(Historical) CRRSA: Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF II)

 
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    CFDA#

    84.425
     

    Funder Type

    Federal Government

    IT Classification

    B - Readily funds technology as part of an award

    Authority

    Department of Education (DoEd)

    Summary

    An institution of higher education receiving funds under the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund may use the awarded funds to defray expenses associated with coronavirus, so long as such costs do not include:

    • payment to contractors for the provision of pre-enrollment recruitment activities (including marketing and advertising);
    • endowments; or
    • capital outlays associated with facilities related to athletics, sectarian instruction, or religious worship.

    Institutions of higher education shall use no less than the amount of the student aid portion for their CARES HEERF funding to provide emergency financial aid grants to students for expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus (including eligible expenses under a student's cost of attendance, such as food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and child care). Funding must be prioritized for students with exceptional need, such as students who receive Pell Grants.


    Of what remains out of the initial amount, institutions may use the funds to defray expenses associated with coronavirus (including lose revenue, reimbursement for expenses already incurred, technology costs associated with a transition to distance education, faculty and staff trainings, and payroll) or to carry out student support activities authorized by the Higher Education Act that address needs related to coronavirus.


    IHEs required to remit payment to the IRS for the excise tax in tax year 2019 will have their allocations reduced by 50% and may only use funds for emergency student financial aid grants or for sanitation, PPE, or other expenses associated with the general health and safety of the campus environment related to COVID. Proprietary IHEs (the 3% bucket) may only use funds for emergency student financial aid grants. IHEs who only received funds based on distance education students (E and F in the 89% bucket) may only use funds for emergency student financial aid grants.


    Unlike the funds available under Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students and for an Institution's Costs (noted above), the funds provided under 7.5% funding bucket and 0.5% funding bucket of the HEERF, are not subject to the same requirements as the 89% funding bucket of the HEERF. This means institutions are not required to use at least 50% of the additional funds for grants to students. Nonetheless, ED encourages institutions to use as much of these funds as possible to give grants to students for any component of the student's cost of attendance, including tuition, course materials, and technology. Institutions may also use these funds to defray institutional expenses, which may include lost revenue, reimbursement for expenses already incurred, technology costs associated with the transition to distance education, faculty and staff training, and payroll.

     

    History of Funding

    Individual public/non-profit campus allocations may be viewed at https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/314a1allocationtableheerfii.pdf This document includes the minimum amount that must go to student aid.


    Individual proprietary campus allocations may be viewed at https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/314a4allocationtableheerfii.pdf All of this funding must go to student financial aid grants.


    An IHE receiving funds under HEERF shall submit a report to the ED Secretary, not later than 6 months after receiving funding that provides a detailed accounting of the use of funds provided under this section.


    This summary shall be updated once those reports have been submitted.

    Additional Information

    Historically Black Colleges and Universities or other Minority Serving Institutions may use prior awards provided under Titles III, V, and VII of the Higher Education Act to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus. These institutions will also receive a small additional allocation beyond the amounts noted above. Priority shall also be given to institutions of higher education with the greatest unmet need.


    An institution receiving funds under this section shall submit a report to the Secretary, at such time and in such manner as the Secretary may require, that describes the use of funds provided under this section, including at least once 6 months after the award has been made.


    NOTE: The Department would not consider the following Institutional Costs to be related to significant changes to the delivery of instruction due to the coronavirus, and therefore would not view them as allowable expenditures:

    • senior administrator and/or executive salaries, benefits, bonuses, contracts, incentives;
    • stock buybacks, shareholder dividends, capital distributions, and stock options; and
    • any other cash or other benefits for a senior administrator or executive. 

    Contacts

    Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund

    Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund
    400 Maryland Ave, SW room 278-44
    Washington, DC 20202
    202-377-3711
     

  • Eligibility Details

    Institutions of Higher Education already receiving funding under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 are eligible.

    Deadline Details

    The 89% bucket (student and institutional aid portions for public and non-profit institutions) certification and agreement documents are due on April 15, 2021 for new awardees. Institutions who previously received CARES Act HEERF student or institutional portion do not need to apply for that bucket again. Institutions who did not apply for either, or just did not apply for the institutional portion, will need to complete the application for the applicable portions they wish to draw down. If an institution is required to pay an endowment excise tax, then they will need to submit paperwork notifying the Department of Education about this, regardless of any paperwork they have previously submitted, within 30 days of making a determination that the institution is required to pay the tax.


