What is the HEERF Fund?
On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP) (Pub. L. 117-2). The ARP appropriated approximately $39.6 billion for the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) and represents the third stream of funding appropriated for HEERF to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus. Taken together, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) (Pub. L. 116–136), the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (CRRSAA) (Pub. L. 116-260), and the ARP represent HEERF I, HEERF II, and HEERF III, respectively.
Institutions have the responsibility of determining how grants will be distributed to students, how the amount of each student grant is calculated, and the development of any instructions or directions that are provided to students about the grant. Priority will be given to students with exceptional need.
What does the HEERF III Grant Cover?
Emergency financial aid grants may be used by students for any component of their cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus, such as tuition, food, housing, health care (including mental health care) or child care. Students determine how they may use their emergency financial aid grant within the allowable use.
Eligibility
Any Lincoln Christian University student currently enrolled for the Spring 2022 semester, regardless of whether they completed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or are eligible for Title IV, are eligible to receive a HEERF III grant. As under the CRRSAA, institutions are directed with the ARP funds to prioritize students with exceptional need, such as students who receive Pell Grants or are undergraduates with extraordinary financial circumstances in awarding emergency financial aid grants to students. In addition, the CRRSAA and ARP explicitly state that emergency financial aid grants to students may be provided to students exclusively enrolled in distance education provided the institution prioritizes exceptional need.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the deadline to apply?
Eligible students will be contacted via email and asked to respond to an online information form by Friday, February 4, 2022.
What grant amounts are available?
Individual student grants range from $250 to $1,700.
How will students receive the grant money if eligible?
Students may apply the fund to their outstanding balance or request payment by direct deposit.
Who can students contact with questions about the HEERF III grant?
Students may email Vice President of Student Development, Jill Dicken, at the following: VP of Student Development