HONOLULU — The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs has asked colleges and universities in Hawaii to determine how to give out more than $31 million in cash grants to students provided by the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund.
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos said the money is expected to be released immediately and is authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, KHON-TV reported.
The act, which was passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump in March, is intended to provide funding to students for expenses related to disruptions to their education due to the pandemic, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported.
The money can be used for course materials and technology, food, housing, health care and child care.
“The CARES Act provides institutions with significant discretion on how to award this emergency assistance to students,” DeVos told institution presidents in a letter. “This means that each institution may develop its own system and process for determining how to allocate these funds, which may include distributing the funds to all students or only to students who demonstrate significant need.”
The U.S. Department of Education has required each institution to sign a certification ensuring funds will be distributed in accordance with applicable law before funds can be accessed.
“I would like to encourage the leadership of each institution to prioritize your students with the greatest need, but at the same time consider establishing a maximum funding threshold for each student to ensure that these funds are distributed as widely as possible,” DeVos said.
The act includes $14 billion to support students in post-secondary education, including more than $11 million to the University of Hawaii at Manoa and about $3 million to the University of Hawaii at Hilo.