COVID-19 EMERGENCY FUND FOR 2021 AND 2022

On December 27, 2020, the federal government signed into law the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA), providing approximately $22.7 billion to distribute to institutions of higher education. Funds will be passed out through a second round of allocations from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF II). Southern received emergency grants in the amount of $1,221,905 to be used for any component of the student’s cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to the coronavirus, such as tuition, food, housing, health care or child care. Southern is also using a portion of their institutional HEERF II funds as grants for students. In total, Southern will pass out over $1.9 million in emergency grants to help students who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

A formula was created based on students with a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on file for the 2020-21 academic year, with the majority of the funds going to high-need students. 90% of the funds reserved for students were allocated using this formula. The remaining 10%, along with the institutional funds Southern allocated to the student portion, are being passed out on an application basis. More than 2,200 students were potentially eligible for funding through this program.

As of July 30, 2021, the total HEERF II allocated amount of $1,913,464, was passed out to over 1,970 students. 

On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, providing approximately $39.6 billion for the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF). This third round of funding was appropriated to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus. At the end of May, Southern Adventist University was approved for, and received approximately $3.3 million in grant funding from the HEERF III program. Southern allocated approximately 20% of the HEERF III funds for immediate use during the Summer 2021 term,  40% for Fall 2021, and the remaining 40% reserved for Winter 2022. We believe that many students will continue to be impacted by the pandemic throughout the 2021-22 academic year, and having this resource available in multiple disbursements will be beneficial to students. 

In June 2021 it was determined that approximately 1,800 students were eligible for funding from the Summer 2021 disbursement process. By the end of the Summer 2021 term, nearly $510,000 was disbursed to over 1,100 students for the summer round of funding. 

In September 2021 it was determined that approximately 2,200 students qualified for funding from the Fall 2021 disbursement process. As of January 5, approximately $1.2 million was disbursed to over 1,800 students for the fall round of funding. 

In January 2022 it was determined that approximately 2,000 students qualified for funding from the Winter 2022 disbursement process. As of April 30, over $980,000 was disbursed to over 1,600 students. 

As a Minority Serving Institution (MSI), Southern also qualified for $13,909 in funding under Section 18004(a)(2) of the HEERF II Program and $24,297 under HEERF III. The MSI funds under HEERF II were granted to a total of eight minority students during the Winter 2021 semester, and fourteen minority students during the Fall 2021 semester. The funds were disbursed entirely by November 30, 2021. 

As of May 10, 2022, all funding from the HEERF III program has been exhausted. A total of 3,383,414 was passed out to over 2,200 students.