Shuttered Venues Operators Grant Grantee Survey

Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for Formative Data
Collections for Evaluation, Research, and Evidence-Building”
(OMB Control Number: 3245-0425)
TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Shuttered Venues Operators Grant Grantee
Survey
PURPOSE OF THE COLLECTION: This data collection is part of the Shuttered Venues
Operators Grant (SVOG) evaluation project which seeks to understand how SVOG awards
impacted employment, revenue, and business survival. The purpose of this survey data collection
is to understand how SVOG grantees used their grant funds, how actual use of funds compare to
approved allowable costs, and to understand grantees’ remaining pandemic recovery needs.
Interviews will also be conducted as a part of this evaluation. SVOG was a pandemic-response
program established in December 2020 to aid entertainment venues and related businesses that
were disproportionately affected by the pandemic due to suspension of large group gatherings.
The findings from both survey and interview data collections will allow SBA to improve future
industry-specific grant processes.
TYPE OF COLLECTION ACTIVITY: (Check one)
[X] Survey/ questionnaire
[ ] Focus group/small group discussion
[ ] Interviews
[ ] Other: _______________________

[ ] Cognitive interview
[ ] User testing
[ ] Observation/field study

CERTIFICATION:
I certify the following to be true:
1. The collections are voluntary.
2. The collection is low burden for respondents and low-cost for the Federal Government.
3. The collections are non-controversial and do not raise issues of concern to other Federal
agencies.
4. The collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have
experience with the program or may have experience with the program in the near future.
5. Personally identifiable information (PII) is collected only to the extent necessary and is not
retained.
6. Information gathered is intended to be used for general service improvement and program
management purposes.
7. Summaries and aggregate results may be included in public-facing evaluation or similar
report.
8. Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential
policy decisions.
Name: Kate Aaby
Title: Associate Administrator for OPPCFO
All instruments used to collect information must include:
OMB Control No. 3245-0425, Expiration Date: 10/31/2025

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DESCRIPTION OF THIS SPECIFIC COLLECTION
To assist review, please provide answers to the following question:
1.

Administration of the Instrument
a. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)
[X] Web-based or other forms of Social Media
[ ] Telephone or other audio technology
[ ] Video
[ ] In-person
[ ] Mail
[ ] Other _________________________
b. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [ ] Yes [ X ] No

2.

Description of respondents/participants
4,000 SVOG grantees (out of a total 13,000+ grantees) will receive the survey. Based on
prior evaluative survey efforts, we anticipate a response rate of 10% (400 responses).
Sampling will be undertaken for representation purposes only; findings from this data
collection will not be generalized to the broader population. As operators of the
businesses that received awards, this respondent population understands how SVOG
funds were used and their businesses’ pandemic recovery needs. The contractor will
randomly draw the sample from SVOG administrative data. For outreach, we will use
email addresses and phone numbers from the administrative data.

3.

Activity timeframe
The survey data collection will occur during an eight-week period in the months of
March, April, and May of 2023.

4.

Collection procedures
The Grantee Survey will be administered over a period of 8 weeks using the following
steps:
1. The SVOG program director will send a preliminary communication via email to
the 4,000 sampled grantees introducing the contractor and informing grantees of
the survey.
2. The 4,000 grantees will receive an emailed survey invitation; each grantee will
have a unique link.
3. We will send weekly email reminders to grantees who do not complete the survey
until 400 respond (10% response rate).
4. Beginning in week 4, reminder recruit efforts will shift to a personalized phone
call from a member of the research team and confirming they received the email
link.
5. In week 8, if the response rate is below 10%, the research team will send a final
reminder email to non-responding grantees asking them to complete the survey
and a replacement sample may be drawn.

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Based on pilot testing of the survey with 5 SVOG grantees, the anticipated time to
complete the survey is 10 minutes.
5.

Provide the question list (Submit all instruments, instructions, and scripts with this
request).
See Attachments A (Survey Correspondence and Communication) and B (Web Survey
Instrument)

6.

Use and dissemination of the results
Aggregated results will be shared in an evaluation report, briefings, and fact sheet.

PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION
1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? [X] Yes [] No
Survey respondents will have the opportunity to provide PII that is collected for interview
outreach; after interviews are completed, PII will not be retained.
2. If Yes, will any information that is collected be included in records that are subject to the
Privacy Act of 1974? [ ] Yes [X] No
3. If Yes, has an up-to-date System of Records Notice (SORN) been published? [ ] Yes [X ] No
GIFTS OR PAYMENTS
Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to
participants? [ ] Yes [X ] No
If Yes, describe:
BURDEN HOUR COMPUTATION
Participation time is the average response time based on pilot testing the survey with five
business operators.
Category of Respondent
Individuals: operators of businesses that received an SVOG
Grant
Totals

No. of
Respondents
400

Participation
Time
10 minutes

Burden
Hours
67

400

10

67

BURDEN COST COMPUTATION
Respondent cost estimates are based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2021 median wage
for Entertainment and Recreation Managers (Except Gambling) occupations of $35.48 per hour.
Category of Respondent

