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Hanover Research: Higher Education Research Grant Alerts

For the next several weeks, our regular Grant Alerts update emails will lead off with a comprehensive overview of the funding landscape pertaining to the COVID-19 response effort. This email is a new version of our Grant Alerts email from yesterday (March 30) with updated links/data.

Hanover is closely monitoring developments surrounding COVID-19 and how it has and may continue to impact the higher education community. This resource center provides key facts, resources, and potential responses to this rapidly evolving situation. Our dedicated COVID-19 support email (covid19-support@hanoverresearch.com) can be used to ask any questions related to COVID-19. In addition, and as always, your dedicated Content Director and Relationship Director also are ready to help with custom research solutions to the challenges you are facing. 

For this week’s Grant Alerts, our regular (non-COVID-19) federal and foundation grant announcements will be replaced by an overview of the Senate’s recently passed $2 trillion federal stimulus package. Standard profiles will resume in the near future.

 

Overview of COVID-19 Senate Stimulus Bill (CARES Act)

 

The White House and Senate have agreed to a $2 trillion stimulus bill to ease the economic impact during the COVID-19 epidemic. Passed by the House on March 27, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) includes, among other initiatives:

  • $500 billion in loans for cities, states and businesses;
  • $349 billion in loans for small businesses (i.e., those with fewer than 500 employees);
  • $150 billion in emergency aid for state, local, and tribal governments;
  • $117 billion for hospitals and health care providers; and
  • $31 billion for an Education Stabilization Fund for states, school districts and institutions of higher education for costs related to the coronavirus.

Department of Education

According to the CARES Act, the Department of Education will receive $30.75 billion for an Education Stabilization Fund for states, school districts, and institutions of higher education for costs related to the coronavirus. The allotted funding is apportioned as follows: 9.8% for the Governor’s Relief Fund, 43.9% for elementary and secondary education, and 46.3% for higher education.

 

Governor’s Relief Fund

Governors in each state will receive a share of $3 billion for emergency support grants. Funds are allocated to state governors according to the formula: 60% based on the size of the population aged 5–24, 40% on the basis of relative total population. Governors may use funds for emergency support to LEAs; emergency support to IHEs; or to support any other education-related entity that has been impacted by the coronavirus.

 

Elementary and Secondary Education

For elementary and secondary education, $13.5 billion will be available for formula grants to states, 90% of which will be allotted in the same proportion that each state received funding under ESSA Title IA in the most recent fiscal year (2019-2020). The remaining 10% may be reserved for emergency needs by the state.

LEAs may use funding for any activity authorized by the Vento Homeless Assistance Act, as well as for the following activities:

  • Coordination of preparedness and response efforts of local educational agencies public health departments;
  • Providing principals and other school leaders with the resources necessary to address the needs of their individual schools;
  • Activities to address the unique needs of low-income children or students, children with disabilities, and other vulnerable populations;
  • Developing and implementing procedures and systems to improve the preparedness and response efforts of local educational agencies;
  • Training and professional development for staff of the local educational agency on sanitation and minimizing the spread of infectious diseases;
  • Purchasing supplies to sanitize and clean facilities;
  • Planning for and coordinating during long-term closures;
  • Purchasing educational technology;
  • Providing mental health services;
  • Planning and implementing activities related to summer learning and supplemental afterschool programs; and
  • Other activities necessary to maintain operations.

Finally, ED is allowing the waiving of testing requirements and reporting obligations of academic standards for state and local education agencies.

 

Higher Education

For higher education, $14.25 billion will be available for to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus. This funding will be allotted to each IHE according to the relative share of full-time equivalent enrollment of Federal Pell Grant recipients (75% on its share of Pell FTE students, and 25% on non-Pell FTE students).

