OPE: Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF), Section 2003 of the American Rescue Plan (ARP) for Institutions of Higher Education (IHE) that meet the criteria for the Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) Program Assistance Listing Number 84.425L

Description

Note: Each funding opportunity description is a synopsis of information in the Federal Register application notice. For specific information about eligibility, please see the official application notice. The official version of this document is the document published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html. Please review the official application notice for pre-application and application requirements, application submission information, performance measures, priorities and program contact information. For the addresses for obtaining and submitting an application, please refer to our Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs, published in the Federal Register on February 13, 2019 (84 FR 3768), or at www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2019-02-13/pdf/2019-02206.pdf. Background: On March 11, 2021, the President signed the ARP into law (Pub. L. 117-2). This law makes available approximately $39.6 billion for IHEs under HEERF, with funding appropriated through existing programs authorized under the CRRSAA. With this notice, the Secretary is announcing the availability of HEERF grant funds under the ARP (a)(2) MSI program (ALN 84.425L). Eligible institutions are IHEs, as defined in sections 101 and 102(c) of the HEA, 20 U.S.C. 1001 and 1002(c). Allocations for eligible IHEs will be calculated according to the formulas found in ARP section 2003(2) and section 314(a)(2) of the CRRSAA. Under ARP section 2003, grant awards under this program may be used to (1) defray expenses associated with the coronavirus, including lost revenue, reimbursement for expenses already incurred, technology costs associated with a transition to distance education, faculty and staff training, and payroll; and (2) provide financial aid grants to students (including students exclusively enrolled in distance education), which may be used for any component of the student’s cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to the coronavirus, such as tuition, food, housing, health care, mental health care, or childcare. In making financial aid grants to students, an IHE must prioritize grants to students with exceptional need, such as Pell recipient students. IHEs are urged to devote the maximum amount of funds possible to student financial aid grants. Additionally, under ARP section 2003(5), institutions must use a portion of their funds under ALN 84.425L to (1) implement evidence-based practices to monitor and suppress coronavirus in accordance with the public health guidelines; and (2) conduct direct outreach to financial aid applicants about the opportunity to receive a financial aid adjustment due to recent unemployment status or other changes in financial circumstances as described in section 479A of the HEA (20 U.S.C. 1087tt). The Department is not requiring IHEs that received grants under section 314(a)(2) of the CRRSAA to submit a new or revised application to receive funding under the ARP (a)(2) MSI program. As a result, the Department will award supplemental funds to eligible IHEs that received a section 314(a)(2) award under the CRRSAA, ALN 84.425L (identified by a Grant Award beginning with P425Lxx). No action is required by eligible IHEs to receive these supplemental awards. The project director identified on the most current Grant Award Notification (GAN) will automatically receive an email indicating a supplemental award has been made to your institution. Please note that drawing down any amount of these supplemental funds constitutes an institution’s acceptance of the new ARP terms and conditions and a new Supplemental Agreement, which are attached to this notice for reference. IHEs that have not yet complied with the reporting requirements of the HEERF grant program may receive delayed supplemental ARP (a)(2) awards and/or may receive awards with a restriction on the ability to draw down those awarded funds (route payment status) until the institution has satisfied its HEERF reporting obligations. IHEs that did not receive a CRRSAA section 314(a)(2) MSI award but that are on the Department’s section 2003(2) ARP MSI Allocation Table may apply for and receive an ARP (a)(2) MSI grant award. The Department must receive an application from such institutions within 60 days of the publication of this notice. Assistance Listing Number 84.425L.

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