NYU Disburses $37.4 Million in COVID-19 Grant Awards
The grants are funded through the relief package signed by Congress in December.
On March 5, eligible NYU students were informed via email that they were about to receive funds from the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 (CRRSAA) via COVID-19 grant awards that were disbursed directly to students via a direct deposit or a check.
However, despite the widespread disbursement of funds, before the notification email was sent out, the student body was unaware of the availability of the COVID-19 Grant Awards.
“I just opened my email and was pleasantly surprised,” said grant recipient Melissa Alardo (GPH, BA ’21) in an Instagram DM interview.
Similarly, Gates Scholar Brenna Rodriguez (Steinhardt, BA ’22) said via direct messages, “I didn’t know these funds were available to me. I knew that there was some COVID legislature that was trying to get passed recently but I had no idea about this act that was passed in December.”
In fact, the COVID-19 grant awards recently disbursed to NYU students stem from the apportionment of the historic $2.3 trillion in COVID-19 relief funds signed into the Consolidated Appropriations Act by Congress on December 27, 2020. As Division M of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, the CRRSAA apportions $900 billion in supplemental funds to the Department of Commerce, the National Institution of Health, and the Department of Education, among many other institutions.
Specifically, of the $900 billion in CRRSAA funds, $81.9 billion of them are to be allocated to the Education Stabilization fund, of which 23% is to be used to carry out title 314 of CRRSAA, the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF II).
From HEERF II, NYU received $37.4 million in COVID-related aid. According to the text of the CRRSAA, the HEERF II funds may be used to defray expenses associated with the coronavirus, carry out student support activities, or provide financial aid grants to students. The university decided to use the entire amount in financial aid grants disbursed directly to students, especially to students who receive Pell Grants or have demonstrated financial need.
“Aligning with federal guidance, NYU is prioritizing awarding the CRRSAA funding to eligible students who have significant financial need,” said Brian L. Berry, M.S., Senior Director of Financial Aid in an email to eligible students on March 5, 2021.
These new funds from the CRRSAA come in addition to the $25.6 million NYU received through The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act signed into law by Congress on March 27, 2020 as part of the $2.2 trillion package bill aimed at Coronavirus relief. Specifically, the CARES Act apportioned $14 billion to the first Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF I). At the time the CARES Act funds were disbursed, students were upset that tuition refunds were not provided.
Of the $25.6 million HEERF I funds received by NYU, a little over half have been disbursed to NYU students who requested NYU COVID-19 Emergency Relief Grant accessed via Albert (click on the “COVID-19 Relief Fund” button on the “finances” side tab) and are still available to students experiencing financial hardship due to COVID.
In a follow-up email sent to grant recipients on March 10, Berry explained that despite the surprising nature of the March 5 email, no repayment was required from students and that there were no restrictions on the use of the funds.
“The way you use the funds you received is completely up to you — which is why we set it up as a direct grant, bypassing your NYU bill completely — we wanted you to have the flexibility to apply the funds as needed,” said Berry.
Nearly a year after the closing of University activities, the grant awards come as a welcome relief to many students. “They [the grant funds] assist me with paying for my subsistence while I continue my education,” said Emmanuel Hidalgo-Wohlleben (Gallatin, BA ’21) in an Instagram DM interview.
Likewise, Alardo plans to use the grant funds to finish paying off her last semester. “I am gonna use most of it to finish paying off this semester so I’m happy I get to take that burden off my parents,” she said.
Additional Reporting by Emma Taylor Connolly.
