CRRSA Act (HEERF II)

Williams College signed and returned (on May 13th, 2020) to the Department of Education the Certification and Agreement for receipt of the CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds (HEERF); the CRRSA Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds (HEERF II) for student aid in the amount of $1,184,616 were included in that agreement. The College awarded 100% of the funds in direct grants to students to support emergency needs as well as cost of attendance items like travel and personal expenses.  The college is also providing similar funds to those who are not deemed eligible under the provisions of the CRRSA Act but are eligible for Williams financial aid.

  • The college requested its distribution of CRRSA Act funds on February 1, 2021 and March 11, 2021.
  • On January 25, 2021, the college began its awarding of CRRSA Act and institutional funds to eligible students. The block grant to all eligible students is up to $2,050.
  • As of the time of this reporting, 920 eligible students have been awarded CRRSA funding exceeding our allocation of $1,184,616. In addition, we have awarded approximately 123 additional institutionally eligible students institutional funds to help with emergency expenses during the pandemic.
  • The college provided student aid HEERF to students who submitted a recent and valid FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) to the college’s Financial Aid Office, and that was based on the FAFSA that was on file with the college at the time the college received authorization to distribute the student aid HEERF from the Department of Education.  For those not eligible to file a FAFSA, the College determined eligibility based on its institutional application, The CSS Profile.
  • The amount of student aid HEERF provided to qualified students was determined by their eligibility of institutionally determined financial need.
  • The college has filed these reports regarding the institutional portion spending as of March 31, 2021, June 30, 2021 and September 30, 2021
  • Last updated:  October 10, 2021