CARES Act Disclosure information
July 9, 2021
The Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund II (HEERF II) was authorized by the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (CRRSAA). The Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund III (HEERF III) was authorized by the American Rescue Plan (ARP). John Brown University signed and returned to the Department of Education the Certification and Agreement for the HEERF funding for higher education institutions. Of the $2,154,561 CRRSAA (HEERF II) funding, JBU committed to use no less than $658,170 for direct aid to students for expenses related to the coronavirus (including eligible expenses under a student's cost of attendance such as food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and child care). Of the $3,872,730 ARP (HEERF III) funding, JBU committed to use no less than $1,968,792 for direct aid to students. In summary, of the combined $6,027,291 of HEERF II and HEERF III funding, no less than $2,626,962 in total was earmarked for direct aid to students.
JBU estimated that 1846 JBU students were eligible to participate in the CRRSAA (HEERF II) direct student aid. To determine which students received this funding, JBU requested that students complete this application. The application was sent to students via multiple emails and announcements on JBU’s external and internal websites. In distributing this student funding, priority was placed on students with the highest financial need. In March, $580,236.75 was distributed to 519 students. Between April 1 and May 31, 2021, a total of $77,933.25 was distributed to 48 students.
In the distribution of the ARP (HEERF III) direct student funding, students are again asked to complete this application. To encourage applications, JBU is also using multiple emails, internal websites, and mailing letters to the students’ permanent addresses. Those letters should be in the mail by July 15, 2021, and do include information about financial aid adjustments due to lost jobs and other difficulties which would make the FAFSA misleading related to income sources.
The remaining $3,400,329 intuitional funding was used to replace lost revenue and reimburse expenses related to COVID-19. The expense reimbursement helped fund technology to better support online and remote learning, purchasing of sanitation supplies and personal protective equipment, converting campus spaces into temporary classrooms and dining spaces for physical distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19, continuing to pay employees who could not fully complete their job tasks while working remotely at home during summer 2020, and compensation for those employees whose duties were reassigned to COVID-related tasks on campus during the fall 2020 and spring 2021 school year (contact tracing, vaccination clinic staffing, sanitation, etc.). JBU also received some of the funding to offset the remaining revenue lost from room and board refunds, which were made to students for the portion of the spring 2020 semester when students were required to leave campus due to risks associated with COVID-19. Additionally, other recovered lost revenue included relieving outstanding students’ accounts balances, tuition, study abroad, events, and Walton Lifetime Health Complex membership revenue. Please see the final quarterly report on the institutional portion of the funds at the bottom of the page. Even after the institutional portion of the funding was depleted, JBU continues to invest in improved WIFI and communication systems to allow a smoother experience for students who are studying remotely in quarantine or isolation due to COVID-19 exposure in the 2021-2022 academic year.
Institutional Report Quarter Ending 9/30/20
Institutional Report Quarter Ending 6/30/21
Prior CARES Act Disclosures
Disclosure One
Disclosure Two
Disclosure Three
Disclosure Four
Disclosure Five
