In 2020, Congress set aside approximately $3 billion of the $30.75 billion allotted to the Education Stabilization Fund through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act for the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEER) Fund. The Department awarded these grants to States (Governor’s offices) based on a formula stipulated in the legislation: (1) 60% on the basis of the State’s relative population of individuals aged 5 through 24. (2) 40% on the basis of the State’s relative number of children counted under section 1124(c) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act, 2021, was signed into law on December 27, 2020, and provided an additional $4,053,060,000 for the GEER Fund. The CRRSA Act provides that $1,303,060,000 of those funds be used to supplement the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEER II Fund) awarded to each State with an approved GEER application under the CARES Act enacted on March 27, 2020.

The HEERF Program is in response to the novel coronavirus support institutions of higher education as they serve students and ensure learning continues during the COVID-19 pandemic. Institutions are to use funds to prevent, prepare for and respond to the national pandemic.

This discretionary grant program is designed to increase the number of Hispanic and low-income students that acquire a degree in a STEM area. The program also supports the articulation to facilitate the transfer of students from 2yr to 4yr degree STEM programs. Additionally, given the number of allowable activities, grantees can use these funds to improve labs and equipment, as well as faculty development, and STEM course improvements.

The mission of this program is to disburse Impact Aid payments to local educational agencies that are financially burdened by federal activities. Funds are provided under Section 7002 and 7003 of the ESEA to local public school districts that serve significant numbers of federally connected children and that have lost a substantial portion of local property tax base due to the acquisition of federal property. Funds are available for all general fund purposes and can be expended for any purpose, similar to local revenue for education.

Title I, Part A (Title I) of the ESEA provides financial assistance to local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools with high numbers or high percentages of children from low-income families to help ensure that all children, particularly low-achieving children, meet challenging state academic standards. Federal funds are currently allocated through four statutory formulas that are based primarily on census poverty estimates and the cost of education in each State.

This program is designed to address the unique cultural, language, and educationally related academic needs of American Indian and Alaska Native students, including preschool children. The programs funded are to meet the unique cultural, language, and educational needs of Indian students and ensure that all students meet the challenging State academic standard. The program is the Department's principal vehicle for addressing the particular needs of Indian children.While adhering to all related program requirements, grantees will provide participant Native American/American Indian and Alaska Native PreK-12 students with valid ED506 forms or who are included in an approved BIE ISEP Count with highly-relevant, culturally-based academic learning experiences that improve their skill-set(s), while addressing the needs of the “whole child/person.”

The Magnet Schools Assistance program provides grants to eligible local educational agencies to establish and operate magnet schools that are operated under a court-ordered or federally approved voluntary desegregation plan. These grants assist in the desegregation of public schools by supporting the elimination, reduction, and prevention of minority group isolation in elementary and secondary schools with substantial numbers of minority group students. In order to meet the statutory purposes of the program, projects also must support the development and implementation of magnet schools that assist in the achievement of systemic reforms and provide all students with the opportunity to meet challenging academic content and student academic achievement standards.

Projects support the development and design of innovative education methods and practices that promote diversity and increase choices in public education programs. The program supports capacity development–the ability of a school to help all its students meet more challenging standards–through professional development and other activities that will enable the continued operation of the magnet schools at a high performance level after funding ends. Finally, the program supports the implementation of courses of instruction in magnet schools that strengthen students’ knowledge of academic subjects and their grasp of tangible and marketable vocational skills.

The goal of the Migrant Education Program (MEP) is to ensure that all migratory children reach challenging academic standards and graduate with a high school diploma or complete a high school equivalency program that prepares them for responsible citizenship, further learning, and productive employment. Funds support high quality education programs for migratory children and help ensure that migratory children who move among the States are not penalized by disparities among States in curriculum, graduation requirements, and State academic standards. Funds also ensure that migratory children not only are provided with appropriate instructional and/or support services that address their unique needs but also that such children receive full and appropriate opportunities to meet the same State academic standards that all children are expected to meet. Federal funds are allocated by formula to State educational agencies (SEAs) based on the three year average of the number of eligible migratory children, ages 3 through 21, residing within the state, the number of migratory children, ages 3 through 21, receiving summer services during the previous year, and each state’s per pupil expenditure for education.

Provides grants to eligible institutions of higher education (IHEs) to enable them to improve and expand their capacity to serve Native Americans and low-income students. 

The purpose of the Native Hawaiian Education program is to develop innovative education programs to assist Native Hawaiians and to supplement and expand programs and authorities in the area of education. Authorized activities include, among others: early education and care programs; family-based education centers; beginning reading and literacy programs; activities to address the needs of gifted and talented Native Hawaiian students; special education programs; professional development for educators; and activities to enable Native Hawaiian students to enter and complete postsecondary education programs.