Georgia HBCUs to receive extra $175M in federal COVID relief funds. Here’s the breakdown
Eight of Georgia’s historically Black colleges and universities will receive more than $175 million in supplemental funding through the American Rescue Plan.
The funding is part of the $3.2 billion in additional emergency grants under the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) that the U.S. Department of Education announced late last week.
Here’s a breakdown of the new grants to Georgia institutions:
- Albany State University: $32,915,113
- Clark Atlanta University: $31,257,396
- Fort Valley State University: $14,586,498
- Morehouse College: $7,674,377
- Morehouse School of Medicine: $56,429,440
- Paine College: $2,966,128
- Savannah State University: $24,042,185
- Spelman College: $6,347,942
Several Georgia HBCUs received a total of nearly $85 million through the American Rescue Plan in May. The new grants are in addition to those funds. Georgia’s U.S. Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock joined 14 other senators in February urging Senate leaders to provide relief funding for HBCUs.
“As an HBCU graduate, I am grateful to see additional funding flow to HBCUs in Georgia to help them continue opening doors of possibility and opportunity for the bright minds of the next generation,” Warnock said in a statement. “I was proud to work alongside Senator Ossoff to secure these funds for the faculty, staff and students who continue to excel at these institutions, and will keep fighting to strengthen federal support for our HBCUs in Georgia and beyond.”
Under the terms of the American Rescue Plan and the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021, the institutions may use the funds to provide students with emergency aid and offset costs associated with the pandemic such as lost revenue, technology costs associated with a transition to distance education, faculty and staff training, as well as payroll.
The Department of Education recommends institutions “devote the maximum amount of funds possible to emergency financial aid grants to students,” according to documents published by the federal agency.
The announcement comes as several of Georgia’s HBCUs have erased some student debt. Fort Valley State announced earlier this month that it had erased nearly $250,000 in student debt for semesters since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Morehouse College, Savannah State University, Clark Atlanta University and Spelman College have taken similar measures, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
“I will never stop working on behalf of Georgia’s HBCUs. Sen. Rev. Warnock and I are pleased to deliver this additional funding for HBCUs as they prepare for this upcoming school year and continue to help students recover from the COVID-19 pandemic,” Ossoff said in a statement.
This story was originally published August 4, 2021 at 1:50 PM.