May 18, 2020

Dear Reed students,

Reed College has received funding through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) authorized by the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. This funding will be used to provide direct emergency payments to students with expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Eligible expenses include the following:

• Food
• Housing, e.g. having to move off campus when dormitories closed
• Books and course materials
• Technology-related expenses, e.g. having to purchase a computer or internet service when courses moved online
• Health care
• Childcare
• Transportation, e.g. having to fly home because campus closed or having to return from study abroad when a program was canceled

Eligibility for this funding is limited to students who (1) are eligible to receive Title IV federal aid, which is determined through completion of the FAFSA, and (2) were enrolled on or after March 15, 2020. Priority will be given to students with the highest financial need.

To equitably distribute these funds to students as quickly as possible, funds will be allocated in two ways:

1) Automatic direct payment

Direct payment will be made to eligible students who are currently receiving Federal Pell Grant funds and/or need-based Reed grant funds:

• Federal Pell Grant recipients will receive an automatic payment of $700.
• All other need-based Reed grant aid recipients will receive an automatic payment of $450.

Students who meet the automatic payment criteria will be notified of their eligibility for these funds and will be required to certify and acknowledge they have incurred expenses related to the disruption of Reed’s campus operations due to the coronavirus pandemic before payment can be made. Students who have already received Reed Emergency funds or other assistance that fully covered their expenses should decline these federal funds. Receipts or other documentation are not required.

2) Application process

Students who meet the federal eligibility requirements but do not currently receive Federal Pell Grant funds or need-based Reed grant funds and have documented expenses related to the disruption of campus operations may apply for HEERF assistance through the Reed Emergency Fund application process. In addition, students who receive an automatic direct payment but have documented expenses in excess of the payment that have not already been covered by other resources may also apply for additional assistance through the Reed Emergency Fund application process.

Under the CARES Act, emergency financial aid grants for unexpected expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to the coronavirus pandemic are considered qualified disaster relief payments under Section 139 of the Internal Revenue code and are not included in gross income for income tax purposes.  

Note: students who do not meet the federal eligibility requirements (international and undocumented students) are not eligible for HEERF assistance, but those with documented expenses may apply for Reed funding through the Reed Emergency Fund application process.

More information about these grants, availability of funds, payment method, FAQs, etc. will be provided shortly. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me.

Best regards,

Sandy Sundstrom