Certification and Agreement

Supplemental Support Under the American Rescue Plan – Page 4

American Rescue Plan Act of 2021

Certification and Agreement (ALN 84.425T)

SUPPLEMENTAL SUPPORT UNDER THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN (SSARP) PROGRAM

The terms, conditions, and requirements governing your institution’s (Recipient’s) use of these grant funds awarded pursuant to section 2003 of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP) (Pub. L. 117-2) (award or grant) by the U.S. Department of Education (Department) are governed by section 2003 of the ARP and section 314 of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (CRRSAA) (Pub. L. 116-260) and the following terms and conditions of this Certification and Agreement (C&A):

Specific Uses of SSARP (a)(3) Funds:

1. Institutions receiving funds under the Notice Inviting Applications (NIA) for the SSARP program as a part of the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) must, in expending those funds, meet the requirements specified under the Absolute Priorities to which they received funds under. Those Absolute Priorities are:

Absolute Priority 1: Underfunded (a)(1) Grantees due to Technical Errors, Application Issues, or not Reporting in IPEDS.

1. Institutions awarded funds under Absolute Priority 1(a) must fund Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students in the same amount that they would have been required to under CRRSAA, which must be distributed consistent with section 314(c) of CRRSAA.

2. Institutions awarded funds under Absolute Priority 1(b) must fund Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students in the same amount that they would have been required to under ARP, which must be distributed consistent with section 314(c) of CRRSAA.

Absolute Priority 2: MSI or SIP Grantees that were Underfunded due to Technical Errors or Application Issues, are Newly Eligible, or are a Branch Campus.

3. Institutions awarded funds under Absolute Priority 2 may use their funds for institutional uses. However, the Secretary urges Recipient to devote the maximum amount of funds possible to Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students.

Absolute Priority 3: Underfunded ARP (a)(1) Grantees due to an Institutional Merger or change in PPA.

4. Institutions awarded funds under Absolute Priority 3 must fund Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students in the same amount that they would have been required to under ARP, which must be distributed consistent with section 314(c) of CRRSAA.

Absolute Priority 4: Community Colleges and Rural IHEs Serving a High Percentage of Low-Income students and Experiencing Enrollment Declines.

5. Institutions awarded fund under Absolute Priority 4 must use at least 50 percent of funds awarded for Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students, which must be distributed consistent with section 314(c) of CRRSAA.

Absolute Priority 5: Institutions Serving High Percentages of Graduate Students.

6. Institutions awarded funds under Absolute Priority 5 must use all funds awarded for Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students, which must be distributed consistent with section 314(c) of CRRSAA. However, if the institution did not previously receive funds under the ARP (a)(1) or (a)(2) funding streams, the institution must spend a portion of SSARP grant funds on the activities described in ARP section 2003(5) (as described in greater detail in clause 5).

2. The Department will post a SSARP allocation table specifying the minimum amount, if any, that institutions must expend making Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students.

HEERF Use of Grant Funds:

3. Unless noted otherwise in this agreement, in accordance with section 314(c) of the CRRSAA, Recipient may use these grant funds for Recipient’s Institutional Costs to defray expenses associated with coronavirus (including lost revenue, reimbursement for expenses already incurred, technology costs associated with a transition to distance education, faculty and staff trainings, and payroll); and to make additional Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students, which may be used for any component of the student’s cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus, such as tuition, food, housing, health care (including mental health care), or child care.

4. Recipient may, but is not required to, use funds designated for Recipient’s Institutional Costs to provide additional Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students. If Recipient chooses to use these grant funds designated for Recipient’s Institutional Costs to provide additional emergency financial aid grants to students, then those funds are subject to the requirements described in the ARP Grant Funds for Students Agreement.

5. Institutions receiving funds under the SSARP program that did not previously receive funds under the ARP (a)(1) or (a)(2) funding streams must spend a portion of their SSARP grant funds on the following activities (in accordance with ARP section 2003(5)):

   1. implement evidence-based practices to monitor and suppress coronavirus in accordance with public health guidelines; and

   2. conduct direct outreach to financial aid applicants about the opportunity to receive a financial aid adjustment due to the recent unemployment of a family member or independent student, or other circumstances, described in section 479A of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087tt)

6. Recipient acknowledges that no grant funds may be used to fund contractors for the provision of pre-enrollment recruitment activities; marketing or recruitment; endowments; capital outlays associated with facilities related to athletics, sectarian instruction, or religious worship; senior administrator or executive salaries, benefits, bonuses, contracts, incentives; stock buybacks, shareholder dividends, capital distributions, and stock options; or any other cash or other benefit for a senior administrator or executive.

7. The Secretary urges Recipient to devote the maximum amount of funds possible to Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students, including some or all of the funds allocated for Recipient’s Institutional Costs. The Secretary urges Recipient to take strong measures to ensure that Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students are made to the maximum extent possible.

Grant Administration:

8. Recipient acknowledges that consistent with 2 CFR § 200.305, it must minimize the time between drawing down funds from G5 and paying incurred obligations (liquidation). Recipient further acknowledges that if it draws down funds and does not pay the incurred obligations (liquidates) within 15 calendar days, it may be subject to heightened scrutiny by the Department, Recipient’s auditors, and/or the Department’s Office of Inspector General (OIG). Recipient further acknowledges that returning funds pursuant to mistakes in drawing down excessive grant funds in advance of need may also be subject to heightened scrutiny by the Department, Recipient’s auditors, and/or the Department’s OIG. Finally, Recipient acknowledges that it must maintain drawn down grant funds in an interest-bearing account, and any interest earned on all Federal grant funds above $500 (all Federal grants together) during an institution’s fiscal year must be returned (remitted) to the Federal government via a process described here: https://www2.ed.gov/documents/funding-101/g5-returning-interest.pdf.

