Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriation Act

Quarterly Reports

The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriation Act (CRRSAA) is intended to provide financial aid grants to students for emergency expenses that arise due to coronavirus. Gannon University has reserved a portion of the CRRSAA funds to be distributed to students who did not receive awards during the first round of funding consideration.

To be eligible for a CRRSAA grant a student must be a United States citizen, have been enrolled at Gannon University in the 2020 Fall and/or 2021 Spring Semester, and the student must have an emergency expense resulting the COVID-19 pandemic. According to guidance from the Department of Education an eligible expense as any component of the student’s cost of attendance which includes tuition, fees, room and board, and books or for emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus for expenses like food, housing, healthcare (including mental health care), and childcare.

  1. Gannon University signed and returned to the Department the Certification and Agreement and the assurance that the institution has used, or intends to use, no less than 50 percent of the funds received under Section 314(a)(1) of the Coronavirus Response & Relief Supplemental Appropriation Act (CRRSAA) to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students.
  2. Gannon University has received $1,342,340 in funds from the Department of Education to provide emergency financial aid grants to students.
  3. As of Thursday, April 29, 2021 the university has distributed $1,342,340.
  4. The university estimates that 3,585 of our students are eligible to receive a CRRSAA emergency grant.  
  5. As of Thursday, April 29, 2021 the university awarded 2,770 students with emergency financial aid grants.
  6. The university awarded full-time undergraduate and graduate students who have filed a 2020-21 FAFSA with emergency financial aid grants ranging between $200 - $1,000. Students enrolled part time or full time who have not filed the 2020-21 FAFSA are able to request emergency financial aid grants via an application process.

Gannon University has received its allocation of CRRSAA funds for higher education emergency relief.
The University received $1.3 million from the federal government and is forwarding this support directly to students via direct deposit or check. The transfers are expected to begin Tuesday, March 30.
For eligible students to receive these funds via direct deposit, please ensure you are signed up for direct deposit by this Sunday, March 21. See instruction below on how to complete this.
Additional details on eligibility, funding amounts that will be awarded, phases of awards, and more are outlined below.
Please know that we are here if you need anything and we are working diligently as you all are to make the best of this semester. We want to see you be successful, manage through the spring and summer, and return to continue your education in the coming year.

Who is eligible to receive funds? 

If you meet the following eligibility, you will be notified the week of March 29 by the Financial Aid Office that you will be receiving funds. If you do not receive notification from the Financial Aid Office, this means you will not be eligible to receive this funding based on the federal requirements established by the U.S. Department of Education.
There are three eligibility requirements a student must meet to receive CRRSAA funds:

How will CRRSAA funds be awarded?

The university has received a limited amount of funding and not everyone will receive a CRRSAA award. CRRSAA grants will be distributed in three separate phases.

We recognize that there might be some students with extenuating financial circumstances. Phases 2 and 3 will provide those students with the opportunity to apply for funding in addition to what they are awarded in Phase 1. A small portion of the CRRSAA funds have been held in reserve to help resolve special situations for students in need.

Students are encouraged to reach out to our Financial Aid Office at 814-871-7337 or financialaid@gannon.edu if they wish to request consideration for these additional funds. They will then be provided further instruction on applying for Phase 2 and 3 funds.

How will award amounts be determined for Phase 1?

The university will use a tiered awarding scale for determining CRRSAA awards in Phase 1. Based on the 2020 FAFSA, full-time undergraduates will receive a CRRSAA award ranging between $200 and $800. Full-time graduate students will receive a $300 award. 

If eligible, how much should I expect to receive during Phase 1?

For undergraduate students, Phase 1 awarding tiers will be based on a full-time student’s expected family contribution (EFC). Your EFC is an index number that measures a student’s and the family’s ability to pay postsecondary expenses. The information you report on your FAFSA, including specific tax information and family income, is used to calculate your EFC. Full-time graduate students will receive the same award of $300, regardless of EFC.

EFC Range

Award Value

0 to 5705

$800

5706 to 10000

$600

10001 to 15000

$500

15001 to 20000

$400

20001 to 30000

$300

30001 and over

$200

FT Graduate

$300

What are the differences between the Phase 2 and Phase 3 application process?

