Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund Report – Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students

45 Day Funding Report – Distribution as of 05/21/2021

Under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF), School of Visual Arts 209 East 23rd Street New York, NY 10010 OPEID 007468 received education stabilization funds designated exclusively for emergency financial aid grants to students.

Pursuant to guidance issued by the Department of Education through an Electronic Announcement published on May 6, 2020, we are providing the following information about the funds we have received, and how, and to whom, we have distributed them.

1 - On April 13, 2020, the institution signed and returned to the Department the Recipient’s Funding Certification and Agreement (for) Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students required to receive funds allocated under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act. The institution has used, or intends to use, no less than 50 percent of the total funds received to provide emergency financial aid grants to students.

2 - The total amount of funds that the institution has received from the Department pursuant to the institution’s Certification and Agreement specifically for emergency financial aid grants to students is $1,396,849 and SVA has allocated an additional $89,326 under the CARES Act.

3 - The total amount of emergency financial aid grants distributed to students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act as of the date of this Fund Report is $848,900 to Pell recipients and $637,275 to non-Pell recipients with a completed 2019-20 FAFSA.

4 - 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 potentially qualified to receive emergency financial aid grants under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act, as of the date of this Fund Report is 1,532 students.

5 - The total number of students who have received an emergency financial aid grant under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act as of the date of this Fund Report is 950 students received direct deposits and 582 students received checks of which 582 have been cashed.

6 - The methods we used to determine which students receive emergency financial aid grants and how much they would receive under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act are included below under “Student Emergency Funding Allocation”:

• Priority for the emergency grant was given to students who successfully completed a 2019-20 FAFSA by May 4, 2020 to ensure the funds go to those with the greatest need. Of that population, students who were Pell recipients would receive an award amount of $1,300. The Spring semester totaled 113 days, 58 of which were spent physically on-campus. Using the percentage of time spent on-campus (51.3%) against Federal Work Study, a commonly awarded need-based financial aid, as a base (awarded at $2,500 per semester), the emergency grant amount for Pell recipients was rounded up to $1,300. The remaining funds were divided among non-Pell recipients at $725 per emergency grant.

7 - The guidance/certification we provided to students concerning the emergency financial aid grants appear below under “Student Notices”:

• Eligible students received an email from our office on 05/13/2020 to both their SVA email and their personal email on record explaining their rights and responsibilities. Information regarding the emergency grants is posted on the Financial Aid page and Consumer Information page of the SVA website.

Student Emergency Funding Allocation - Student Notices

For questions or concerns regarding this Fund Report, please contact William Berrios, Director of Financial Aid.

Emergency Financial Aid Grant to Students Under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act 

Overview

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act includes the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF), which provides more than $14 billion in emergency funding to higher education institutions across the country. Of those funds, more than $6 billion must go directly to students in the form of emergency financial aid grants (HEERF-student emergency grant funds) for expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to the COVID-19 crisis. These FAQ’s are published to address some of the questions students may have.

Q: Which students are eligible to receive HEERF-student emergency grant funds?

A: To receive HEERF-student emergency grant funds, students must be eligible to receive Title IV federal financial aid (e.g., Pell Grant, Direct Loans, etc.) and have incurred additional expenses due to campus disruptions due to the pandemic, such as food, housing, technology, course materials, health care, and childcare. After confirming a student meets these requirements, the institution retains discretion over which students will receive HEERF-student emergency grant funds and the amount of the award. 

Q: Are students required to have a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on file in order to be eligible for the HEERF-student emergency grant funds?

A: In order to establish a student’s eligibility for HEERF funding, students must be able to demonstrate their eligibility for Title IV federal student aid. To do so, the College requires the student to complete a FAFSA application and meet the other related student eligibility requirements. In addition, the student must have qualifying expenses and be an active student in good standing. 

Q: What criteria was used to determine who receives the HEERF-student emergency grant funds?

A: Priority for the emergency grant was given to students who successfully completed a 2019-20 FAFSA by May 4, 2020 to ensure the funds go to those with the greatest need. To ensure those within that population with the greatest need received additional assistance, Pell recipients received a larger grant amount than non-Pell recipients.

Q: How much will I receive in the HEERF-student emergency grant assistance and when will it be disbursed?

A: Pell recipients received $1,300 and non-Pell recipients received $725. The funds were disbursed on 05/21/2020.

Q: What does the phrase “disruption of campus operations” mean?

A: This refers to any change in the way the College operates that resulted from its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes, but is not limited to, the closure of the campus and the move to online instruction. It also includes the resulting lack of services available to students due to the campus closure.   

Q: Which students are not eligible to receive HEERF-student emergency grant funds?

A: International and Undocumented Students: In order to receive the HEERF-student emergency funds, the Department of Education states students must meet Title IV federal student aid eligibility requirements. Therefore, international and undocumented students are not eligible to receive HEERF-student emergency grant funds.

Distance Education/Online Students: Students who were enrolled exclusively in online programs on March 13 (the date of President Trump's national emergency proclamation) are not eligible for HEERF-student emergency grant funds, according to the Department of Education’s guidance.  

Q: Which expenses are the HEERF-student emergency grant funds for? And what can students use these funds for?  

A: HEERF-student emergency grant funds provide monetary assistance to students whose education has been disrupted because of the coronavirus global pandemic. The U.S. Department of Education has made the emergency grant aid available to students of institutions who need financial support for additional expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to the COVID-19 outbreak, including things like course materials and technology as well as food, housing, health care, and childcare. For example, because the College changed to online courses, a student may have incurred expenses to purchase a web camera, printer, computer software, or faster internet service. 

Q: What do students need to do, or what type of application does the student need to complete to participate in the HEERF-student emergency funds?

A: There is no application process in order to receive the emergency grant. Our office determined eligible students who met the awarding criteria and notified those students with an email to their SVA email as well as their personal email on record. Students were given the option to opt out of receiving the emergency grant within five business days of receiving the email if they did not incur expenses as a result of the pandemic. If our office did not receive a signed and dated response from the student to that effect within five business days, we assumed that the student has incurred those expenses and will use the emergency grant towards them.

Q: Are there additional HEERF emergency grant funds available to students with higher expenses and special needs?

A: All funds have been exhausted at this time.

Q: How will the students receive the funds?

A: For those students receiving an emergency grant, they were provided the opportunity to sign up for E-refunds if they had not already done so to have their refund deposited directly into their US bank account. Students who had not signed up for direct deposit will receive a check mailed to their current address on file. 

Q: Does the HEERF emergency grant have to be repaid?

A: No, this is grant assistance and does not need to be repaid.