Dear Brown Community Members,

I hope all is well with you and your loved ones. As individuals and families continue to contend with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, I write today with an update on additional financial relief measures for Brown students with demonstrated financial need who will be enrolled in Fall 2021.

Recently, the University received notification that funds from the American Rescue Plan’s Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund III (HEERF III) would be made available to students to help address financial impacts related to the pandemic. These funds are in addition to the more than $17 million that the University has provided to support students during the COVID-19 pandemic (see http://brown.edu/go/cares-crrsaa) and the $4.8M in federal funds that have been distributed directly to eligible students. This next round of relief funding is expected to provide an additional $6.29 million in relief to students with the highest financial need in our community.

We know that a number of students and their families have been affected in myriad ways by the pandemic. The University will begin distributing additional HEERF III federal funds to eligible returning students enrolled in the Fall 2021 semester by the end of July, with eligible first-year students receiving funds in September, following their arrival at Brown. In addition, Brown will continue to support students with supplemental University resources to address pressing needs. For any undergraduates who have not yet completed a 2021-22 financial aid application, I urge you to do so now, as all HEERF III awards will be based on this information.

As part of our commitment to assisting those in our community with the highest financial need, we convened a group of students, faculty and staff earlier this year to develop the most equitable plan for distributing federal relief funds. This group recommended the distribution of funds to those who need it most, with student financial aid profiles serving as a guide. We followed this group’s advice when we distributed $5.4 million in relief funds (coming from both the federal government and the University) in March 2021. In moving toward distribution of the HEERF III funds, this group will reconvene to advise on how best to distribute these new federal funds. While finalization of this plan will determine specific award amounts, we expect to provide funding to eligible students at levels equal to or greater than those in the March 2021 distribution of federal relief funding.

Importantly, under HEERF III, eligibility for funding includes U.S. citizens and permanent residents, undocumented and international students, asylum seekers, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) recipients, and other DREAMers. Previously, non-U.S. citizens and residents were not eligible to receive federal funds — a gap that Brown addressed by supporting these students using University resources.

All students eligible for HEERF III funding will receive a communication directly from Student Financial Services with further details. As with previous federal student relief disbursements, these funds will be posted directly to student accounts and processed as electronic refunds to make it easy for students to access them.

As we look forward to the next academic year, we will continue to work to support students with the resources they need to thrive. If you have unmet needs, I strongly encourage you to seek out the significant resources available here at Brown designed to support academic progress, intellectual growth, and overall health and wellness. I look forward to seeing you during the summer term and as we return to campus this fall.

Sincerely,

Richard M. Locke
Provost