July 13, 2022 Final Round of HEERF FundingToday, the Department of Education awarded the final round American Rescue Plan Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) grants which total $198 million. These grants will assist students who attend 244 colleges and universities and provide resources to help these institutions recover from the impacts of the pandemic. Almost 90 percent of the funds awarded will go toward Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), community colleges, rural institutions, and institutions serving large populations of low-income students. Institutions are required to distribute half of all grant funds directly to students – meeting needs such as housing, tuition support, addressing food insecurity, and other basic needs.The Department has released a funding breakdown by state. The Office of Postsecondary Education will post the full list of awarded institutions on the SSARP website soon. Proposed Rule to Improve Student Loan Relief ProgramsThis morning, the Department of Education officially published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) which covers student loans and affordability issues. The proposed rules aim to expand and improve student loan discharge programs. The regulations propose to alleviate student loan debt burdens for borrowers whose schools closed or lied to them, who are totally and permanently disabled, and for public service workers who have met their commitments under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. Public comment for this proposed rule are being accepted until August 12, 2022. For more information or instructions on how to submit a public comment on the proposed rule click here. Open Textbooks Final Pre-Application WebinarAs a reminder, the Department of Education issued a notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2022 for the Open Textbooks Pilot program conducted under the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE). They will be hosting their final pre-application webinar today, July 13 at 3:00 pm, to register click here. The pre-application slide deck can be found here. The Open Textbooks Pilot program supports projects at eligible institutions of higher education (IHEs) that create new open textbooks and expand the use of open textbooks and course materials in courses that are part of a degree-granting program, particularly those with high enrollments. The deadline to apply is July 25, 2022. For more information on required, competitive, and invitation priorities for the proposals and on how to apply, please visit here. Rural Community Facilities WebinarACCT's Strengthening Rural Community Colleges Initiative is hosting a webinar today, July 13 at 3:00 pm that will provide an overview of USDA Rural Development resources. Chad Parker, Deputy Administrator of the Community Facilities Program, will discuss funding opportunities for community college infrastructure and capacity building assistance. He will discuss eligible rural areas and how to access more information from Rural Development’s network of 400+ state and area offices located throughout the country. The Community Facilities Program provides affordable funding to develop more than 100 different types of essential facilities in rural communities. Register for the webinar here. Dates & Deadline Reminders:
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