Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund
The United States Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act on March 27th, 2020, to provide emergency financial assistance to students and institutions to address the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) allocated $14 billion, which was intended to support students’ basic needs, including tuition, food, housing, health care, and childcare, as well as to help institutions respond to the financial challenges resulting from the pandemic.
Congress also passed two additional pieces of legislation, each providing resources to the Higher Education Emergency Fund. The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act was passed in Late December 2020, and the American Rescue Plan of 2021 was signed into law on March 11, 2021. These two pieces of legislation added an additional $63 billion in emergency assistance. The funds provided through each of these bills are referred to as HEERF I (Cares), HEERF II (CRRSA), and HEERF III (ARP).
In keeping with federal guidelines, Dallas Baptist University has committed to transparency in the use and allocation of HEERF funds. The university provides detailed public reporting of HEERF funding, including the total amount received, the amount distributed to students, and the specific uses of institutional funds.
Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund Reporting Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students Acknowledgements:
DBU signed and returned to the Department the Certification and Agreement and assurance that the institution has used, or intends to use, no less than 50 percent of the funds received under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students.
These reports are/were updated regularly and are accessible along with FAQs below.
The Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) officially ended for students on June 30, 2023. This means no new HEERF funds are available after this date.