Carl Sandburg College Students Receive Up to $700 Each Through CARES Act
Aaron Frey
Thursday, May 14, 2020 12:57 PM
Campus News
Galesburg, IL
Qualifying Carl Sandburg College students received up to $700 each in federal funding through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) portion of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act to support those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sandburg was awarded a total of $1,172,052 through the CARES Act, and 50 percent of those funds ($586,526) must be used to provide students with emergency financial aid grants. Sandburg this week distributed $578,000 directly to students who met U.S. Department of Education guidelines to assist them with expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to the coronavirus, such as food, housing, course materials, technology, health care and childcare.
Qualifying students enrolled in at least 10 credit hours as of March 20 were awarded $700 each, and students enrolled in nine or fewer credit hours as of March 20 received $350. A total of 1,015 Sandburg students met DOE qualifications.
“We are very grateful for the support of the Department of Education in helping our students deal with the disruption caused by the COVID-19 virus,” President Dr. Seamus Reilly said. “We are also thankful to others in the state and community who have contributed to the Carl Sandburg College Foundation to provide some support for those students not covered by the CARES Act. This support makes it possible for our students to succeed.”
Eligible students did not have to take any action to receive these federal funds. Students who signed up for direct deposit through Sandburg had their funds deposited into their bank account. For those without direct deposit, a check was mailed to their local address on file with the College. Students can check the status of their disbursement in their mySandburg account. It will be shown on “My Account for Spring 2020” as “Fed CARES Grant.”
“We would have liked to have allowed all of our students to receive these funds,” Director of Financial Aid Lisa Hanson said. “However, to meet federal guidelines, funds were awarded to students who filed a FAFSA and would have qualified for federal student aid.”
Another $9,326 of CARES Act funds allocated to Sandburg will be awarded to students in need through crisis grants from the Carl Sandburg College Foundation, which has set a goal of raising an additional $50,000 to assist students’ emergency needs. Students must apply for a crisis grant at sandburg.edu in order to be eligible. For more information about crisis grants, contact the Carl Sandburg College Foundation at 309.341.5349 or foundation@sandburg.edu.
In addition to CARES Act funds and crisis grants, if a Sandburg student has had a change in their income status or experienced a loss of a job, they can apply for special conditions through the Office of Financial Aid. This can be applied for the 2019-20 or 2020-21 academic year. For questions or more information about special conditions applications, contact the Office of Financial Aid at 309.341.5283 or finaid@sandburg.edu.