Third Round of Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)

by | May 19, 2021 | Title III

This article, originally published on May 19, 2021, contains links that are no longer available and have been removed.

The Shared Services Center team is tracking federal legislation providing emergency federal assistance to institutions of higher education in an effort to secure extramural funding to support Kapi‘olani Community College students and programming. The U.S. Department of Education announced on May 11, 2021 that additional federal assistance will be provided to institutions of higher education through a third wave of funding through he Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund. These funds will be provided by the U.S. Department of Education as part of a $40 billion aid package to institutions of higher education to serve students and ensure learning continues during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The USDOE’s Acting Assistant Secretary of Postsecondary Education announced the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund in a letter to College and University Presidents on May 11, 2021. The federal aid will be provided as supplemental awards to awards provided through the 2021 Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA). Kapi‘olani Community College will receive $7,638,010, of which $3,932,013 is a minimum allocation to be awarded for emergency financial aid grants to students. An additional $3,705,997 will be awarded for institutional costs.

The third wave of Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund awards will be released to Kapi‘olani as supplemental awards to the CRRSAA awards over the next few weeks. The ARPA awards will extend the period for HEERF expenditures for another twelve months once the supplemental awards are made. The ARPA awards will be made as follows:

  • First wave ($3,932,013): emergency assistance to students for financial aid
  • Second wave ($3,705,997): operational costs from expenses from responding to the coronavirus
  • Third wave (forthcoming): additional funds 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 $77,865,454.

  • University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa ($31,293,770)
  • University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo ($9,046,876)
  • University of Hawaiʻi West O‘ahu ($5,188,409)
  • University of Hawaiʻi Maui College ($4,771,793)
  • Kapi‘olani Community College ($7,638,010)
  • Leeward Community College ($8,139,775)
  • Honolulu Community College ($4,478,579)
  • Hawaiʻi Community College ($2,574,000)
  • Kaua’i Community College ($2,200,497)
  • Windward Community College ($2,533,745)

Kapi‘olani students seeking financial aid may obtain information on emergency financial assistance grants through the Urgent Student Relief Fund. Faculty and staff who are interested in proposing innovative projects may submit a HEERF funding request (requires UH login credentials).

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