Funds may be used to defray expenses for lost revenue, technology costs associated with adopting distance education, and grants to students for health care, food, housing, course materials, and related needs. Notably, funding cannot be used to pay contractors for pre-enrollment recruitment activities; for endowments; or for capital outlays associated with facilities for athletics, secretarial instruction, or religious worship. At least half of funds must be used for emergency financial aid grants to students due to coronavirus-related disruption.

In addition, for 2019-2020 and 2020-2021, ED will waive the obligation for IHEs to match federal grants for campus-based aid programs with an equivalent amount (for non-profit institutions only). Institutions will also be permitted to allocate funds previously assigned to work-study programs to supplemental grants. IHEs will be permitted to award additional emergency financial aid funds to students that have been impacted by the coronavirus, and will also be allowed to issue work-study payments as lump sums to students who are not able to work due to closures. ED is also allowing for the waiving or modification of current allowable uses of funds for institutional grant programs, and will waive certain outcome requirements for grant programs for HBCUs and other MSIs.

 

Timeline

The CARES Act states (for the Education Stabilization Fund) that: “The Secretary shall issue a notice inviting applications not later than 30 days of enactment of this Act and approve or deny applications not later than 30 days after receipt,” indicating an announcement in April with a due date in May. For the Governor’s Relief Fund, grants will be awarded “to the governor of each state with an approved application.” For elementary and secondary education, grants are awarded “to each state educational agency with an approved application.” For higher education, the CARES Act states that funding will be awarded directly to IHEs (without a timeline).

Other Federal Giving

In addition to the education stimulus listed above, many other federal agencies and departments are receiving funding through the CARES Act. While some funds are clearly earmarked for internal costs (e.g., operations, payroll) and are therefore not listed below, other funding will be at least partially distributed through external grants and/or contracts. The most likely candidates for external funding are listed below. We will provide updates on external grant competitions as more data becomes available.

Department of Health and Human Services

  • Administration for Community Living: $955M for aging and disability services programs, of which $50M is allotted for aging and disability resource centers.
  • Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response: $127B, including a new program to provide grants to hospitals and health providers to assist with unreimbursed health care related expenses or other loss of revenue due to the coronavirus. $27B will go to the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to support research and development of vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics to prevent or treat the effects of the novel coronavirus.
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: $4.3B to support federal, state, and local public health agencies, including:
    • $1.5B for purchase of personal protective equipment, laboratory testing, contact tracing, infection control, and related activities;
    • $1.5B to support quarantine efforts, purchase and distribution of diagnostic test kits, support for laboratory testing, workforce training programs, and related activities
    • $500M for global disease detection and emergency response;
    • $500M for public health data surveillance and modernizing infrastructure; and
    • $300M for the Infectious Diseases Rapid Response Reserve Fund, to address immediate response activities during outbreaks.
  • Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services: $200M, of which $100M is allotted for necessary expenses of the survey and certification program, prioritizing nursing home facilities in localities with community transmission of coronavirus.
  • Food and Drug Administration: $80M for work on medical counter-measures, therapies, vaccines, and research.
  • Health Resources and Services Administration: $275M, including $90M for Ryan White HIV/AIDS programs and $185M to support rural hospitals, telehealth, and poison control centers. Notably, the CARES Act also renews various existing HRSA health professions workforce programs, such as the Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program and Nursing Workforce Diversity program, which were reauthorized at roughly similar funding levels.
  • Indian Health Services: ~$1B billion for public health support, electronic health record modernization, telehealth and other information technology upgrades, Purchased/Referred Care, Catastrophic Health Emergency Fund, Urban Indian Organizations, Tribal Epidemiology Centers, Community Health Representatives, and other activities to protect the safety of patients and staff.
  • National Institutes of Health: $945M to support research on the coronavirus’s transmission and the natural history of infection, new approaches to diagnosing the disease, and developing countermeasures. Breakdown by IC is as follows:
    • National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute: $103.4M
    • National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases: $706M, of which $156M will be provided for the study of, construction of, demolition of, renovation of, and acquisition of equipment for, vaccine and infectious diseases research facilities of or used by NIH (leaving $550M for possible external funding).
    • National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering: $60M
    • National Library of Medicine: $10M
    • NIH Office of the Director: $30M
  • Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: $425M for health surveillance and program support, of which $250M is allotted for the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic Expansion Grant program, and $50M is allotted for suicide prevention programs.

