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CARES Act HEERF Reporting

Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund of the CARES Act

California Western School of Law (“CWSL”) reports the following regarding its Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) activities under section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act:

  • CWSL signed and returned the initial CARES Section 18004(a)(1) certification and agreement form in April 2020. Additional 18004(a)(1) funds were subsequently allocated to CWSL under CRRSAA and ARP, as well as funds under Section 18004(a)(3).
  • CWSL has been allocated a total of $928,133 under Section 18004(a)(1) and has agreed to distribute at least $434,170 as emergency financial aid grants to students. A total of $588,009 under 18004(a)(3) has been allocated to CWSL, of which at least $284,719 will be distributed as emergency financial aid grants to students.
  • As of June 30, 2022, CWSL has distributed $433,420 in grants to students under Section 18004(a)(1), and $247,878 under Section 18004(a)(3). A total of 616 students have received 18004(a)(1) and/or (a)(3) grants.
  • The estimated total number of students at the institution currently eligible to receive an emergency financial aid grant as of June 2022 is 650. Awards were initially limited to FAFSA filers, but eligibility was later expanded to also include non-filers residing in the United States.
  • CWSL initially estimated that its students had typically incurred at least $250 of unexpected costs relating to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus; this was used as a “basic needs” number, but students could request up to $1000 if they had additional related costs (e.g. a computer purchase). Subsequent revisions to the policy set an annual cap of $2000.
  • A CWSL committee composed of faculty and staff reviews emergency grant applications; applications that meet the program criteria are awarded CARES funds where possible, to the program limit or to the amount supported by the application. In situations where CARES funds cannot be awarded, applications are reviewed for possible non-CARES emergency relief grants.
  • CWSL publicizes its emergency relief grants in periodic emails to students and on its COVID-19 page in the student portal, which potential applicants should visit for the application and additional information.

The most recent quarterly reporting on the institutional portion of Section 18004(a)(1) funds and Section 18004(a)(3) funds is available via PDF.