No. of
Respondents

Hourly
Rate

Response
Time

Individuals: operators of businesses that received an SVOG
Grant

400

$ 35.48

10

Total
Estimated
Cost
$2,377.16

Totals

400

$ 35.48

10

$2,377.16

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FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is $20,487.44, which
includes 40 hours for a GS-14 evaluator, 5 hours for a GS-15 manager, and research support by the
contractor, 2M. The estimate is based off of a 2022 federal pay schedule for personnel located in the
DC area.
OTHER SUPPORTING INFORMATION
REQUESTED APPROVAL DATE: February 24, 2023
ICR REQUEST CONTACT:
Name: Sana Ahmed Wilder
Title: Lead Program Evaluator
Telephone Number: 801-524-3208
Email Address: sana.ahmedwilder@sba.gov

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Instructions for completing Request for Approval under the “Generic
Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback”
TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Provide the name of the collection that is the
subject of the request. (e.g. Comment card for soliciting feedback on xxxx)
PURPOSE OF THE COLLECTION: Provide a brief description of the purpose of this
collection and how it will be used. If this is part of a larger study or effort, please include this in
your explanation.
TYPE OF COLLECTION: Check one box. If you are requesting approval of other
instruments under the generic, you must complete a form for each instrument.
CERTIFICATION: Please read the certification carefully. If you incorrectly certify, the
collection will be returned as improperly submitted or it will be disapproved.
DESCRIPTION OF THIS SPECIFIC COLLECTION
Administration of the Instrument: Identify how the information will be collected. More than
one box may be checked. Indicate whether there will be interviewers (e.g., used for surveys) or
facilitators (e.g., used for focus groups).
Description of respondents/participants: Describe the people you will interact with are
collecting information from and why the group is appropriate for the program / service to
connect with. Please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of
respondents and if only a sample will be solicited for feedback, how you will select them (e.g.,
anyone who provided an email address to a call center representative, a representative sample of
administrators who downloaded a report in May 2021, intercept interviews at a particular field
office, a list of customers, e.g., a CRM database that has contact information, to reach out to that
defines the universe of potential respondents and have a sampling plan for selecting from this
universe). Attach a copy of the sampling plan if applicable.
Activity timeframe: Describe the time frame, dates, locations, and number of events (e.g., focus
groups, surveys, sessions) that will occur (e.g., We will conduct focus groups on May 13,14,15.
We plan to conduct customer intercept interviews over the course of the Summer at the field
offices identified in response to #2 based on scheduling logistics concluding by Sept. 10th, or
“This survey will remain on our website in alignment with the timing of the overall clearance.”)
Collection procedures: Describe the information collection activity ( e.g., what happens when a
person agrees to participate? Will facilitators or interviewers be used? What’s the format of the
interview/focus group? If a survey, describe the overall survey layout/length/other details? If
User Testing, what actions will you observe / how will you have respondents interact with a
product you need feedback on?).
Provide the question list: Paste the questions or prompts presented to participants in your
activity. If you have an interview/facilitator guide, that can be attached to the submission and
referenced here. Submit all instruments, instructions, and scripts with the request.

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Use and dissemination of the results: Describe how, by whom, and for what purpose the
information is to be used (e.g., to inform future evaluation, continuous improvement efforts, etc.)
and whether and how results will be disseminated (e.g., evaluation report, journey map, etc.).
PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION: Provide answers to the questions. Note:
Agencies should only collect PII to the extent necessary, and they should only retain PII for the
period of time that is necessary to achieve a specific objective.
GIFTS OR PAYMENTS: If you answer yes to the question, please describe the incentive, and
provide a justification for the amount.
BURDEN HOUR AND COST COMPUTATIONS:
Category of Respondents: Identify who you expect the respondents to be in terms of the
following categories: (1) Individuals or Households; (2) Private Sector; (3) State, local, or tribal
governments; or (4) Federal Government. Only one type of respondent can be selected per row.
No. of Respondents: Provide an estimate of the Number of Respondents.
Participation Time/Response Time: Provide an estimate of the amount of time (in minutes)
required for a respondent to participate (e.g. fill out a survey or participate in a focus group)
Burden Hours: Provide the Annual burden hours: Multiply the Number of Respondents and
the Participation Time in minutes then divide by 60
Hourly Rate: Provide the hours rate. Ex. Respondent cost estimates are based on the Bureau of
Labor Statistics May 2021 median wage for all occupations of $28.01 per hour.
Total Estimated Cost: Provide the total estimated cost. Divide the Response Time in minutes
by 60. Then multiply by the hourly rate and Number of Respondents.
FEDERAL COST: Provide an estimate of the annual cost to the Federal government.
NOTE: Data collection requests under this generic ICR are not intended for statistical
purposes as defined by 44 U.S. Code § 3561.

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