Meow Wolf, S.F. opera among the recipients of relief loans

Federal government-run program meant to support business during economic fallout from pandemic

ALBUQUERQUE — The Santa Fe Opera, the Meow Wolf artist collaborative and the nonprofit organization that puts on the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta are among thousands of New Mexico businesses that received loans from the U.S. government as part of the massive effort to support the economy amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The Treasury Department on Monday identified a fraction of the borrowers, naming only those that got more than $150,000 each through the Paycheck Protection Program.

The list in New Mexico includes tribal casinos and hotels, an elite private school in Albuquerque, restaurants, breweries, oil companies, electric co-ops, law firms, churches, two of the state’s well-known newspapers, a few rural hospitals, dental and dermatology offices, and a consulting company

co-founded by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham more than a decade ago.

Also on the list are institutions that rely on tourists, such as the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe and the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque. Nonprofit foundations that support New Mexico museums also received loans.

Across the country, the government handed out $521 billion through the Paycheck Protection Program, a crucial piece of its $2 trillion rescue package. The loans can be forgiven if the businesses mostly use the money to continue paying workers.

The program was recently extended to Aug. 8.

U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján, a Democrat, said Monday the program has been a lifeline for some businesses in the state, and he urged New Mexicans to take advantage of the extension.

The state’s economy has taken a significant dive during the pandemic, hitting sectors — particularly oil and tourism — that New Mexico depends on. Municipal governments also are grappling with budget shortfalls, the city of Santa Fe among them.

The famed Santa Fe Opera in May announced it was canceling its season due to the pandemic. More than $5 million in tickets had been sold.

In addition to a loan of more than $2 million through the Paycheck Protection Program, the opera has been asking patrons to donate the value of their tickets to help compensate the artists, musicians and staff who otherwise would have been working. A group of patrons also offered to match all donated tickets dollar-for-dollar up to $3 million.

Opera officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the financial assistance.

Meow Wolf, a Santa Fe-based startup company, laid off about 200 employees and furloughed more than 50 more in April. The business had been awarded more than $1 million in state and city financial incentives aimed at creating jobs.

The company, which operates an immersive art installation in Santa Fe, declined Monday to say how much it has received through the Paycheck Protection Program, but federal data shows it was among those companies to receive anywhere from $5 million to $10 million.

Meow Wolf also refused to say how many people remain on its payroll.

The consulting company founded in 2008 by Lujan Grisham and her campaign treasurer, state Rep. Deborah Armstrong, also received a loan. The company contracts with the state to run a high-risk insurance pool.

While Lujan Grisham divested herself from the company during her time in Congress, Armstrong is still an owner. Armstrong did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

Other New Mexico businesses and nonprofits to get loans worth more than $1 million include Bosque Brewing Inc., Calvary megachurch in Albuquerque, the Defined Fitness chain, The Downs at Albuquerque and Ruidoso Downs racetracks, and the Navajo Nation’s agricultural enterprise in northwestern New Mexico.