Federal ARP Grants

The Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund III (HEERF III) is authorized by the American Rescue Plan (ARP), which was signed into law on March 11, 2021. ARP funds are in addition to funds authorized by the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (CRRSAA) and the Coronavirus Aid, Recovery, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The ARP includes emergency aid for distribution directly to students as well as funds to offset institutional costs incurred as a result of the ongoing pandemic.

On April 17, 2020 the Cleveland Institute of Art (CIA) signed and returned the Certification and Agreement for the Student Aid Portion of the CARES Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF). Because CIA completed the Certification & Agreement for CARES Act HEERF Student Aid Portion funding, the College was not required to submit a Certification and Agreement for CRRSAA Student Aid Portion funding or ARP Student Aid Portion funding.

On August 6, 2020 CIA signed and returned the Certification and Agreement for the Institutional portion of the CARES Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF). Because CIA completed the Certification & Agreement for CARES Act HEERF Institutional funding, the College was not required to submit a Certification and Agreement for CRRSAA Institutional funding or ARP Institutional funding.

Under the American Rescue Plan (ARP), CIA received a total of $2,040,649 in Student and Institutional funding, of which at least $1,020,325 is required to be awarded directly to students as emergency financial aid grants. CIA also received an additional $89,694 in ARP funding to help defray COVID-19 expenses.

CIA has distributed approximately 80% of ARP Student funding to currently enrolled students through scheduled payments. One distribution was completed in fall 2021 and the second distribution was completed in March 2022. These payments were automatically distributed to students; no action by students was required. As all students have been impacted by COVID-19, all eligible students received a distribution. These scheduled emergency aid payments were distributed on the basis of Estimated Family Contribution (EFC), which is calculated based on data reported in the FAFSA, with the largest amount of aid being awarded to the students with the greatest financial need.

In October 2021, CIA distributed a total of $407,525 in emergency financial aid grants directly to students. All 574 students enrolled at the time received a grant. The grants ranged from $100 to $1,400. This communication was sent to students who received these direct payments. 

In March 2022, CIA distributed a total of $406,079 in emergency financial aid grants directly to students. All 548 students enrolled at the time received a grant. The grants ranged from $100 to $1,429. This communication was sent to students who received these direct payments.

The grants were not applied to or used to offset any charges, tuition, fees or other balances on students’ accounts. For students enrolled in direct deposit, the funds were accessible approximately three days from the date of disbursement. For those not enrolled in direct deposit, a paper check was issued. Students were given a time frame in which to pick up their checks from the Student Accounts office. Checks not claimed were mailed to student’s the permanent address on record.

Approximately 20% of ARP Student funds were designated for distribution in response to requests for emergency aid. All students were able to request emergency aid at any time, using the Emergency Aid Request Form available on MyCIA. Emergency Aid Funds were allocated, based on need and circumstance, as documented on the Emergency Aid Request Form. All requests required substantive documentation. Examples of acceptable documentation included: unemployment paperwork, tax returns, change in employment status, delinquent bills, or similar third-party documentation to substantiate emergency financial need. Emergency aid funds did not exceed $2,000 per award unless there were extenuating circumstances as determined by the Office of Financial Aid and the Financial Appeal Committee. Students were able to request emergency funding multiple times throughout the year, regardless of the outcome of previous request(s).

From October 1 to December 31, 2021, CIA distributed a total of $13,462.88 in emergency aid assistance to 11 students.

From January 1 to March 31, 2022, CIA distributed a total of $30,054.50 in emergency aid assistance to 12 students.

The last date students were able request emergency aid using the Emergency Aid Request Form was March 15, 2022.

The remaining ARP Student funding ($163,203.47) was distributed to students in mid-April 2022. These payments were distributed on the basis of Estimated Family Contribution (EFC), which is calculated based on data reported in the FAFSA, with the largest amount of aid being awarded to the students with the greatest financial need. All 547 students enrolled at the time received a grant. The grants ranged from $40 to $584.83. This communication was sent to students who received these direct payments.

Students were notified that they could use their emergency financial aid grant for any component of their cost of attendance, such as tuition and fees, or for emergency costs that arise due to COVID-19, including but not limited to food, housing, health care (including mental health care) or child care.

Students were advised to contact the Financial Aid office at financialaid@cia.edu with any questions regarding their eligibility for a grant.

View our quarterly reports to see details about how ARP funds not designated for student emergency financial aid grants are being used.

• July 2021 report 
• October 2021 report 
• January 2022 report 
• April 2022 report 
• July 2022 report 
• October 2022 report 
• January 2023 report 
• April 2023 report 
• July 2023 report

View CIA's Federal CARES Act Grants page here.

View CIA's Federal CRRSAA Grants page here.