Starr King has deemed students eligible for an emergency grant if:

• They are currently enrolled in a degree or certificate program or were previously enrolled during any period of time after the declaration of a national emergency on March 13, 2020
• They are meeting institutional SAP requirements (if currently enrolled)
• They complete an application for the HEERF III funds that is approved based on their written impact statement and the criteria above

Additionally, the ARP requires institutions to prioritize students with exceptional need. Therefore, Starr King is opening the first application round to students who meet the following criteria:

• Their most recent FAFSA is completed and on file;
• They have an Adjusted Gross Income of $30,000 or less, and/or;
• Their Federal loan indebtedness exceeds $70,000

Starr King is awaiting further guidance from the Department of Education that will outline reporting requirements.

April 2, 2021 Update: HEERF II funds designated for student emergency grants have now been allocated. Additional students facing a pandemic-based need may continue to apply for aid through the donor-supported SKSM Relief Fund.

The Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund II (HEERF II) has been made available through the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA), which was signed into law on December 27, 2020. HEERF II provides emergency grants from the US Department of Education to students and institutions to help address education-related expenses and urgent needs generated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Starr King School for the Ministry has been allocated an additional $11,930 to provide emergency financial aid grants to students. These grants may be “used for any component of the student’s cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus.” Unlike last year’s CARES Act, which stipulated that HEERF grants are predicated on disruptions caused by the closure of the campus, HEERF II funds may be awarded to students for any COVID-based need. The CRRSAA specifically states that distance-learning students are eligible for aid.

Applicable emergency costs include:

• Tuition
• Books and supplies, including technology needed to access SKSM online courses (e.g.: computers, tablets, internet service costs, etc.)
• Housing
• Food
• Transportation
• Health care expenses, including mental health care such as therapy or counseling
• Childcare

In contrast to the CARES Act, emergency grants made available through HEERF II are not restricted to students with confirmed Title IV eligibility. Starr King has deemed students eligible for an emergency grant if:

• They are enrolled in a degree or certificate program with a minimum of 3 credits in the current or most recent semester (Fall or Intersession-Spring)
• They are meeting institutional SAP requirements
• They complete an application for the HEERF II funds that is approved based on their written impact statement and the criteria above

Additionally, the CRRSAA requires institutions to prioritize students with exceptional need. Therefore, Starr King is opening the first application round to students who meet the following criteria:

• Their most recent FAFSA is completed and on file;
• They have an Adjusted Gross Income of $30,000 or less, and/or;
• Their Federal loan indebtedness exceeds $70,000

Students who meet these criteria are invited to apply for emergency grants beginning March 5, 2021. All other students may begin to apply for emergency grants on March 19, 2021.

Starr King is awaiting further guidance from the Department of Education that will outline reporting requirements.

Starr King received an allocation of $23,860.00 earmarked for student aid and institutional support from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Starr King has signed and returned the HEERF certification and agreement form and has used or intends to use the funds to provide the mandated amount of at least 50% of the emergency financial aid grants to students. Starr King is required to make accessible to the public a report describing the use of funds and how they were distributed, 30 days after the allocation of funds, and must update it every 45 days thereafter.

The regulation states that only students who are or who could be eligible to participate in programs under Section 484 in Title IV (TIV) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA) may receive emergency financial aid grants. The estimated total number of students at the institution eligible to participate in programs under Section 484 in Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and thus eligible to apply for Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act is 84.

The Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF), which is a component of the CARES Act, is intended to provide federal funds for student expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus. Eligible expenses include food, housing, course materials, healthcare, childcare, technology, and transportation.

Only students who have completed a FAFSA are eligible to receive these funds.

The method(s) that will be used by SKSM to determine which students receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants and how much they would receive under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act is described in detail below.

• SKSM believes that high-residency students enrolled in Spring 2020 term were impacted most by the closure of the college campus and the migration of coursework to online/remote. Therefore, funding is to be offered first to eligible high-residency students who were attending classes on campus. The precise impact will be different for each student, but may include additional expenses related to food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and child-care expenses. Funding may subsequently be awarded to high-residency students in attendance after Spring 2020. Low-residency students are not deemed eligible for HEERF funds, but are eligible for HEERF II emergency grants allocated by the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021.
• Students are deemed eligible for the HEEERF funds if they met the following requirements:
  • They are enrolled for at least 6 credits in the current or most recent semester (Fall or Intersession-Spring) are pursuing an aid-eligible degree or certificate
  • They have the most recent FAFSA on file that confirmed Title IV eligibility criteria including but not limited to the following: U.S. citizenship or eligible noncitizen and a valid Social Security.
  • They are meeting institutional SAP requirements.
  • Completed an application for the HEERF funds that is approved based on their written impact statement and the criteria above.

The total number of students who received Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act is currently 8 as of January 10, 2021. A total of $14,700.00 has been distributed.

Additionally, Starr King has received grants under Sections 18004(a)(1) and 18004(a)(3) to defray expenses incurred due to disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The Institutional Portion of 18004(a)(1) consists of a maximum of half of the $23,860 identified above, or $11,930. Starr King may utilize the Institutional Portion to cover school expenditures or provide additional student grants. The school has received a grant $476,140 under Section 18004(a)(3) to provide emergency grants to students or cover eligible institutional expenses.

Starr King is obligated to post a budget and expenditure reporting form subsequent to each fiscal quarter. The first reporting form, for the third quarter of 2020, was due on October 30, 2020. Subsequent reports must be posted to this web page on the 10th of each month following a quarter (January 10, April 10, July 10, and October 10, 2021; January 10, April 10, and July 10, 2022).