The Phase 2 application process will open immediately after the initial Phase 1 awarding has concluded. All eligible students who did not receive an award in Phase 1 will have an exclusive four-week window to submit an application for a CRRSAA grant. Applications for Phase 2 may be submitted beginning on Monday, March 29, 2021.
The application will be posted to the https://update.gannon.edu/FAQ/Cares prior the start of the application period. Students may also request a copy of the application by contacting financialaid@gannon.edu.
After the exclusive four-week window has concluded, the Phase 3 application process will begin. During Phase 3 all eligible students can submit an application to request additional CRRSAA funding up to the maximum combined award. Applications for Phase 3 may be submitted beginning on Monday, April 26, 2021. The Phase 3 application period will remain open until all CRRSAA funding has been exhausted. 

Is there a maximum amount of CRRSAA funds I may receive?

The combined award amount for any student may not exceed $1,000. For example, if a student receives a $600 CRRSAA award during Phase 1, the student may apply for additional funds during the Phase 3 application process. However, during that application process the student will only be eligible to receive an additional $400, which brings the cumulative award amount to $1,000. If a student requests more than what they are eligible to receive during the application process, the review committee will process the application, but the award amount will be reduced as to not exceed the $1,000 limit. 

How will I receive my CRRSAA funding?

Students who have previously set up direct deposit through the Cashier’s Office should expect the CRRSAA award to be deposited into the checking or savings account you have on file. Students who have not established direct deposit will have a check mailed to their home address. 
To receive your award via direct deposit, ensure you have this setup by Sunday, March 21 through the following steps:
Login to my.gannon.edu
Go to :  GUXpress
Select:  Students
Select:  Student Account Center
Select:  Bank Info (U.S.) for Direct Deposit

How long will it take to receive my award if I apply for additional funds?

Please expect about a two-week period to review applications and to distribute funds. Applications that had been submitted by noon on Wednesday will be reviewed each Thursday morning during a committee meeting. Approved applications will be awarded and funds will most likely be issued the following week. Please allow some additional time if you are receiving a paper check.     
If you have a question or a comment, you can submit it at https://www.gannon.edu/Questions-or-Comments/.

Fund Report – CARES Act Sections 18004(a)(1) Student Emergency Aid Portion

Gannon University has received federal funding through the CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund which provides funding to distribute emergency financial aid grants to students whose lives have been disrupted by the pandemic.

  1. Gannon University signed and returned to the Department of Education the Certification and Agreement and the assurance that the institution has used, or intends to use, no less than 50 percent of the funds received under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students
  2. Gannon University received $1,342,340 in funds from the Department of Education to provide emergency financial aid grants to students. 
  3. As of Monday, Aug. 7, 2020 the university had distributed $1,342,340 of Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act.
  4. The university estimated in April that 2,909 of our students were eligible to participate in Title IV programs. 
  5. As of Aug. 7, 2020, the university awarded 2,737 students with emergency financial aid grants. 
  6. The university awarded full-time undergraduate and graduate students with an expected family contribution (EFC) under 30,000 with emergency financial aid grants ranging between $300 - $900. Students enrolled part time or full time with EFC that exceeded 30,000 were able to request emergency financial aid grants via an application process. 

Fund Report – CARES Act Sections 18004(a)(1) Institutional Portion

  1. The remainder of an institution’s funds may be used for costs associated with significant changes to the institution’s delivery of instruction due to the coronavirus.
  2. Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Reporting - CARES Act Institutional Portion

About Cares Act Funding

The CARES Act is intended to provide emergency funds to students for expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to the coronavirus. Gannon University has reserved a portion of the CARES Act subsidies to be distributed to students who were not in the first round of funding consideration. Students who received an initial CARES Act distribution may apply for additional support from the reserve pool of funds. These applications will be considered after the university processes requests from students who have not received any CARES Act funding, to the degree in which CARES Act funding is still available. 

Eligibility

To meet the Department of Education’s requirements the student must be a US citizen, have filed a 2019 FASFA form, was not enrolled exclusively in an online program, and the student must have a qualifying expense resulting the COVID-19 pandemic. According to guidance from the Department of Education an eligible expense may include food, housing, course materials, technology, healthcare, and childcare as long as the student experienced the expense as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Please note the Department of Education is not considering lost wages of the student or parent as a qualifying expense.