Navigating the Funding Landscape

Meeting the evolving needs of our students and communities is vital, but access to funding in education has traditionally been a challenge. The good news? Federal funding for education is at an all-time high. New federal stimulus programs, in addition to annual federal funding sources, are now available to help schools reopen for in-person learning, address learning loss, and reestablish the bond between students and their teachers and peers.

Do you find navigating the funding landscape difficult? You are not alone.

This page was designed to help you quickly understand:

Available funding sources
Key funding drivers
Funding allocation timelines
Best practices for identifying and acquiring funding

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CARES Act – $30.75B for Education

Primary purpose to help schools and districts transition to remote learning. Provided as a grant funding at the state level. To access funds at the district level, districts must apply for funding through the state department of education. Funding is used at the discretion of the governor. Many districts have yet to spend their CARES Act money and must do so by September 30, 2022. Funds must be used before districts can tap into the second and third round of funding.

What’s Included:

Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) – $13.2B
Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEER) – $14.2B
Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEER) – $3B
Education Stabilization Fund- $307.5M
$180M – Rethink K-12 Education Models Grant
$127.5M – Reimagining Workforce Preparation Grant

Coronavirus Response & Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA) – CARES ACT II – $80B for Education

Primary purpose is to address learning loss in PK12 education, supporting student mental health, and administering high quality assessments to determine academic needs, implement evidence based practices, support students and families in distance learning, and monitor student academic progress. Provided as grant funding at the state level. Districts must apply for funding through the state department of education to access funds. Districts must report how the funds were used, how it addresses learning loss experienced in the district, and states must report to the federal government. Funding must be allocated by the state by January of 2022.

Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER II) – $54B
Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEER) – $22B
Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEER) – $4B
Emergency Broadband Connectivity – $3.2B

American Rescue Plan (ARP) – $170B for Education

Primary purpose is to provide summer schooling, open K12 schools, and close the digital divide to meet the academic, mental health and social emotional needs of students.

Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER III) – $130B
Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEER III) – $2.75B
Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEER III) – $40BB

Funding Allocation Timeline

CARES ESSER

State allocation based on percentage of Title 1 funds. Districts receive funding based on percentage of state Title 1 funds.

State Allocation Timeline – June 2021
District Obligation Timeline – September 30, 2022
Distribution Requirement – 90% Districts
Focus of Funds – COVID Response

CRRSAA ESSA II

Distribution follows CARES Act formula. Funding available for learning loss.

State Allocation Timeline – January 2022
District Obligation Timeline – September 30, 2023
Distribution Requirement – 90% Districts
Focus of Funds – Addressing learning loss, preparing schools for reopening, improving air quality in schools

CARES GEER

Calculated based on a state’s overall population percentage of children between ages 5 to 24 and the number of elementary and secondary school age children counted under Title I in 2019.State Allocation Timeline – June 2021
District Obligation Timeline – September 30, 2022
Distribution Requirement – Pre-K – Higher Ed
Focus of Funds – Grants to LEAs and IHE’s that have been “most significantly impacted by coronavirus”

CRRSAA GEER II

State Allocation Timeline – January 2022
District Obligation Timeline – September 30, 2023
Distribution Requirement – Pre-K – Higher Ed
Focus of Funds
$1.3B Grants to LEAs and IHE’s that have been “most significantly impacted by coronavirus”
$2.75B Private schools to safely reopen, continue instruction, address learning loss and provide educational tech

Understanding and Acquiring Funding For SEL

Federal funding is available for SEL. Key is understanding funding qualifications. Much of the new federal funding available for education under the CARES Act, Coronavirus Response & Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA) or CARES Act II and the American Rescue Plan (ARP), is targeted towards learning loss, which SEL addresses.