Public and Nonprofit Institution Grant Funds for Students

Summary

The U.S. Department of Education's Certification and Agreement for Public and Nonprofit Institution Grant Funds for Students (ALN 84.425E, the (a)(1) Student Aid Portion) under section 2003 of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and section 314 of CRRSAA. It requires the recipient to give students emergency financial aid grants equal to 50 percent of the formula allocation under CRRSAA section 314(a)(1)(A)-(D) plus 100 percent of the part under 314(a)(1)(E)-(F), and treats the 84.425E award as that minimum. Grants may cover any part of a student's cost of attendance, must prioritize students with exceptional need and may not be tied to enrollment or to paying an account balance. Recipients may decline funds by August 11, 2021, may not charge indirect or administrative costs and must keep records for three years. The signature fields are blank; OMB Number 1801-0005.

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Issuer: Congressional materials
Document type: Ppr Int Fb707B425C7545Cd New C A B3Bd9Ab216
Case: Ppr Int Fb707B425C7545Cd New C A B3Bd9Ab216

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“Public and Nonprofit Institution Grant Funds for Students.” Original at www.ed.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/ppr-int-fb707b425c7545cd-new-c-a-b3bd9ab216/, SHA-256 b2dc505ae2c32534e427a7ee42340b68d1b91e53620fa2c707fd4fb764de2453.

Full text

Public and Nonprofit Institution Grant Funds for Students – Page 1

American Rescue Plan Act of 2021
Certification and Agreement (ALN 84.425E) ((a)(1) Student Aid Portion)

PUBLIC AND NONPROFIT INSTITUTION GRANT FUNDS FOR STUDENTS

The terms, conditions, and requirements governing your institution’s (Recipient’s) use of these
grant funds awarded pursuant to section 2003 of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP)
(Pub. L. 117-2) (award or grant) by the U.S. Department of Education (Department) are
governed by section 2003 of the ARP and section 314 of the Coronavirus Response and Relief
Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (CRRSAA) (Pub. L. 116-260) and the following terms
and conditions of this Certification and Agreement (C&A):

Use of Grant Funds:

1. Section 2003(7) of the ARP requires Recipient, an institution of higher education as
defined in section 101 or 102(c) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended
(HEA), 20 USC § 1001 or 1002(c), to provide emergency financial aid grants to students
in an amount equivalent to the sum of two amounts: 50 percent of the portion of its
allocation that is based on formula factors from CRRSAA section 314(a)(1)(A)-(D) and
100 percent of the portion of its allocation that is based on formula factors from
CRRSAA section 314(a)(1)(E)-(F). The amount of funds made available by this award
under Assistance Listing Number (ALN) 84.425E represents the minimum amount that
Recipient must use for making emergency financial aid grants to students.

2. Under section 2003(7) of the ARP and section 314(c)(3) of the CRRSAA, Recipient must
make emergency financial aid grants to students (which may include students exclusively
enrolled in distance education), which may be used for any component of the student’s
cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus, such as tuition,
food, housing, health care (including mental health care), or child care.

3. Recipient acknowledges that it retains discretion to determine the amount and availability
of each individual emergency financial aid grant consistent with all applicable laws,
including non-discrimination laws. Recipient acknowledges it must not distribute
emergency financial aid grants in a manner that discriminates against individuals on the
basis of race, color, national origin, disability, or sex. See, e.g., 42 U.S.C. § 2000d et seq.,
(Title VI), 29 U.S.C. § 701 et seq., (Rehabilitation Act), 20 U.S.C. § 1681 (Title IX).

4. Recipient further acknowledges that under CRRSAA section 314(c)(3), it must prioritize
grants to students with exceptional need, such as students who receive Pell Grants.
However, students do not need to be Pell recipients or students who are eligible for Pell
Grants in order to receive an emergency financial aid grant.

