Gov. Doug Burgum today announced that $2.5 million in emergency grant relief has been awarded to North Dakota colleges and universities to support modified learning and workforce training enhancements during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Fund, created by the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), allows the governor to provide support to local educational agencies and institutions of higher education. North Dakota received approximately $5.93 million in GEER funding from the U.S. Department of Education, $2.5 million of which was made available to higher education through a competitive grant process.
“These grants will ensure our colleges and universities continue to have the resources and equipment they need to provide critical workforce training and education across the state,” Burgum said.
Over 40 proposals were received totaling more than $7.5 million for the competitive grants. Grants awarded will provide the needed resources to enhance training for students in the health care, manufacturing and energy industries, fund technology improvements needed for modified classrooms and support the creation of curriculum to adapt to education during and after the pandemic. A list of the grant awards is available here.
A competitive grant process also was held for GEER funding for K-12 education. Those applications are still being evaluated.
For more information on North Dakota’s COVID-19 response, visit www.health.nd.gov/coronavirus or www.ndresponse.gov.