    Note, the Department has released a few important comments about timing:

    • Institutions that will be required to submit applications should do so as soon as possible. CRRSAA directs the Department to reallocate any funds for which institutions have not yet applied within 90 days of the publication of the notice announcing the availability of funding, which is April 15, 2021.
    • Institutions who received a grant under the CARES Act should make sure that they have fulfilled the HEERF reporting requirements. Institutions may be restricted from drawing down funds if they have not met these reporting obligations.


    The 3% bucket (student aid for proprietary institutions) certification and agreement documents are also due on April 15, 2021.


    For HBCUs and TCUs under the 7.5% bucket, they do not need to apply. For MSIs and SIPs under the 7.5% bucket, certification and agreement documents are due on July 12, 2021 for new awardees. Institutions who previously received CARES Act HEERF MSI or SIP allocations do not need to apply for that bucket again.


    For the 0.5% bucket, this is a discretionary opportunity. Applications are due on April 28, 2021.


    After the Department has received the application documents, institutions may draw down their funds using the Department's G5 system.


    Institutions must expend funds received under this program within 12 months of obligation of the funds by the Department.


    This is a one-time emergency funding opportunity. Future deadlines are not anticipated.

    Award Details

    A total of $22,697,136,000 has been allocated for the Higher Education Emergency Education Relief Fund. Of this total amount, the Secretary of Education shall allocate funding as follows:

    1. 89% ($20,200,451,040) to each institution of higher education to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, by apportioning it—
      1. 37.5% ($7,575,169,140) according to the relative share of fulltime equivalent enrollment of students who were Federal Pell Grant recipients and who were not exclusively enrolled in distance education courses prior to the qualifying emergency;
      2. 37.5% ($7,575,169,140) according to the relative share of the total number of students who were Federal Pell Grant recipients and who were not exclusively enrolled in distance education courses prior to the qualifying emergency;
      3. 11.5% ($2,323,051,869.60) according to the relative share of fulltime equivalent enrollment of students who were not Federal Pell Grant recipients and who were not exclusively enrolled in distance education courses prior to the qualifying emergency;
      4. 11.5% ($2,323,051,869.60) according to the relative share of the total number of students who were not Federal Pell Grant recipients and who were not exclusively enrolled in distance education courses prior to the qualifying emergency;
      5. 1% ($202,004,510.40) according to the relative share of fulltime equivalent enrollment of students who were Federal Pell Grant recipients and who were exclusively enrolled in distance education courses prior to the qualifying emergency; and
      6. 1% ($202,004,510.40) according to the relative share of the total number of students who were Federal Pell Grant recipients and who were exclusively enrolled in distance education courses prior to the qualifying emergency
      7. Individual campus allocations may be viewed at https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/314a1allocationtableheerfii.pdf This document includes the minimum amount that must go to student aid.
    2. 7.5% ($1,702,285,200) for additional awards to institutions eligible under parts A (Strengthening Institutions Program) and B (Strengthening HBCUs) of title III, parts A (Developing HSIs) and B (Promoting Post-bacc. Opportunities for Hispanic Americans) of title V, and subpart 4 of part A of title VII (Masters Programs at HBCUs and Predominently Black Institutions) of the Higher Education Act. These funds shall be made available in addition to any amount the institution receives through the 89% allocation noted above.
      1. allocations for HBCUs may be viewed at https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/heerfiihbcuallocations.pdf
      2. allocations for TCUs may be viewed at https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/tccucrrsaaallocations.xlsx
      3. allocations for MSIs may be viewed at https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/heerfiimsiallocations.xlsx
      4. allocations for SIP may be viewed at https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/heerfiisipallocations.xlsx
    3. 0.5% ($113,485,680) for even further awards to institutions eligible under part B (Fund for Improvement of Post-Secondary Education) of title VII of the Higher Education Act. These funds will be prioritized for institutions the Secretary determines to have the greatest unmet needs related to coronavirus. More information can be found at: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=332429
    4. 3% ($680,914,080) to proprietary institutions of higher education, allocated on the basis of the formula described for the 89% bucket.
      1. Individual campus allocations may be viewed at https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/314a4allocationtableheerfii.pdf All of this funding must go to student financial aid grants.

    NOTE: A recipient's Institutional Costs must have been first incurred on or after March 13, 2020, the date of the declaration of the national emergency for coronavirus.

    Related Webcasts Use the links below to view the recorded playback of these webcasts



 

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