsection, the 
term ‘3-year history of programming’ means a 
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period of 3 or more years, consecutively or non-
consecutively, beginning before August 1, 2020, 
during which the nonprofit organization pro-
vided programming. 
‘‘(B) INCLUSION.—In the case of a non-
profit organization that previously operated a 
program as a part of another entity, the non-
profit organization may include in the 3-year 
history of programming any arts programming 
carried out by the nonprofit organization as 
part of the other entity. 
‘‘(c) APPLICATIONS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to receive a 
grant under the program, an eligible entity shall 
submit to the Secretary an application at such time, 
in such manner, and containing such information as 
the Secretary may require. 
‘‘(2) ASSISTANCE.—In the case of an eligible 
entity with low organizational capacity, as deter-
mined by the Secretary, the Secretary may waive the 
prohibition under section 213. 
‘‘(3) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS.—In any ap-
plication submitted under paragraph (1), an eligible 
entity shall include an attestation to the Secretary 
that during the term of the grant— 
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‘‘(A) the eligible entity will not abrogate 
existing collective bargaining agreements of em-
ployees of the eligible entity; 
‘‘(B) the eligible entity will remain neutral 
regarding any labor organizing efforts by the 
employees of the eligible entity; 
‘‘(C) the eligible entity will provide work-
place conditions that are sanitary and not haz-
ardous or dangerous to the health and safety of 
an employee as provided under section 5(m) of 
the National Foundation on the Arts and the 
Humanities Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 954(m)); 
‘‘(D) the eligible entity will compensate all 
professional performers and related or sup-
porting professional personnel at a rate that is 
not less than the prevailing minimum com-
pensation for persons employed in similar ac-
tivities as described in section 5(m) of the Na-
tional Foundation on the Arts and the Human-
ities Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 954(m)); and 
‘‘(E) the use of funds by the eligible entity 
will contribute to providing or facilitating gain-
ful employment for professional performers and 
related or supporting professional personnel. 
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‘‘(d) ELIGIBLE USES.—A grant provided under the 
program may be used for any of the following, subject to 
the condition that the use will contribute to the long-term 
economic viability of the eligible entity and the employ-
ment of professional performers and related or supporting 
professional personnel: 
‘‘(1) Payroll costs for professional performers 
and related or supporting professional personnel. 
‘‘(2) Rent, utilities, mortgage interest pay-
ments, scheduled interest payments on scheduled 
debt and outstanding loans, administrative costs, 
and other ordinary and necessary business and oper-
ating expenses, as determined by the Secretary. 
‘‘(3) Expenses associated with the fabrication of 
scenery, costumes, and other elements for live theat-
rical productions. 
‘‘(4) Costs associated with the improvement, re-
pair, or maintenance of an existing facility housing 
theatrical productions, projects, performances, work-
shops, or programs, with priority given to costs for 
upgrades necessary for fully accessible workplaces 
for professional performers and related or sup-
porting professional personnel with disabilities. 
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‘‘(5) Marketing expenses to promote produc-
tions, projects, performances, workshops, programs, 
or recruitment of staff and artists. 
‘‘(6) Investments in workforce development pro-
grams, including paid job training and retraining 
programs related to the operation of professional 
nonprofit theaters. 
‘‘(7) In the case of an eligible entity that has, 
during the 3-year period preceding the date of appli-
cation, an average combined annual revenue and as-
sets of less than $30,000,000, costs associated with 
the construction or acquisition of a new facility to 
house theatrical productions, projects, performances, 
workshops, or programs. 
‘‘(8) Other uses, as determined by the Sec-
retary. 
‘‘(e) LIMITATIONS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A grant provided under the 
program shall not exceed an amount equal to the 
lesser of— 
‘‘(A) 20 percent of the total expenditures 
of the eligible entity during the most recent fis-
cal year; and 
‘‘(B) $16,000,000. 
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‘‘(2) NO REDUCTION OF PROFESSIONAL PER-
FORMERS.—An eligible entity may not use trainees, 
interns, or other similar positions to displace, sub-
stitute for, supplant, or otherwise replace profes-
sional performers and related or supporting profes-
sional personnel. 
‘‘(f) PRIORITY.—In providing grants under the pro-
gram, the Secretary may give priority to— 
‘‘(1) an application from an eligible entity that 
plans to allocate the majority of the grant funds for 
uses described in subsection (d)(1); and 
‘‘(2) an application from an eligible entity that 
serves as the primary theatrical venue for a geo-
graphical region. 
‘‘(g) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may use not 
more than 1 percent of funds made available to 
carry out the program to provide technical assist-
ance to eligible entities requiring assistance navi-
gating the Federal grants process. 
‘‘(2) PRIORITY.—In providing technical assist-
ance under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall give 
priority to eligible entities that have not previously 
received a Federal grant. 
‘‘(h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 
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