COVID-19

CARES Act HEERF Institutional Portion Reporting

HEERF – Institutional Portion Reporting

Institutions receiving funds under Section 18004 of the CARES Act are required to submit a report to the Secretary of Education describing the use of funds distributed from the HEERF. HEERF guidance has been distributed to colleges and universities in several parts. This page provides public information about the University of the West’s participation in the CARES Act and use of the institution’s HEERF Institutional Portion and FIPSE. Institutions have been reminded that the CARES Act requires that at least 50% of all HEERF I funds (i.e., the Student Aid Portion plus the Institutional Portion) must be used for direct grants to students. The CRRSAA mandates that any institution receiving HEERF II funds under Section 314(a)(1) must provide at least the same amount of student grant funds as the institution was required to provide under the CARES Act. The Department continues to emphasize that institutions must prioritize students with exceptional need as they award student grant aid funds, and this guidance is expected for the recently authorized HEERF III-ARP.

The information below is intended not only to meet the reporting requirements of the CARES Act but also provide information to our community regarding University of the West’s use of the Institutional grant portion of the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund. This information will be updated no later than 10 days after the end of each calendar quarter.

HEERF I – CARES Act

Section 18004(a)(1) – Award Number: P425F204226. UWEST signed and returned the Certification and Agreement for the Institutional Portion of the HEERF under the CARES Act to the Department of Education on June 25, 2020. These funds were awarded to the university on July 2, 2020. UWEST was allocated a total of $140,086 under Section 18004(a)(1). Pursuant to the Certification and Agreement for Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students, at least $70,043 will be distributed directly to eligible students impacted by campus disruptions due to the coronavirus. The Certification and Agreement for the Institutional Portion states that the remaining $70,043 may be used to cover institutional costs associated with the coronavirus. As of August 12, 2020, UWEST has drawn down funding from the HEERF Institutional Portion, exercising a total of $70,043 in the area of institutional lost revenue. Beginning April 1, 2020, UWEST offered and accepted room and board refund requests due to coronavirus. UWEST has refunded a total of $105,989.67 of room and board charges to students who needed to leave campus due to the coronavirus pandemic. The HEERF Institutional Portion ($70,043) provides a recovery of these funds.

FIPSE

Section 18004(a)(3) – FIPSE Award Number: P425N200895 of the CARES Act authorizes the Secretary to allocate funds for part B of Title VII of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (“HEA”), for institutions of higher education that the Secretary determines have the greatest unmet needs related to coronavirus. Pursuant to Section 18004(d)(1) of the CARES Act, the Secretary gave priority to any institution of higher education that is not otherwise eligible for funding under Sections 18004(a)(1) and 18004(a)(2) of the CARES Act of at least $500,000 and demonstrates significant unmet needs related to expenses associated with coronavirus. On November 4, 2020, UWEST was allocated a total of $359,914 under Section 18004(a)(3) – FIPSE. The university has allocated $85,000 to provide direct support to students.

HEERF II – CRRSAA

The Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund II (HEERF II) is part of the federal government’s Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA) that was passed by Congress and signed into law on December 27, 2020. The CRRSAA requires that an institution receiving funding under section 314(a)(1) provide the “same amount” in financial aid grants to students from the new CRRSAA funds that it was required or which it would have been required to provide under its original CARES Act Student Aid Portion award. The institution may use the supplemental institutional portion funds to defray expenses associated with the coronavirus pandemic. UWEST disbursed $70,043 of HEERF II funds directly to students on April 30, 2021 to eligible students. UWEST was allocated a total of $263,934 under Section 18004(a)(1). Pursuant to the Certification and Agreement for Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students, at least $70,043 will be distributed directly to eligible students impacted by campus disruptions due to coronavirus. The Certification and Agreement for the Institutional Portion states that the remaining fund may be used to cover institutional costs associated with coronavirus.

HEERF III – American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)

The Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund III (HEERF III) is authorized by the American Rescue Plan (ARP), Public Law 117-2, signed into law on March 11, 2021, providing $39.6 billion in support to institutions of higher education to serve students and ensure learning continues during the COVID-19 pandemic. Emergency funds provided by ARP more than double the emergency relief aid available to students and institutions already authorized under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) and the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA) relief legislation. This funding is provided by the ARP’s Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF III), with a new formula requiring approximately half of the funding to be used by each institution to provide direct relief to students. UWEST was allocated a total of $469,877 under Section 18004(a)(1). Pursuant to the Certification and Agreement for Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students, $234,939 will be distributed directly to eligible students. The Certification and Agreement for the Institutional Portion states that the remaining $234,938 may be used to cover institutional costs associated with coronavirus, among other things, support vulnerable students, monitor and suppress the coronavirus, and reengage students whose education was disrupted by the pandemic.

Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Reporting would be required for Section 18004(a)(1) – Institutional Portion, Section 18004(a)(2) and Section 18004(a)(3) – FIPSE. Of these Sections, UWEST only qualified and applied for two of the sections: Section 18004(a)(1) – Institutional Portion and Section 18004(a)(3) – FIPSE.

For questions or concerns regarding UWEST’s CARES Act (HEERF) Reporting, please contact our CFO, Amy Chong via email at amyc@uwest.edu or via phone at (626) 571-8811 Ext. 2116.