Navigate Pandemic Impacts with COVID-19 Funding

In this post:

• An overview of COVID-19 Relief Funding
• Additional information on the CARES and CRRSA Acts
• Ways to access these funds in your state

COVID-19 Relief Funding

At the onset of the pandemic in March 2020, the United States Congress authorized COVID-19 relief funds to provide monies for state, local, and tribal governments who are navigating myriad impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. For some schools and businesses that have been previously unable to budget for the commercial cleaning and disinfecting equipment they wanted, they now have the opportunity to make those investments to aid in combating the spread of infectious diseases.

What is the CARES Act?

In March 2020 Congress passed the CARES Act to provide approximately $31 billion in emergency education funding to students, schools, institutions, and states across the country. Congress also set aside approximately $13.2 billion of the $31 billion for the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER Fund).

What is the CRRSA Act?

The CRRSA act (Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations), borrows much from the CARES Act. This bill holds approximately $900 billion in total and was passed in late December of 2020. The money from this Act can be used in the same ways as the previous CARES Act, with a section on upgrading projects to improve air quality in school buildings.

What is ESSER Funding?

ESSER funds (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) are part of the CARES (ESSER) and CRRSA (ESSER II) Acts, and these funds are awarded to State Educational Agencies (SEAs) who apply for these funds, who then award at least 90% of the funds they receive to Local Educational Agencies (LEAs). The CARES Act provided $13.2 billion to the ESSER fund. The CRRSA act provided $54.3 billion to the ESSER II fund. ESSER and ESSER II funds are used for LEAs to provide personal protective equipment (PPE), cleaning supplies, and sanitizing materials, among other things to maintain school operations throughout the duration of the COVID-19 public health crisis. The American Rescue Plan Act passed on March 11, 2021, provided $122.7 billion in supplemental ESSER funding, known as the ESSER III fund.

How Can I Tell if Funds are Remaining in My State?

Specifically for education, the Education Stabilization Fund provides an interactive map of the state. If you click on a specific state, the total amount of funding from the COVID-19 relief packages along with the amount that has been spent and the amount remaining can be viewed.

For general funding and grants, the CDC has put together a comprehensive FAQ page outlining the various grant opportunities. Most funds are available until September 30, 2022.

Using Funding for Zogics Products

We’re here to help! It’s our job to help keep your facility running smoothly, safely, and as healthy as can be. Government-funded grant opportunities allow you to purchase critical products that can reduce the spread of COVID-19. For more information on grants and funding, check out our resource page. 

In addition, we’re happy to offer additional services like Procurement Services, Facility Evaluations, Critical Supply Storage, Autoship, COVID-19 Testing, and more. Drop us a chat or an email at hello@zogics.com any time.