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Covid Relief Funding: What you need to know

The federal government has provided billions of dollars in relief funding to K–12 school districts and institutions of higher education through the Education Stabilization Fund (ESF), which Congress created to help educational entities respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ESF includes three separate funds:

  1. Governor's Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Fund: Provides funding to Governors to use for K–12 school districts, institutions of higher education, and other educational entities within their states.
  2. Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund: Provides funding to school districts, through their state educational agencies, to respond to the needs of K–12 schools as a result of the pandemic. The ESSER I obligation deadline is September 30, 2022.  Districts will have 120 days after that date to complete liquidation of obligated expenses.
  3. Emergency Assistance to Non-Public School (EANS) Fund: Provides services and assistance to eligible non-public schools to address disruptions in education delivery caused by the pandemic. The Department of Education awards EANS funds by formula to governors who have approved certifications and agreements.
  4. Higher Education Emergency Relief (HEER) Fund: Provides funding to institutions of higher education that can be used for institutional costs related to the pandemic and emergency financial aid grants for students.

The Department of Education sent the first infusion of ESF funding in spring 2020 as part of the CARES Act. The second round of funds arrived in early 2021 as part of the year-end package Congress passed at the end of 2020. The third and largest allotment of funding for the ESF was approved by President Biden as part of the American Rescue Plan in March 2021.

Education technology and learning materials are eligible uses of funding under all three ESF funds. If you have questions about how you can use these funds to meet your school district or university's digital learning needs, we are here to help!


How to use your stimulus funding:

Allocation of Funds

How Funds Flow

Funding Per Package

Total Funding

Governor's Emergency Education Relief Fund

Department of Education ➔ Governors ➔ K–12 school districts and institutions of higher education

CARES Act I: $3 billion
Recipients must use funds
by September 30, 2022.


Year-End Package: $4 billion
Recipients must use funds
by September 30, 2023.

$9.75 billion

Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund

Department of Education ➔ State educational agencies (SEAs) ➔ K–12 school districts

CARES Act I: $13.5 billion
School districts must use funds
by September 30, 2022.


Year-End Package: $54.3 billion
School districts must use funds
by September 30, 2023.


American Rescue Plan: $122.7 billion
Recipients must use funds
by September 30, 2023.

$190.5 billion

Emergency Assistance to Non-Public School Fund

Department of Education ➔ Governors ➔ eligible non-public schools

American Rescue Plan: $2.75 billion
Recipients must use funds
September 30, 2024.


CARES Act I: $2.75 billion
Recipients must use funds
by September 30, 2023.

$5.5 billion

Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund

Department of Education ➔ Institutions of higher education

CARES Act I: $14.25 billion
Institutions of higher education must spend funds within one calendar year of receipt.


Year-End Package: $22.7 billion
Institutions of higher education must spend funds within one calendar year of receipt.


American Rescue Plan: $39.5 billion
Institutions of higher education must use funds
by September 30, 2023.

$76.5 billion

PreK–12

As you continue through the school year either into the classroom, through distance teaching or a hybrid environment, we know the path forward will be different for each of you and we’re here to help regardless of when and where learning takes place. 

Learn more about our solutions designed for distance and remote learning that are eligible uses of funding within the CARES Act.

ALEKS uses adaptive questioning to quickly and accurately determine what a student knows and does not know in a course. The platform then instructs the student on the topics h/she is most ready to learn.

McGraw Hill Rise is an ELA and Math supplemental solution for grades K–8 that is completely digital for today's remote learning environment and specifically designed to tackle learning loss.

If you have questions about how you can use these funds to meet your school district or needs, please contact a rep.

How much does each state receive from the DOE for the Education Stabilization Grant fund?

See the final ESSER Fund totals here for each state.

See the final Governor’s Fund (GEERF) total here.

Stay Informed

Six Steps to Helping Students Overcome Learning Loss

Higher Ed

McGraw Hill is committed to supporting institutions with access to affordable and high-quality learning resources and support services—proven to aid faculty in delivering great learning experiences and increasing student outcomes. As a result of the pandemic, faculty need more support designing and delivering engaging courses, whether they’re in person or online. Students need access to affordable and pedagogically sound course materials designed to enhance their understanding of key content and aid in engagement, persistence, and ultimately course completion.

Partner with McGraw Hill to learn more about how your institution can use CARES Act HEER Funding to increase equitable access, affordability, and outcomes for students while receiving comprehensive, world-class support for faculty and staff.

Access and Affordability

McGraw Hill offers a number of course material affordability programs aimed at increasing access to critical learning resources, while preserving freedom of choice for faculty and students. Through programs such as Inclusive Access, we are able to partner with institutions to deliver course materials to students at up to 75% off.  Our NEW McGraw Hill CARES Program offers special pricing on any course materials purchased in quantity with CARES Act HEER Funding for the institution, department, or class and provided to students at no charge.

Improving Student Outcomes with Market-Leading Platforms

Connect is a highly reliable, easy-to-use homework and assessment platform that provides faculty a flexible environment to deliver to students online content and robust learning tools—designed to enhance their educational experience. 

ALEKS is an adaptive, artificially intelligent Math & Chemistry learning system that provides students with an individualized learning experience tailored to their unique strengths and weaknesses—ensuring no matter the level students enter, they have the opportunity to finish in the same place.  Whether it’s ensuring students are college or course ready, placed correctly, or persisting through their area of study, we have the right solution within the ALEKS suite of learning platforms. 

Connect Virtual Labs is a fully online lab solution that can be used as an on-ground lab replacement, preparation, supplement, or make-up lab to bridge the gap between lab and lecture. Available for Anatomy & Physiology, Microbiology, Majors Biology, Non-Majors Biology, Human Biology, Environmental Science, Botany, Genetics, Medical Assisting, Nutrition, Chemistry, and Physics.

Support at Every Step

We recognize that faculty, staff, and students need to focus on teaching and learning, not trying to figure out how to access and configure our learning resources.  McGraw Hill has invested heavily in building a world-class support team to help get the most out of our solutions.  Whether faculty are looking to increase student engagement and retention or ensure proper course design for blended or online instruction at scale, McGraw Hill can help with our collection of self-service resources or a consultation with one of our Online Learning Consortium (OLC) Certified Faculty Consultants.

Let's figure it out, together! Schedule a time to talk about solutions for your institution.