CARES Act Emergency Grant Funding Request
In April, the CARES Act: Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HERF) was announced as a means to provide financial assistance to students who have been adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Since this announcement, Jackson State Community College (JSCC) signed and submitted the Certificate and Agreement to the Department of Education committing to use no less than 50 percent of the funds under Section 18004 (a)(1) of the CARES Act to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students. JSCC received $1,419,235 from HERF funds to support students facing urgent needs created by the coronavirus pandemic. The U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) released guidance related to CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief (HEERF) funding to higher education institutions to assist students with unmet expenses as a result of COVID-19. Funds must be used to cover expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus, such as:
- course materials
- technology
- food
- housing
- health care
- childcare
- or other cost of attendance related item
JSCC will provide emergency financial grants for COVID-19-related expenses. Any student who meets the eligibility criteria will be given a portion of these emergency funds. Students will receive assistance based upon eligibility guidelines established by federal policy and in conjunction with TBR guidance. Requirements of eligibility for emergency aid will include, but are not limited to:
- Be enrolled as regular in an eligible degree or certificate program student as of March 13, 2020.
- Be enrolled in at least one face-to-face class as of March 13, 2020.
- Be a US Citizen or eligible noncitizen
- Have a valid social security number
JSCC will distribute approximately 90% ($1,272,106.60) of its CARES money to 2530 eligible students based on whether they were Pell Grant recipients or not, in Spring 2020 term.
| Current Students | Amount | Cost | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non Pell Recipients | 850 | $452.98 | $385,033.00 |
| Pell Recipients | 1680 | $528.02 | $887,073.60 |
Any disbursed emergency grant funds will be released to students by either refund check or direct deposit, depending on the method the student has set up with the college. A payment is not necessarily a reflection of a student's current student account balance, as these funds are disbursed directly to a student no matter if a current balance is owed to the institution.
Students determined eligible for HEERF payments will receive a confirmation email from Jackson State Community College. JSCC will reserve the remaining 10% (147,128.40) to use for emergency financial grants awarded by application. Students who incurred more allowable expenses than the amount given from the CARES Act may submit an application for additional funds. Any amount requested must be for expenses that exceed the amount given from the initial grant disbursement. A decision will be made and notification sent within 5 business days of application deadline.