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CARES Act: Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund

Introduction

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act or, CARES Act, was passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump on March 27th, 2020. This bill allotted $2.2 trillion to provide fast and direct economic aid to the American people negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Of that money, approximately $14 billion was given to the Office of Postsecondary Education as the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, or HEERF.

Litigation Updates Applicable to certain institutions (Last Updated 9/8/2020)

Latest News (Last Updated 1/5/2021)

January 5, 2021: The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021, enacted on December 27, 2020, provided $22.7 billion for institutions of higher education. Information regarding the distribution of these funds is forthcoming and will be posted on this website when available.

January 5, 2021: As announced in today’s Federal Register, the newly enacted Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 supersedes the Department of Education’s December 23, 2020 Federal Register notice that reopened the HEERF grant program application period for certain limited applicants. The 2021 Appropriations Act prevents the Department from accepting or processing any applications for new awards under section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act (i.e., the “Student Aid Portion” program (CFDA 84.425E) and the “Institutional Portion” program (CFDA 84.425F)).

While the Department cannot accept or process any applications for CARES Act section 18004(a)(1) program funds, we are still able to accept applications for section 18004(a)(2) and (a)(3) HEERF programs (CFDAs 84.425J, 84.425K, 84.425L, 84.425M, 84.425N) from applicants that meet one of the five conditions described in the Reopening Notice and that we verified previously have attempted to apply through grants.gov for one of these HEERF grant opportunities. Applicants for those funds must submit their revised or corrected applications no later than January 11, 2021.

January 5, 2021: The reporting period for the first HEERF annual report begins today and ends on February 1, 2021. The grantee reporting portal can be accessed here. A user guide, webinar, and other resources can be accessed here. All HEERF grantees are required to submit an annual report during this reporting period.

December 11, 2020: All Institutions are required to submit HEERF annual performance reports via the Annual Report Data Collection System. As part of this, every institution is required to submit to heerfannual@ed.gov the names and email addresses of those individuals who will be authorized to edit and submit your institution’s HEERF annual performance report. The Submitter is the one grant official who will have the authority to submit the report on behalf of the grantee. The Editors are users who will be able to complete, but not submit, the data collection form. The Submitter will have Editor privileges and may also answer questions in the data collection form. 

If your institution has not already responded to our outreach emails, please send their names and email addresses in the following format to heerfannual@ed.gov:

  • Submitter: (First Name Last Name) (Email address)
  • Editor 1: (First Name Last Name) (Email address)
  • Editor 2 (if needed): (First Name Last Name) (Email address)

Your institution must tell us who will be the Submitter and Editor(s) for your HEERF annual report as soon as possible if you have not done so already. The reporting period for the first HEERF annual report will be January 5 to February 1, 2021. More information is available at our reporting page here.

Specific Program Information

Congress created several different formula and discretionary allocations within HEERF. Please click on the links below to be taken for information and resources for the specific program or distribution.

Institutional Resilience and Expanded Postsecondary Opportunity (IREPO) Grant Program Competition (FIPSE Competitive Grant)

Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) Grant Program (Formula Grant)

Redistribution of the (a)(1) Reserve

Student Portion

Institutional Portion

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)

Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs)

Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs)

Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP)


Program
(with link to website)

CFDA

CARES Act Section

Eligibility
(with link to allocation table)

Deadline

Grants.gov Funding Opportunity Number

Student Portion

84.425E

18004(a)(1)

All Title IV participating schools
Note: Students cannot apply for assistance directly from the U.S. Department of Education but should contact their institutions for further information and guidance.
Allocation Table Here

9/30/2020

ED-GRANTS-041020-003

Institutional Portion

84.425F

18004(a)(1)

All Title IV participating schools
Allocation Table Here

9/30/2020

ED-GRANTS-042120-004

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)

84.425J

18004(a)(2)

Institutions that qualify for funding under the following programs: Strengthening Historically Black Colleges and Universities (Part B institutions as described in section 322(2) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA)), Strengthening Historically Black Graduate Institutions (institutions named in section 326(e)(1) of the HEA), and Master’s Degree Programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (institutions named in section 723(b)(1) of the HEA)
Allocation Table Here

9/30/2020; 1/11/2021, only for applicants eligible for the limited reopening announced in the Department’s December 23, 2020 Federal Register notice

ED-GRANTS-043020-001

Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs)

84.425K

18004(a)(2)

Institutions that qualify for funding under the Tribally Controlled College or University Assistance Act of 1978 or the Navajo Community College Assistance Act of 1978; are cited in section 532 of the Equity in Educational Land Grant Status Act of 1994; or are designated as eligible for funding by the Bureau of Indian Education
Allocation Table Here

9/30/2020; 1/11/2021, only for applicants eligible for the limited reopening announced in the Department’s December 23, 2020 Federal Register notice

ED-GRANTS-043020-002

Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs)

84.425L

18004(a)(2)

Institutions that would be eligible to participate in the following programs: Predominantly Black Institutions (PBI), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions (ANNH), Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISI), Native American-Serving Nontribal Institutions (NASNTI), Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (DHSI), and Promoting Postbaccalaureate Opportunities for Hispanic Americans (PPOHA) programs
Allocation Table Here

9/30/2020; 1/11/2021, only for applicants eligible for the limited reopening announced in the Department’s December 23, 2020 Federal Register notice

ED-GRANTS-043020-003

Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP)

84.425M

18004(a)(2)

Institutions designated as eligible in FY 2020 for grant programs in Titles III and V of the HEA that did not receive 18004(a)(2) grant awards as a result of not meeting the requirements for the Strengthening HBCUs, HBGIs, HBCU Master’s, TCCUs, PBIs, ANNH, AANAPISI, NASNTI, DHSI, and/or PPOHA programs
Allocation Table Here

9/30/2020; 1/11/2021, only for applicants eligible for the limited reopening announced in the Department’s December 23, 2020 Federal Register notice

ED-GRANTS-043020-004

Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) Formula Grant

84.425N

18004(a)(3)

Public and private nonprofit institutions of higher education that are eligible under Part B of Title VII of the HEA and received less than $500,000 total from HEERF (a)(1) and (a)(2) programs
Allocation Table Here

9/30/2020; 1/11/2021, only for applicants eligible for the limited reopening announced in the Department’s December 23, 2020 Federal Register notice

ED-GRANTS-043020-005

Institutional Resilience and Expanded Postsecondary Opportunity (IREPO) – FIPSE Competitive Grant

84.425P

18004(a)(3)

This is a competitive grant program.  Please see the Notice Inviting Applications for information regarding eligibility and selection criteria.
Federal Register Notice Here  

Notice of intent to apply: 9/10/2020
Application: 10/20/2020

ED-GRANTS-082120-00

Reporting and Data Collection

HEERF Grant Program FAQs:

COVID-19 Flexibility FAQs:

Webinars

October 14, 2020 Reporting Requirements and Lost Revenue Webinar

Principal Deputy Under Secretary Diane Jones and Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education Bob King hosted a webinar on reporting requirements for HEERF and other topics on October 14, 2020. Please find the following materials from the webinar:

June 23, 2020 HEERF Technical Assistance Webinar

Contact Information

Have questions about HEERF grants? Email HEERF@ed.gov
Think an institution is misusing or abusing ED funds? Do not let CARES Act Funding for Schools and Students end up in the wrong hands. File a complaint online with our Inspector General (OIG) or call their Hotline.

ARCHIVED INFORMATION AS OF AUGUST 13, 2020


   
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Last Modified: 01/05/2021