The deadline for City College students to apply for the third round of CARES emergency grant funding is Friday, Nov. 12.

The CARES/HEERF Emergency Grant is a federal stimulus bill and is a way for students to receive financial assistance if they have been affected by COVID-19. This is the third time the school has been endowed with this grant, receiving nearly $10 million in funding from the federal government.

City College first received the grant in the fall of 2020, which helped 1,818 students. The second round came in the spring of 2021, assisting 2,560 students. Each student received anywhere from $500-$1,200, with a total of 4,378 students benefiting during the first two rounds.

Director of Financial Aid Maureen Goldberg said the school and government are aware of the economic and housing problems, so the “money is supposed to be there to prevent this pandemic from becoming an even bigger crisis.”

“[Students] can use the money for anything,” she said. “There are no requirements on the money… The money is truly meant to try to help students get through this very difficult time.”

All types of students are allowed to apply, including students that are credit, non-credit, undocumented or from international countries. The only requirements are that the individual has to be enrolled in at least six units and has been impacted by COVID-19.

“I would highly recommend that students apply for it if they have been affected by COVID-19 in any way. It doesn’t matter if you got the disease, but if your mother got the disease and you had to pick up more hours then that’s an effect of COVID-19,” Goldberg said.

“People shouldn’t self decline themselves out, everybody should apply for it,” she said.

Students must be logged in with their pipeline email when filling out the application, according to the financial aid director. The application has only six questions and takes roughly five minutes to complete.

Students also have the option of how they would like to receive the money, whether that be in the form of a check or direct deposit.

According to City College’s Emergency Grants website, applications may be prioritized depending on the number of applications received and available funding.  Besides the level of impact COVID-19 had on the student’s life, considerations will include:

• Students who self-identify into any of the following:
  • Veterans
  • CalWorks
  • Foster Youth
  • Umoja
  • EOPS
  • DSPS
  • TAP
  • STP
  • MESA
  • DACA/AB540/Dreamers/Undocumented
• Students who are Pell Grant eligible
• Students who are eligible for the California College Promise Grant (CCPG)

Students can find the application on City College’s website and may direct additional questions to [email protected].