Federal Relief Funds

The federal government has passed three major relief packages in response to COVID-19. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES), the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSA), and the American Rescue Plan Act (ARP) all included funding for education. The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) is administering multiple grant opportunities from these three relief packages.

Important Update and Deadlines

Reporting Deadlines

  • COVID-19 Relief Funds Data Collection Survey - April 3, 2024

Final Obligation Dates

  • SFRF Expand Access to Tutoring (167) - June 30, 2024
  • SFRF Academic and Mental Health Supports (150) - June 30, 2024
  • ARP ESSER III 90%/80% (160) - September 30, 2024
  • ARP ESSER III 90%/20% (161) - September 30, 2024
  • ARP ESSER III 5% (169) - September 30, 2024

Final Draw Deadlines

  • SFRF Expand Access to Tutoring (167) - July 15, 2024
  • SFRF Academic and Mental Health Supports (150) - July 31, 2024
  • ARP ESSER III 90%/80% (160) - December 16, 2024
  • ARP ESSER III 90%/20% (161) - December 16, 2024
  • ARP ESSER III 5% (169) - December 16, 2024

Extended Spending Dates

  • Expand Access to Tutoring (167) – extended to June 30, 2024
  • Academic and Mental Health Supports (150) – extended to June 30, 2024

American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act

The ARP Act was signed into law on March 11, 2021, and focuses on returning to, and maintaining, safe in-person learning for all students. This was the third of three pieces of federal legislation containing funds for COVID relief; the final deadlines for the first two (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act have now passed.

The ARP includes $1.3 billion for E-12 education in ESSER III funds for Minnesota to help schools returning to, and maintaining, safe in-person learning for all students. Per the federal law, 90% of these funds have been allocated to eligible districts and charter schools. The remaining funds are for use by each state education agency to create a plan to meet the needs of students based on community input. ARP act funds have a final obligation deadline of September 30, 2024.

Minnesota's ARP State Plan

On June 30, 2021, MDE submitted a plan to the U.S. Department of Education on the use of flexible federal funds dedicated to education by the American Rescue Plan. An overview of Minnesota’s ARP education investments is available. Minnesotans can also read the full ARP state plan.

Allocations for Flexible American Rescue Plan funding - This $75 million allocation comes from flexible State Fiscal Stabilization funds in the American Rescue Plan. This is not part of the ESSER fund.

Federal Relief Funding Resources

Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief fund (ESSER)

ESSER I and ESSER II final deadlines have passed. 

ESSER III

Emergency Assistance for Non-Public Schools (EANS fund)

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP Act) appropriated $2.75 billion for a second round of allocations under the Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools (EANS) program, of which $40,488,656 was awarded to Minnesota. While the majority of the EANS program under the ARP Act is similar to the CRRSA program, there are two distinct differences:

  1. The focus for the ARP EANS program will be on those schools that enroll a significant percentage of students from low-income families. Minnesota determined that the state's average percentage of students from low-income families in public and nonpublic schools was 34%. Minnesota chose to identify low-income students as those who qualify for the Free or Reduced-Price Lunch program. Listed below are the schools that are eligible based on the criteria established by the U.S. Department of Education.
  2. Additionally, the ARP EANS program does not allow for schools to be reimbursed for allowable expenditures. To provide these services and assistance to nonpublic schools, the Minnesota Department of Education has contracted with a third party vendor, ClassWallet, to act as the fiscal agency for this program.

 After the initial allocation, $20,286,223 was reverted to the Governor's Emergency Education Relief (GEER) fund and made available to a wider pool of applicants. Recognizing the needs of students across the state, funds are committed to more directly support students. The allowable uses of the Emergency Assistance for Non-Public Schools (Reverted EANS Funding (EANS III)) funding are:

  • Mental health services to address the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic;
  • Professional development to assist staff in addressing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic;
  • Partnership with college education departments to develop educator training programs;
  • Counseling of K-6 grades to address the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic;
  • Resources to help nonpublic schools further research test/assessment data in regard to the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on students' learning recovery;
  • Initiating and maintaining education and support services or assistance for remote or hybrid learning or to address learning recovery (this includes educational technology).

Reverted EANS funds are not reimbursable and are only available for the categories listed above.

ClassWallet is also the fiscal agent for these funds.

ARP EANS funding is available to nonpublic schools through September 30, 2024.

EANS Frequently Asked Questions - Compiled from all webinars, this FAQ answers your questions about the program.

For more information regarding the EANS funds, please contact EANS.MDE@state.mn.us.

More information is available on the Non-Public Schools Information page of the U.S. Department of Education's website. Find the Frequently Asked Questions - Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools Program document in their resource list.

 

Students Experiencing Homelessness funding

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, students experiencing homelessness are increasingly under-identified, as learning outside of school building settings likely impeded the critical role of educators and staff in schools and LEAs to properly identify students, and these students have remained underserved. The purposes of the ARP-HCY Fund are to help local educational agencies (LEAs) identify homeless children and youth, provide wraparound services that address the multiple effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on homeless children and youth, and ensure that homeless children and youth are able to attend school and participate fully in school activities. 
 
ARP-HCY funds are intended to support the specific and urgent needs of students experiencing homelessness, including reduced identification of such students, decreased enrollment in school, interrupted classroom instruction, and challenges navigating services for shelter/housing, clothing and school supplies, food, and child care. ARP-HCY funds will support the work of the designated Homeless Liaison in each LEA, as required by the McKinney-Vento Act, and build capacity in LEAs, which will help to identify greater numbers of students experiencing homelessness and better coordinate services for those students in LEAs receiving funding through this formula.