Education Stabilization Fund

To prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus COVID-19 disease pandemic.

The Education Stabilization Fund was created to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus COVID-19 disease pandemic.

State educational agencies, local educational agencies, colleges, universities, and other education-related entities, and their students, faculty, staff, and employees, will benefit.

Funds are authorized and appropriated overall for eight programs: (1) Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund; (2) Homeless Children and Youth; (3) Governor's Emergency Education Relief Fund; (4) Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools; (5) Education Stabilization Fund Discretionary Grants; (6) Outlying Areas; (7) Bureau of Indian Education; and (8) Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund.

Timing and length of assistance varies.

For the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, the Department awards funds by formula to each State educational agency with an approved application, in the same proportion as each State received under Part A of Title I of the ESEA in the most recent year, to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus. Each State must allocate at least 90 percent of these funds to local educational agencies in proportion to the amount of funds each LEA received under Part A of title I of the ESEA in the most recent fiscal year. The 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico are eligible to apply for these funds. For the Homeless Children and Youth, the Department awards funds by formula to each State educational agency with an approved application, for the purposes of identifying homeless children and youth, providing wraparound services in light of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and providing assistance needed to enable homeless children and youth to attend school and participate fully in school activities, including in-person instruction. For the Governor's Emergency Education Relief Fund, the Department awards funds by formula to the Governor of each State with an approved application to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus. These grants may be used to provide emergency support to local educational agencies, institutions of higher education, or any other educational entity within the State at the Governor's discretion. The 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico are eligible to apply for these funds. For the Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools, the Department awards grants by formula to each Governor with an approved Certification and Agreement to provide services or assistance to eligible non-public schools to address the impact that COVID-19 has had, and continues to have, on non-public school students and teachers in the State. For the Discretionary Grants, in fiscal year 2020 the Department awarded grants to States with the highest coronavirus burden to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus under two competitions: (1) Rethink K-12 Education Models and (2) Reimagining Workforce Preparation. The 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico are eligible to apply for these funds. For the Outlying Areas, the Department awards grants to Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus. For the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), the Department transferred funds to the Department of the Interior, for programs operated by the BIE to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus. For the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, the Department awards funds to eligible institutions of higher education (IHEs) based upon (1) specific formulas or (2) the discretion provided to the Secretary, as provided in statute. Various formulas were used to award funds under: sections 18004(a)(1), (a)(2), and (a)(3) (in part) of The CARES Act; sections 314(a)(1), (a)(2), and (a)(4) of The CRRSAA; and the ARP Act, pursuant to sections 314(a)(1), (a)(2), and (a)(4) of The CRRSAA. Remaining funds under section 18004(a)(3) (in part) of The CARES Act, section 314(a)(3) of The CRRSAA, and the ARP Act, pursuant to section 314(a)(3) were distributed to IHEs that the Secretary determined, through competitive processes, had the greatest unmet needs related to coronavirus.

Varies by program.