Grants for Mental Health Services Available through Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund III
Overview
The American Rescue Plan (APR) provided $40 billion in emergency grant funding
under the HEERF III, which can be awarded to students for mental health care services
in addition to other emergency costs related to coronavirus.
Use Funding for “Retention and Reengagement”
According to a press release by the U.S. Department of Education from May 11, 2021,
“Institutions can use their funds to help retain students by providing academic or mental
health support systems for students.” Likewise, funding specific to HEERF III can be
allocated to “emergency costs that arise to coronavirus, such as: tuition; food; housing;
health care (including mental); childcare.”
META’s mental health platform qualifies as both a service to support student retention and re-engagement following the emotional impact from COVID-19, and towards costs to support student mental health care. These funds can be directly applied to the META
platform fee and to cover session costs for students.
Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
Q: Can institutions use the HEERF III emergency grants to pay for META?
Yes, allowable expenditures and activities include “supporting coping and resilience for students” which applies to the platform fee for META Teletherapy. Additionally, META
“connects people with resources and services to meet their physical, spiritual, and mental
health needs” as outlined in the CDC Guidance for Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs).
Q: Which students are eligible for sessions paid for by the HEERF emergency funds?
Any enrolled student may qualify, including refugees, asylum seekers, DACA recipients,
and similar undocumented students. Institutions may be required to allocate a portion to Pell Grant recipients, a practice META has done in the past to reach students with exceptional needs first.
Q: How long do institutions have to use the HEERF III funds?
Institutions have one year from the date of their most recent grant obligation was processed by ED to spend all of their HEERF funds, including funds from HEERF I & II.
Contact META today to allocate your grant money towards the implementation of META and to cover costs for student sessions.