CFDA#
84.425C
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Funder Type
State Government
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IT Classification
B - Readily funds technology as part of an award
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Authority
New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE)
Summary
Through the COVID Relief Act of 2021, $81.88 billion was allocated to the US Department of Education (USED) for the Education Stabilization fund. After a small set aside of this total, 5% of the remaining funds were to be used to make supplemental Governor's Emergency Education Relief (GEER II) Funds grants. This emergency block grant empowers Governors to decide how best to meet the current needs of students, schools (including charter schools and non-public schools), post-secondary institutions, and other education-related organizations in their State so that faculty continue to teach and students continue to learn. Governors are encouraged to focus these resources on ensuring that all students continue to learn most likely through some form of remote learning.
Grant funds awarded under the Governor's Emergency Education Relief Fund may be used to—
- provide emergency support through grants to local educational agencies that the State educational agency deems have been most significantly impacted by coronavirus to support the ability of such local educational agencies to continue to provide educational services to their students and to support the on-going functionality of the local educational agency;
- provide emergency support through grants to institutions of higher education serving students within the State that the Governor determines have been most significantly impacted by coronavirus to support the ability of such institutions to continue to provide educational services and support the on-going functionality of the institution; and
- provide support to any other institution of higher education, local educational agency, or education-related entity within the State that the Governor deems essential for carrying out emergency educational services to students for authorized activities described in section 18003(d)(1) of the CARES Act or the Higher Education Act, the provision of child care and early childhood education, social and emotional support, and the protection of education-related jobs.
Further, GEER II funds shall not be used to —
- provide direct or indirect financial assistance to scholarship-granting organizations or related entities for elementary or secondary education; or
- provide or support vouchers, tuition tax credit programs, education savings accounts, scholarships, scholarship programs, or tuition-assistance programs for elementary or secondary education.
Note: From the total GEER II funding available, the ED Secretary shall reserve $2,750,000,000 to also provide Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools grants (GEER EANS). Unlike with GEER funding provided under the CARES act, LEA sub-awardees are not required to provide equitable services to non-public schools under GEER II. For more information, please request the Grants Office grant summary for your state's GEER EANS program for non-public schools.
History of Funding
New Jersey GEER II discretionary funds will be distributed for:
- $28.5 million to Public and private institutions of Higher Education for the Opportunity Meets Innovation Challenge Grant Program. Application guidelines can be found at https://www.state.nj.us/highereducation/documents/pdf/omic.pdf
- $1 million will be allocated to public institutions of higher education that have one or more hunger-free-designated campuses to help support students on their paths to success. Application guidelines can be found at https://www.state.nj.us/highereducation/documents/pdf/hunger-free-campus.pdf
Award allocations for both grant programs can be found at https://nj.gov/governor/news/news/562021/approved/20210712a.shtml
Additional Information
An overview of differences between CARES Act GEER and GEER II is visible at: https://oese.ed.gov/files/2021/01/FINAL_-GEER_FactSheet_1.8.211.pdf
In New Jersey, the $29.5 million in discretionary GEER II funding will be distributed to eligible New Jersey institutions of higher education through two grant opportunities:
- Opportunity Meets Innovation Challenge Grant ($28.5 million) Program- Public and private institutions to implement the working groups' vetted best practices that will invest in students and increase college completion.
- Hunger-Free Campus Grant Program ($1 million)- Only available to public institutions that received Hunger-Free Campus” designations. This program is meant to address food insecurity within these institutions.
Additional details regarding application procedures will be provided in future guidance.
Eligibility Details
State Governors may apply on behalf of their State. It is expected that Governors will then redistribute or regrant awarded funds to Local Education Agencies, Institutions of Higher Education, or other education service providers.
In New Jersey, the following entities are eligible:
- Opportunity Meets Innovation Challenge Grants: All public and independent public-mission colleges that receive state operating aid.
- Hunger-Free Campus Grant Program: New Jersey public institution of higher education that has one or more campuses designated by the Secretary as a hunger-free campus”.
Deadline Details
Applications for the Opportunity Meets Innovation Challenge program were to be submitted by April 5, 2021. Applications for the Hunger-Free Campus program were to be submitted by April 12, 2021.
This is a one-time emergency funding opportunity. Future deadlines are not anticipated.
Award Details
A total of $4,053,060,000 has been allocated for the Governor's Emergency Education Relief Fund II. The amount of each state's GEER grant was determined based on the following formula:
- 60% on the basis of their relative population of individuals aged 5 through 24.
- 40% on the basis of their relative number of children counted under Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.
New Jersey has been granted a total of $98,676,217 for GEER II, of which a total of $29,926,370 is available for discretionary use after the set aside for the state's GEER EANS grant opportunity. Each Governor shall return to the ED Secretary any funds received under GEER II that the Governor does not award or obligate within 1 year (January 2022), so that those funds may be reallocated. Funds under this program will remain available for sub-awardee obligation through September 30, 2023. Further, funds may also be used to reimburse any allowable pre-award costs dating back to March 13, 2020, when the national coronavirus emergency was declared.
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