5. Recipient acknowledges that it may not condition the receipt of an emergency financial
aid grant on continued or future enrollment with the Recipient. Recipient also
acknowledges that it may not require a student to consent to the application of the
emergency financial aid grant to the student’s outstanding account balance with Recipient
Public and Nonprofit Institution Grant Funds for Students – Page 2

as a condition of receipt of or eligibility for an emergency financial aid grant. Recipient
also acknowledges that adding preconditions to receiving a financial aid grant that thwart
this requirement may be subjected to oversight and corrective action.

6. In consideration for this award, Recipient agrees that Recipient holds these grant funds in
trust for students and acts in the nature of a fiduciary for students.

7. Recipient acknowledges that the Secretary recommends (a) the maximum Federal Pell
Grant for the applicable award year as an appropriate maximum amount for a student’s
emergency financial aid grant in most cases, and (b) that the Recipient should consider
each student’s particular socioeconomic circumstances in the administration of these
grants.

8. The Secretary strongly encourages Recipient’s financial aid administrator to exercise the
use of professional judgment available under HEA section 479A, 20 USC § 1087tt, to
make adjustments on a case-by-case basis to exclude individual emergency financial aid
grants from the calculation of a student’s expected family contribution. The Secretary
has determined that these individual emergency financial aid grants do not constitute
Federal financial aid under Title IV of the HEA.

9. Recipient acknowledges that it may voluntarily decline all or a portion of its ARP (a)(1)
student funds. The recipient may indicate this by submitting the Voluntary Decline of
HEERF form (OMB Control Number 1840-0856) to the Department by August 11, 2021.
Recipient further acknowledges if it submits this form, it will be ineligible for the future
redistribution of ARP HEERF grant funds to other institutions with greater needs due to
the coronavirus.

Grant Administration:

10. Recipient acknowledges that consistent with 2 CFR § 200.305, it must minimize the time
between drawing down funds from G5 and paying incurred obligations (liquidation).
Recipient further acknowledges that if it draws down funds and does not pay the incurred
obligations (liquidates) within 15 calendar days it may be subject to heightened scrutiny
by the Department, Recipient’s auditors, and/or the Department’s Office of the Inspector
General (OIG). Recipient further acknowledges that returning funds pursuant to mistakes
in drawing down excessive grant funds in advance of need may also be subject to
heightened scrutiny by the Department, Recipient’s auditors, and/or the Department’s
OIG. Finally, Recipient acknowledges that it must maintain drawn down grant funds in
an interest-bearing account, and any interest earned on all Federal grant funds above $500
(all Federal grants together) during an institution’s fiscal year must be returned (remitted)
to the Federal government via a process described here:
https://www2.ed.gov/documents/funding-101/g5-returning-interest.pdf.

11. Recipient may not charge any indirect or administrative costs to funds made available
under this award because the allocation in this grant award represents the minimum
amount of funds that must be distributed to students.
Public and Nonprofit Institution Grant Funds for Students – Page 3

12. Recipient acknowledges that any obligation under this grant (pre-award costs pursuant to
2 CFR § 200.458) must have been incurred on or after March 13, 2020, the date of the
declaration of a National Emergency Concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease
(COVID-19) Outbreak (85 FR 15337).

13. Recipient must promptly and to the greatest extent practicable distribute all grant funds
from this award in the form of emergency financial aid grants to students within the one-
year period of performance (2 CFR § 200.77) specified in Box 6 of this Grant Award
Notification (GAN).

14. Recipient must, to the greatest extent practicable, continue to pay its employees and
contractors during the period of any disruptions or closures related to coronavirus
pursuant to section 315 of the CRRSAA.

Reporting and Accountability:

15. Recipient must promptly and timely provide a detailed accounting of the use and
expenditure of the funds provided by this award in such manner and with such frequency
as the Secretary may require.

16. Recipient must comply with all requirements of the Single Audit Act Amendments of
1996, 31 USC § 7501, et seq. (Single Audit Act) and all applicable auditing standards.
Considering that the HEERF grant program is a new program not previously audited or
subjected to Department oversight, and the inherent risk that comes with a new program,
the Department strongly suggests that the HEERF grant program be audited as a major
program in the first fiscal year(s) that the institution received a HEERF grant.

