Office of Postsecondary Education: Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund – IHEs 84.425E | ED GRANTS 041020 003

Opportunity Information: Apply for ED GRANTS 041020 003

The Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) opportunity under CFDA 84.425E is part of the U.S. Department of Education response to the COVID-19 disruption created by the CARES Act. It is a mandatory grant program designed to get emergency resources to institutions of higher education (IHEs) so they can provide direct financial assistance to students and support institutional needs tied to the pandemic. While the listing you provided centers on 84.425E (the student aid portion of CARES Act section 18004(a)(1)), the related Federal Register notice also references several companion HEERF components (84.425F, 84.425J, 84.425K, 84.425L, 84.425M, and 84.425N) that cover institutional aid, targeted support for specific institution types (such as HBCUs, Tribal colleges, and MSIs), and other CARES Act higher education relief authorities. Taken together, these programs were structured as formula-based allocations rather than competitive grants, meaning eligible schools generally received predetermined award amounts based on federal allocation methods, with the main “application” function being to accept the terms, provide required assurances, and complete the transmittal process.

A key point of the opportunity is the reopening and extension of the application transmittal window for institutions that had not applied during the initial period. A COVID-19 update dated 9/4/2020 cites a Federal Register notice that reopened the period for transmittal of applications for all eligible applicants until September 30, 2020. Separately, the notice language included in the description also establishes an earlier deadline of August 1, 2020 for IHEs that did not initially apply to receive their HEERF allocations under CARES Act sections 18004(a)(1), 18004(a)(2), and 18004(a)(3). The materials also clarify an important procedural distinction: institutions included in the original allocation spreadsheet (noted as 5,136 institutions) had an August 1 deadline, while only certain “reserve schools” were allowed to submit after August 1, with a stated deadline of August 17. The text you provided includes a long list of these reserve schools and instructs applicants to consult the “Formula Allocations” section of the Department’s HEERF website to confirm eligibility and program placement.

In terms of who can apply, eligible applicants are institutions of higher education, including public and state-controlled IHEs as well as private IHEs. The program is administered by the U.S. Department of Education. The opportunity is categorized as an education grant (Funding Instrument Type: Grant; Funding Activity Category: Education) and is identified in the opportunity metadata as “ED GRANTS 041020 003,” with a creation date of April 10, 2020. The listing does not provide an award ceiling or an expected number of awards, which is consistent with the formula-allocation nature of HEERF, where the award amounts are determined by statutory formula and agency allocation tables rather than by applicant-proposed budgets competing against one another for a capped pool.

The purpose and use of funds depend on the specific CFDA track. For 84.425E in particular, the focus is the “Student Aid portion” of section 18004(a)(1), which is intended for emergency financial aid grants to students whose lives were disrupted by COVID-19. The materials emphasize that students do not apply to the U.S. Department of Education directly for these grants. Instead, students must work through their own institution, and each institution is responsible for setting up the process for distributing the money, deciding how student grant amounts are calculated, and providing instructions to students. In other words, the federal government awards funds to schools, and schools then deliver emergency aid to students under the program rules and institutional procedures.

For official guidance, allocation tables, and program-specific details across the various HEERF components (84.425E/F/J/K/L/M/N), the opportunity points applicants to the Department’s HEERF web portal at https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/caresact.html. The notice also provides a support contact for application and program questions: the Department of Education HEERF Call Center at (202) 377-3711 and the email address HEERF@ed.gov, with an additional point of contact listed as Beatriz Ceja at the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, DC. Finally, the notice states that the application and reporting/assurance processes relate to approved federal information collections under OMB control numbers 1801-0005, 1840-0842, and 1840-0843, signaling that participating institutions must comply with specific federal paperwork, certifications, and documentation requirements associated with receiving and administering HEERF funds.

• The Department of Education in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Office of Postsecondary Education: Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund – IHEs 84.425E" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 84.425.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2020-04-10.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-04-15. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for ED GRANTS 041020 003

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