The federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act authorizes colleges to award emergency grants to students for their expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to COVID-19. Related expenses such as food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, transportation, and child-care expenses are considered.
SUNY Brockport has received or will receive $3,875,074 from the Department of Education pursuant to the Certification and Agreement [for] Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students
SUNY Brockport has created the Ellsworth CARES Fund to support students during the COVID-19 pandemic. All requests will be considered; however funding constraints may limit the number and size of awards. Priority will be given to high-need students with limited available resources.
Student Eligibility
Eligible students include those who are enrolled in credit-bearing courses at SUNY Brockport during the award period, have filed a 2019/20 or 2020/21 FAFSA and submitted all required verification documents, are meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress, and are deemed to be eligible for federal student aid. Students who have not previously completed a FAFSA are encouraged to file both award year FAFSA applications immediately.
Allowable Costs Include:
- Food
- Housing
- Utilities
- Course Materials
- Technology
- Health Care
- Child Care
- Transportation
Award Range
Based upon the student’s request for funding, the University will make an initial award equal to the student’s requested amount up to $1200 for PELL eligible students and up to $600 for non-PELL eligible students. After the priority deadline, available funding will be reviewed and additional supplemental awards may be made up to the student’s full request.
Under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act, students received awards ranging from $100 to $1,200. The maximum award per student across all application periods is $6,195.
Guidelines for Awards
The application for awards will begin with the Spring 2020 semester. Priority will be given to those PELL-eligible students that complete the ELLSWORTH CARES Fund Application by June 19, 2020. The next priority of students to receive funding will be non-PELL eligible students and graduate students. All requests will be considered; however, funding constraints may limit the number and size of awards. Applications will be processed in the order in which they were received.
Award Periods may include:
- Spring 2020
- Summer 2020
- Fall 2020
- Spring 2021
Application Process
***The deadline to complete the CARES Act Application has passed and the awarding process for disbursing the remaining CARES Act funding has been revised. (see December 4 amendment below)***
Students in need will make their requests by completing the ELLSWORTH CARES Fund Application. Please note you cannot access the application using Internet Explorer.
The University will review all requests and provide initial awards on a weekly basis. Awards will be posted on and paid through the student’s account. Award amounts will be unaffected by any outstanding charges. That is, 100 percent of all Ellsworth CARES Fund awards will go directly to the student. If unallocated funds exist at the end of an application period, the University will develop a methodology to equitably distribute the remaining funds to students.
Please note: Financial Aid reserves the right to request additional information, receipts and documentation.
Acknowledgment of the CARES Act
SUNY Brockport acknowledges the President of the institution has signed and returned to the Department the Certification and Agreement and the institution has used, or intends to use, no less than 50 percent of the funds received under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students
As of September 30, 2020, SUNY Brockport has distributed $2,107,908 in CARES Act funding to students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act
SUNY Brockport has determined approximately 6017 students at the institution are eligible to participate in programs under Section 484 in Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and thus eligible to receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act. Please see “Student Eligibility” above for the definition of an eligible student.
As of September 30, 2020, a total of 2688 students have received an Emergency Financial Aid Grant to students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act.
**Due to additional CARES Act funding remaining, SUNY Brockport amended its CARES Act Funding Plan on October 22, 2020. We amended the maximum amount of funding awarded to Priority 1 students to $1700 and Priority 2 students to $1200. These amendments are effective June 1, 2020. The new award amounts would go to students that originally requested and certified for these amounts or higher or completed a new application indicating a higher amount of eligible expenses.
CARES Act Emergency Grants to Students Quarterly Report
As of December 4, 2020, SUNY Brockport amended the CARES Act funding plan. This amendment is due to having remaining CARES Act funds of $761,817. The campus has decided to distribute the remaining funds equitably by awarding a base grant to Pell eligible students who attended the Spring 2020 semester and who have not received a previous CARES Act award. The amount of the base grant will be posted once the amount has been determined.
SUNY Brockport will communicate eligibility for the remaining CARES Act funding by sending an email to those Pell eligible students the campus has deemed eligible for the base grant.
Cares Act Revision History
CARES ACT Plan created: April 30, 2020
1st Plan Revision: October 16, 2020
2nd Plan Revision: October 22, 2020
3rd Plan Revision: December 4, 2020
For Additional Information
For more information, contact the Financial Aid Office at SUNY Brockport at (585) 395-2501. You may also email the office at faid@brockport.edu.