CRRSAA Notice and Update
Sunday, October 10, 2021
In our recent notice dated July 10, 20211, we updated you on our current status related to the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (CRRSAA), Public Law 116-260, signed into law on Dec. 27, 2020 and authorizes funding support for higher education (and other agencies). Additionally, on May 11, 2021, the U.S. Department of Education provided additional support to students and institutions of higher education, which is made available through the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act’s Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF III). These funds support students and institutions toward recovery efforts so that we can emerge from the pandemic even stronger. This is an update to the July 10, 2021 notice. Noted below are details of HCU’s allocated funding related to the CRRSAA and ARP funding and process for disbursement of funding for the third quarter of 2021:
- HCU has signed, acknowledged, and returned to the Department of Education the required Certification and Agreement for HEERF III funding, which states that the institution plans to use no less than $3,817,560 of funding to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students. A sample copy of this certification and more information regarding the HEERF funding can be found via the following links:
- The HEERF III funds were awarded by the Department of Education to HCU, with a total allocation amount equal to $7,503,992. Of the $7,503,992, only $3,686,432 was allocated to costs incurred by the institution and $3,817,560 was allocated for direct student aid. The total amount was made available to HCU on May 18, 2021.
- As of September 30, 2021, HCU has expensed $529,811.20 related to HEERF II institutional funding (only $203,193.75 expensed from July 1, 2021 to September 30, 2021. (See Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Reporting PDF for details.)
- As of September 30, 2021, HCU has distributed $1,307,802 of direct student aid related to HEERF II student funding.
- As of September 30, 2021, HCU has distributed $1,321,000 of direct student aid related to HEERF III student funding.
- The allocation HEERF III funding of direct student aid was distributed to approximately 753 students as a grant using a paper check or as a direct deposit into their bank account if HCU has direct deposit instructions on file for the student. The higher education relief fund provides funds for enrolled students to be used to cover 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 childcare). The criteria for distribution was based on the lowest Student Aid Index (SAI under $10,000) levels with the highest amount of unmet need (in excess of $3,000) as of the fall 2021 term.
- The amount disbursed to students ranged from $1,000 to $3,000 per student among all of the eligible students that met the criteria, with the larger disbursements going to students with higher unmet needs.
- There were approximately 833 eligible students to receive emergency financial aid grants under HEERF III.
As more information becomes available, this page will be updated accordingly.
“And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may distinguish the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ.” Philippians 1:9-10