Other Federal Entities

  • Department of Agriculture: $25M in additional funding for the Distance Learning, Telemedicine, and Broadband Program.
  • Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration: $1.5B for economic development assistance programs.
  • Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology: $6M for Scientific and Technical Research And Services to support continuity of operations, including measurement science to support viral testing and biomanufacturing, $60M for Industrial Technology Services, and $10M for the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation to support development and manufacturing of medical countermeasures and biomedical equipment and supplies.
  • Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: $20M for operations, research, and facilities.
  • Department of Defense, Defense Health Program: $415M for research, development, testing and evaluation.
  • Department of Energy: $99.5M to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus for necessary expenses related to providing support and access to scientific user facilities in the Office of Science and National Nuclear Security Administration, including equipment, enabling technologies, and personnel associated with the operations of those scientific user facilities.
  • Department of Housing and Urban Development, Community Development Block Grant: $5B for states, counties, and cities, including for the expansion of community health facilities, child care centers, food banks, and senior services. $2B will be allocated to states according to the 2020 CDBG formula, $1B will help states to support a coordinated response across their communities, and $2B will help states and units of local government, cities, and counties based on coronavirus risk to economic and housing issues.
  • Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration: $345M for training and employment services. In addition, existing DOL Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act funds reserved by a Governor for program year 2019 for statewide activities that remain unobligated may be used for statewide rapid response activities.
  • Environmental Protection Agency: $1.5M for research methods on reducing the risks from environmental transmission of the coronavirus via contaminated services or materials.
  • Institute of Museum and Library Services: $50M for grants to states, territories, and tribes to expand digital network access, purchase internet accessible devices, and provide technical support services.
  • National Endowment for the Arts: $75M to be distributed in grants.
  • National Endowment for the Humanities: $75M to be distributed in grants; 40% for state humanities councils and 60% for direct grants.
  • National Science Foundation: $75M for research and related activities. The Senate summary of the bill adds additional context, stating that this funding will “support research at molecular, cellular, physiological and ecological levels to better understand coronavirus genetics, modes of action, transmission, virulence and population dynamics.”

 

* * *

 

This section comprises our weekly update for the federal response to COVID-19 (apart from the $2 trillion stimulus, outlined above).

COVID-19 Federal Response

The following funding opportunities were profiled in last week’s COVID-19 update, and remain viable to approach:

1. National Science Foundation

The NSF announced a new Dear Colleague Letter, Request for SBIR/STTR Phase I Proposals Addressing COVID-19. Areas of research that might be considered include, but are not limited to: artificial intelligence, digital health, diagnostics, distributed ledger, environmental technologies, medical devices, pharmaceutical technologies, disinfection and sterilization, and filtration and separations. Proposals should be submitted to the standard NSF SBIR/STTR portal, where applications are accepted on a rolling basis with quarterly deadlines.

 

2. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

HHS announced a number of COVID-19 updates to existing NIH funding opportunities:

HHS also announced a new NIH NOSI:

Finally, HHS announced that the NIAID/NIGMS NOSI posted last week is now being rescinded and split into separate NOSIs for NIAID and NIGMS.

