American Rescue Plan (ARP) and Higher Education Emergency Relief Funding III (HEERF III)

Student eligibility for Federal Emergency Relief Grants

The Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund III (HEERF III) is authorized by the American Rescue Plan (ARP), Public Law 117-2, signed into law on March 11, 2021, providing $39.6 billion in support to institutions of higher education to serve students and ensure learning continues during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ARP funds are in addition to funds authorized by the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (CRRSAA), Public Law 116-260 and the Coronavirus Aid, Recovery, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, Public Law 116-136. Emergency funds available to institutions and their students .

The American Rescue Plan (ARP) provides funding to institutions to provide emergency financial aid grants to students whos lives have been disrupted, many of whom are facing financial challenges and struggling to make ends meet.

Students must:

• Must be enrolled in a degree seeking program.
• Must be enrolled in a minimum of 1 credit during the Spring 2022 semester.
• Must not have received more than $3500 in HEERF since March 2020.

Consumer information

Funds will be awarded on a first come first serve basis until all funds are expended.  The Federal HEERF III Emergency Grant is awarded on a one-time basis, and is not renewable. Due to limited funding, award amounts are not negotiable at this time.  If you received a block grant in Spring 2022 you are not eligible to apply for additional funding at this time.

Grant value and receipt of funds

The value of this grant may vary based upon your unique circumstances. Submitting an application does not guarantee approval of the requested funds.  Once the review is complete, students will receive an email to their email account regarding their grant eligibility.  For spring 2022 students may request up to $550 in HEERF Funding, that will be the maximum awarded.

Applying grant funding to bill

If you owe an outstanding balance to DCB, these funds are eligible to be applied to any balance you have with DCB.
Students will need to opt in to use these funds to pay their bill.  There is an acceptance on the form that allows you to opt in to apply this grant to your bill.