ESSER/EANS:
Funding to Support Today’s Educational Challenges
To support schools and districts in addressing the impact of COVID-19, Congress has provided financial support through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund. Funds are allocated to each state in the same proportion as their Title I, Part A grants. In March 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act included $13 billion in ESSER funds.
In December 2020, an additional $54 billion for ESSER II was allocated through the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act. The American Rescue Plan (ARP) authorized another $122 billion for ESSER III (also called “ARP ESSER”) in March 2021.
Congress has also provided support to non-public schools through the Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools (EANS) Fund: $2.75 billion was allocated to EANS through the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief II in December 2020, and another $2.75 billion through the American Rescue Plan passed in March 2021.
Both ESSER and EANS funding can be used for instructional materials, identifying and addressing unfinished learning, and professional development, among other uses.