Following steadfast support for New York’s colleges and universities throughout the pandemic, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer announced that the recently-signed American Rescue Plan includes an estimated $2.6 billion for New York’s public, private, and proprietary institutions of higher education.
Schumer said that public and non-profit schools will use half of their award on emergency financial aid grants to students to help them with college costs and basic needs like housing, food, and healthcare. The other half of the funds will allow institutions to provide additional student support activities, and to cover a variety of institutional costs, including lost revenue, reimbursement for expenses already incurred, technology costs associated with a transition to distance education, faculty and staff trainings, and payroll. Proprietary schools must use their awards exclusively to provide financial aid grants to students.
This funding announced today is in addition to the $2.4 billion Schumer secured for New York’s institutions of higher education in the past CoViD relief bills. In total, Schumer has secured over $5 billion for New York’s colleges and universities in the past year.
Estimated breakdown by region below and school-by-school breakdown attached.
| REGION | GRANT TOTALS |
| Capital Region | $152,442,000 |
| Southern Tier | $161,998,000 |
| Western New York | $204,258,000 |
| Hudson Valley | $219,696,000 |
| Rochester-Finger Lakes | $163,842,000 |
| Central New York | $116,562,000 |
| Mohawk Valley | $68,764,000 |
| North Country | $64,991,000 |
| Long Island | $257,676,000 |
| New York City | $1,207,644,000 |
| Total | $2,617,873,000 |
