COVID-19 Relief Funding FAQs

Introduction to COVID-19 Relief Funding

At the onset of the pandemic in March 2020, the United States Congress authorized COVID-19 relief funds to provide monies for state, local, and tribal governments who are navigating myriad impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of these funds were used for programs like unemployment assistance, school funding at both the state education level and the local education level, among many other important items to keep the economy moving. For some businesses that have been previously unable to budget for the commercial cleaning and disinfecting equipment they wanted, they now have the opportunity to make those investments to aid in combating the spread of infectious disease.

What is the CARES Act?

In March 2020 Congress passed the CARES Act to provide approximately $31 billion in emergency education funding to students, schools, institutions and states across the country. Congress also set aside approximately $13.2 billion of the $31 billion for the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER Fund).

What is the CRRSA Act?

The CRRSA act (Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations), borrows much from the previous CARES Act. This bill holds approximately $900 billion in total and was passed in late December of 2020. The money from this Act can be used in the same ways as the previous CARES Act, with a section on upgrading projects to improve air quality in school buildings.

For more details regarding the CRRSA act, visit CRRSA Act.
For more information on the differences between the CARES act and the CRRSA act, click here.

What is ESSER Funding?

ESSER funds (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) are part of the CARES (ESSER) and CRRSA (ESSER II) Acts, and these funds are awarded to State Educational Agencies (SEAs) who apply for these funds, who then award at least 90% of the funds they receive to Local Educational Agencies (LEAs). The CARES act provided $13.2 billion to the ESSER fund. The CRRSA act provided $54.3 billion to the ESSER II fund. ESSER and ESSER II funds are used for LEAs to provide personal protective equipment (PPE), cleaning supplies and sanitizing materials, among other things to maintain school operations throughout the duration of the COVID-19 public health crisis. The American Rescue Plan Act, passed on March 11, 2021, provided $122.7 billion in supplemental ESSER funding, known as the ESSER III fund.

Please see the following link to see a state-by-state breakdown of ESSER funds as well as an FAQ page regarding these funds per state: CARES Act Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund Tracker
Specific to the state of California: Department of Education with ESSER funds FAQs: ESSER Fund Frequently Asked Questions - CARES Act Funding (CA Dept of Education)
If you are from an LEA and are looking for more guidance on how to apply for ESSER funds, please see this video by the Arizona Department of Education for an example of the application process for Title I-A schools: FY20 Elementary & Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund Grant Application Guidance for FY20 Title I-A LEAs or visit the first link above for an application page in your specific state.

What is the Title I-A Program?

The US Department of Education states that “Title I, Part A (Title I) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESEA) provides financial assistance to local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools with high numbers or high percentages of children from low-income families to help ensure that all children meet challenging state academic standards”.

Most LEAs applying for funds from the coronavirus relief packages are classified under the Title I-A schools. Need more information regarding this? Check out the US Department of Education page: Title I, Part A Program.

What is EANS Funding?

With the passage of the American Rescue Plan, Congress and President Biden implemented a second round of federal funding specifically to help private schools address the impact of COVID-19. Non-public schools have this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to use school funding to provide their teachers and students with COVID-19 and emerging pathogen fighting products fans with UV-C technology, electrostatic sprayers, disinfectants, and other virus-prevention products.

To take advantage of this private school funding, private schools will be asked to complete the state’s EANS Intent to Participate Form to provide the state with basic information about the school. This includes the percentage of students it serves that live in poverty, how COVID-19 has impacted the school, how the school plans to use the EANS funds to address the impact of COVID-19, etc. Once the state determines its funding priorities, it will notify the school of its EANS allocation and compliance process.

How can I tell if funds are remaining in my state?

The link below provides an interactive map of the states, where if you click on a specific state, the total amount of funding from the COVID-19 relief packages along with the amount that has been spent and the amount remaining can be viewed: Education Stabilization Fund.

You may also find the following links from the CDC on COVID-19 funding and grant FAQs informative: General Funding and Grants Frequently Asked Questions | COVID-19 | Grants.

Using Funding for Zogics Products

We’re here to help! It’s our job to help keep your facility running smoothly, safely, and as healthy as can be. Both the CARES and CRRSA Acts are government-funded grant opportunities that allow you to purchase critical products that reduce the spread of COVID-19 or combat against the pandemic.

We’re happy to offer additional services like Critical Supply Storage, Autoship, COVID-19 Testing, Cleaning Services and more. Drop us a chat or an email at hello@zogics.com to learn more.

NAVIGATE PANDEMIC IMPACTS WITH COVID-19 FUNDING

COVID-19 RELIEF FUNDING