17. Recipient acknowledges it is under a continuing affirmative duty to inform the
Department if Recipient is to close or terminate operations as an institution or merge with
another institution. In such cases, Recipient must promptly notify in writing the assigned
education program officer contact in Box 3 of the GAN. Additionally, Recipient must
promptly notify the assigned education program officer if the Recipient’s Authorized
Representative changes.

18. Recipient must cooperate with any examination of records with respect to the advanced
funds by making records and authorized individuals available when requested, whether
by (a) the Department and/or its OIG; or (b) any other Federal agency, commission, or
department in the lawful exercise of its jurisdiction and authority. Recipient must retain
all financial records, supporting documents, statistical records, and all other non-Federal
entity records pertinent to a Federal award for a period of three years from the date of
submission of the final expenditure report pursuant to 2 CFR § 200.334.

19. Recipient acknowledges that failure to comply with this Certification and Agreement, its
terms and conditions, and/or all relevant provisions and requirements of the CRRSAA or
ARP or any other applicable law may result in Recipient’s liability under the False
Public and Nonprofit Institution Grant Funds for Students – Page 4

Claims Act, 31 USC § 3729, et seq.; OMB Guidelines to Agencies on Governmentwide
Debarment and Suspension (Nonprocurement) in 2 CFR part 180, as adopted and
amended as regulations of the Department in 2 CFR part 3485; 18 USC § 1001, as
appropriate; and all of the laws and regulations referenced in the “Applicable Law”
section of this Certification and Agreement, below.

Applicable Law:

20. Recipient must comply with all applicable assurances in OMB Standard Forms (SF) SF-
424B and SF-424D (Assurances for Non-Construction and Assurances for Construction
Programs), including the assurances relating to the legal authority to apply for assistance;
access to records; conflict of interest; nondiscrimination; Hatch Act provisions; labor
standards; Single Audit Act; and the general agreement to comply with all applicable
Federal laws, executive orders, and regulations.

21. Recipient certifies that with respect to the certification regarding lobbying in Department
Form 80-0013, no Federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid to any
person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency, a
Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member
of Congress in connection with the making or supplementing of Federal grants under this
program; Recipient must complete and submit Standard Form-LLL, “Disclosure Form to
Report Lobbying,” when required (34 CFR part 82, Appendix B).

22. Recipient must comply with the provisions of all applicable acts, regulations and
assurances; the following provisions of Education Department General Administrative
Regulations (EDGAR) 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 81, 82, 84, 86, 97, 98, and 99; the OMB
Guidelines to Agencies on Governmentwide Debarment and Suspension
(Nonprocurement) in 2 CFR part 180, as adopted and amended as regulations of the
Department in 2 CFR part 3485; and the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost
Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards in 2 CFR part 200, as adopted
and amended as regulations of the Department in 2 CFR part 3474.

Institution Name: _________________________________________
Authorized Representative (typed name): ______________________________________
Authorized Representative Title: _________________________________________
DUNS Number: _________________________________________
OPE ID: _________________________________________
Date: _________________________________________

Paperwork Burden Statement
According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a
collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. The valid
OMB control number for this information collection is 1801-0005. Public reporting burden for
Public and Nonprofit Institution Grant Funds for Students – Page 5

this collection of information is estimated to average 5 hours per response, including time for
reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering, and maintaining the data
needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. The obligation to respond
to this collection is required to obtain or retain a benefit (American Rescue Plan Act of 2021
(Pub. L. 117-2)). If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate,
suggestions for improving this individual collection, or if you have comments or concerns
regarding the status of your individual form, application or survey, please contact Karen Epps,
400 Maryland Avenue, SW. Washington, D.C. 20202 directly.

OMB Number: 1801-0005
Expiration Date: 12/31/2023

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