9. Recipient may charge indirect costs to funds made available under this award consistent with its negotiated indirect cost rate agreement, with the exception of any portion of its award reserved for Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students. If Recipient does not have a current negotiated indirect cost rate with its cognizant agency for indirect costs, it may appropriately charge the de minimis rate of ten percent of Modified Total Direct Costs (MTDC). Recipient may also charge reasonable direct administrative costs to funds made available under this award, with the exception of any portion of its award reserved for Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students.

10. Recipient acknowledges that any obligation under this grant (pre-award costs pursuant to 2 CFR § 200.458) must have been incurred on or after March 13, 2020, the date of the declaration of a National Emergency Concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak (85 FR 15337).

11. Recipient must promptly and to the greatest extent practicable expend all grant funds from this award within the one-year period of performance (2 CFR § 200.77) specified in Box 6 of this Grant Award Notification (GAN).

12. Recipient must, to the greatest extent practicable, continue to pay its employees and contractors during the period of any disruptions or closures related to coronavirus pursuant to section 315 of the CRRSAA.

Reporting and Accountability:

13. Recipient must promptly and timely provide a detailed accounting of the use and expenditure of the funds provided by this award in such manner and with such frequency as the Secretary may require.

14. Recipient must comply with all requirements of the Single Audit Act Amendments of 1996, 31 U.S.C. § 7501, et seq. (Single Audit Act) and all applicable auditing standards. The Department has designated the Education Stabilization Fund (ESF) (all ALN 84.425 subprograms) as a “higher risk” program which requires auditors to consider several factors before declining to include the program as a major Federal program in the Single Audit. Generally, an institution’s ESF program, including the SSARP subprogram (ALN 84.425T), must be audited as a major Federal program when it is considered a Type A program (a large program). Because the ESF program is entirely comprised of COVID-19 funding, under the “higher risk” designation ESF cannot qualify as a low-risk Type A program. Auditors must prepare audit documentation supporting risk considerations and conclusions for the ESF program when preparing their Single Audit.

15. Recipient acknowledges it is under a continuing affirmative duty to inform the Department if Recipient is to close or terminate operations as an institution or merge with another institution. In such cases, Recipient must promptly notify in writing the assigned education program officer contact in Box 3. Additionally, Recipient must promptly notify the assigned education program officer if the Recipient’s Authorized Representative changes.

16. Recipient must cooperate with any examination of records with respect to the advanced funds by making records and authorized individuals available when requested, whether by (i) the Department and/or its OIG; or (ii) any other Federal agency, commission, or department in the lawful exercise of its jurisdiction and authority. Recipient must retain all financial records, supporting documents, statistical records, and all other non-Federal entity records pertinent to a Federal award for a period of three years from the date of submission of the final expenditure report pursuant to 2 CFR § 200.334.

17. Recipient acknowledges that failure to comply with this Certification and Agreement, its terms and conditions, and/or all relevant provisions and requirements of the CRRSAA or ARP or any other applicable law may result in Recipient’s liability under the False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. § 3729, et seq.; OMB Guidelines to Agencies on Governmentwide Debarment and Suspension (Nonprocurement) in 2 CFR part 180, as adopted and amended as regulations of the Department in 2 CFR part 3485; 18 U.S.C. § 1001, as appropriate; and all of the laws and regulations referenced in the “Applicable Law” section of this Certification and Agreement, below.

Applicable Law:

18. Recipient must comply with all applicable assurances in OMB Standard Forms (SF) SF- 424B and SF-424D (Assurances for Non-Construction and Assurances for Construction Programs), including the assurances relating to the legal authority to apply for assistance; access to records; conflict of interest; nondiscrimination; Hatch Act provisions; labor standards; Single Audit Act; and the general agreement to comply with all applicable Federal laws, executive orders, and regulations.

19. Recipient certifies that with respect to the certification regarding lobbying in Department Form 80-0013, no Federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with the making or supplementing of Federal grants under this program; Recipient must complete and submit Standard Form-LLL, “Disclosure Form to Report Lobbying,” when required (34 CFR part 82, Appendix B).

20. Recipient must comply with the provisions of all applicable acts, regulations and assurances; the following provisions of Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 81, 82, 84, 86, 97, 98, and 99; the OMB Guidelines to Agencies on Governmentwide Debarment and Suspension (Nonprocurement) in 2 CFR part 180, as adopted and amended as regulations of the Department in 2 CFR part 3485; and the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards in 2 CFR part 200, as adopted and amended as regulations of the Department in 2 CFR part 3474.

Institution Name:

Authorized Representative (typed name): Authorized Representative Title: DUNS Number:

OPEID:

Date:

Paperwork Burden Statement

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 1840-NEW. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 3 hours per response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering, and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. The obligation to respond to this collection is required to obtain or retain benefit (ARP Section 2003 and Section 314(a)(3) of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (div M. of Pub. L. 116-260)). If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate, suggestions for improving this individual collection, or if you have comments or concerns regarding the status of your individual form, application, or survey, please contact Karen Epps, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20202 directly.

OMB Number: 1840-NEW

Expiration Date: __/__/____