Kapi‘olani Receives Additional Federal Assistance for Minority Serving Institutions through CRRSAA

Note: This article, originally published on March 10, 2021, contains links that are no longer available and have been removed.

Kapi‘olani Community College received additional federal assistance through a special fund for Minority Serving Institutions under the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund. These funds provided by the U.S. Department of Education are part of a $20 billion aid package to public and private institutions of higher education to provide emergency relief to students and stabilize institutions faced with challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Acting Education Secretary Mick Zias announced the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund in a letter to College and University Presidents on January 14, 2021. The federal aid will be provided as supplemental awards to the CARES I and II awards. The first wave will provide emergency assistance to students as part of a statutory requirement established in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The second wave of funding will cover operational expenses resulting from responding to the coronavirus.

A list of Minority Serving Institutions receiving federal aid under the Higher Education Emergency Relief fund was released by the USDOE. Kapi‘olani Community College received an additional $3,250,447 in supplemental funds to provide support to minority students served through the USDOE’s Title III and V programs. Kapi‘olani’s allocation was determined by institutional data provided through the annual Title III eligibility determination process whereby the College received dual designation in 2020 as an Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian (ANNH) and Asian American, Native American, and Pacific Islander (AANAPISI) Serving Institution.

Kapi‘olani will receive a total of $7,734,761 through the HEERF II awards funded by CRRSAA as follows:

• First tranche ($1,011,471): emergency assistance to students for financial aid.
• Second tranche ($3,472,813): operational costs from expenses from responding to the coronavirus
• Third tranche ($3,250,477): additional support for Minority Serving Institutions

The University of Hawai‘i ten campuses with receive federal assistance from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund based on a student enrollment formula. The total federal appropriation for the University of Hawai‘i campuses is $45,528,904.

• University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa ($13,459,990)
• University of Hawai‘i at Hilo ($3,952,511)
• University of Hawai‘i West O‘ahu ($2,213,850)
• University of Hawai‘i Maui College ($1,992,781)
• Kapi‘olani Community College ($3,250,447)
• Leeward Community College ($3,541,117)
• Honolulu Community College ($1,872,087)
• Hawai‘i Community College ($1,947,171)
• Kaua’i Community College ($958,989)
• Windward Community College ($1,027,938)

The College commends its students and community for remaining resilient through a challenging time. More information on financial assistance from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund will be available at the Kapi‘olani Community College website soon.

Resources:

• CARES Awards to Hawaiʻi Institutions
• Comparison of CARES I, II, & III Awards, University of Hawai‘i Office of Research Services June 2020 Newsletter
• Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, U.S. Department of Education CARES Act