May 11, 2021

Rep. Mike Levin Announces $130 Million from American Rescue Plan Will Support Local Colleges, Universities, and Students

Biden-Harris Administration releases American Rescue Plan funding for local institutions; At least half of the funding will be distributed to students as emergency financial aid

Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Representative Mike Levin (D-CA) announced that colleges, universities, and students in California’s 49th Congressional District are receiving more than $130 million in emergency funding under the American Rescue Plan. The funding will help local institutions cope with the severe financial fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and continue serving their students safely. At least half of the funding each institution receives will be distributed in the form of emergency cash assistance grants to students who are facing hunger, homelessness, and other hardship.

“This pandemic has been extremely challenging for local students, colleges, and universities, but thanks the American Recue Plan, help is here,” said Rep. Levin. “Many students lost access to campus housing, meal plans, and jobs that help them make ends meet as they pursue a higher education, which is why I’m glad that more than half of this relief funding will be distributed to struggling students as emergency cash grants. There’s much more we must do to build a strong economic recovery from this pandemic and make it easier to pursue a higher education, but this relief is a critical step and I’m glad that students and colleges right here in our region are receiving the help they need.”

The colleges and universities in California’s 49th District receiving funding under the American Rescue Plan are:

  • UC San Diego: $91,774,980
  • MiraCosta College: $22,245,844
  • Saddleback College: 16,808,487

Students should contact their institutions for more information about how they can apply for an emergency grant.

The American Rescue Plan provides $36 billion for nearly 3,500 public and private, nonprofit colleges and universities nationwide. The American Rescue Plan also includes nearly $3 billion in additional funding – which will be distributed at a later date – for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), other Minority-Serving Institutions, and other under-resourced institutions.

To read more about emergency education funding under the American Rescue Plan, click here.

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