The central funding mechanisms, depending on IC and award type—contact the Program Officer to verify—for NOSI COVID emergency funding are as follows:

3. Other Federal Departments and Agencies

Resource hubs:

Other guidance:

Notably, many of the departments and agencies listed above have announced industry partnerships, internal laboratory efforts, and other initiatives; more external funding opportunities pertaining to COVID-19 will likely be announced in the near future. There are two recent non-HHS / non-NSF federal opportunities of note:

  • The Department of Energy released a Dear Colleague Letter “encouraging scientific questions that underpin COVID-19 response that the research community may answer using DOE user facilities, computational resources, and enabling infrastructure.” Research questions that the scientific community may address with DOE resources should be sent via email to DCL@science.doe.gov (no other details are provided).
  • In addition, DOD’s Department of the Army has announced a potential request for project proposals for a program entitled Prototype Development to Combat COVID-19. DOD believes that an emphasis will be placed on technologies that can be deployed as soon as possible but no later than December 31, 2020, including point-of-care testing; therapeutics; disease predictive modeling; and patient tracking systems. DOD projects that there may be tens of millions of dollars available, with a likelihood for follow-on funding. If and when this program is announced, Hanover will provide an update.

4. Foundation/Corporate Response

Generally speaking, private foundations are continuing to respond quickly to the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing for delayed applications, removing restrictions on funding, and accommodating disruptions to their regular grant competitions.

Many funders are also providing new COVID-19 funding initiatives (i.e., in addition to standard giving) to support affected populations and institutions:

  • Google has announced a $20 million program providing Google Cloud research credits. Companies, government agencies, non-profit organizations and academic institutions are eligible to apply for COVID-19 related research credits, leveraging Google’s computing capabilities and infrastructure to study potential therapies and vaccines, track critical data, and identify new ways to combat COVID-19. Online applications are accepted here.
  • Microsoft, C3.ai, and various universities have announced a call for proposals through the Digital Transformation Institute entitled AI Techniques to Mitigate Pandemic. Topics for research awards may include but are not limited to the following: Applying machine learning and other AI methods to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic; Genome-specific COVID-19 medical protocols, including precision medicine of host responses; Biomedical informatics methods for drug design and repurposing; Design and sharing of clinical trials for collecting data on medications, therapies, and interventions; Modeling, simulation, and prediction for understanding COVID-19 propagation and efficacy of interventions; Logistics and optimization analysis for design of public health strategies and interventions; Rigorous approaches to designing sampling and testing strategies; Data analytics for COVID-19 research harnessing private and sensitive data; and Improving societal resilience in response to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. The first call for proposals is open now, with a deadline of May 1, 2020.
  • Amazon has announced a $20 million AWS Diagnostic Development Initiative (DDI) to provide support for innovation in rapid and accurate patient testing for COVID-19 and other diagnostic solutions to mitigate future outbreaks. Although vaccine and treatment development research is generally funded by private foundations and government agencies, fast and reliable diagnostic techniques are slow to be developed. Accurate testing and diagnosis at point-of-care or regional locations for patients with COVID-19 is critical to early intervention and treatment. AWS is offering technical support and providing AWS promotional credits to support the use of AWS services to advance diagnostic research for selected institutions and companies. The program is open to accredited research institutions, research consortia, and private entities that are AWS customers. Individuals who apply must apply on behalf of their organization and not in their personal capacity. Applications are accepted online here and are due by June 30, 2020.
  • The American Heart Association recently announced Rapid Response Grant: COVID-19 and Its Cardiovascular Impact, which aims to better understand the pathobiology and the clinical implications of the viral infection that leads to the morbidity and mortality seen with COVID-19. Grants are up to $100,000, including up to 10 percent indirect costs. The AHA plans on funding at least 10 awards as well as a nationwide coordinating center. Applications should be submitted to apply@heart.org (see above link for details) and are due very soon: April 6, 2020.
  • Campus Consortium, a non-profit education association, has announced two grant competitions: the C19 Work From Home Cybersecurity Grant is designed to give institutions the ability to secure access to enterprise systems and applications as students, faculty and staff take online courses and work from home, by providing licenses and implementation services (up to $100,000). The C19 Artificial Intelligence for Rapid Reponse Grant is designed to help schools address high call and query volume by providing an AI-enabled chat service (up to $50,000). Deadlines will pass very soon for both programs: April 3, 2020.

Many prominent corporations and foundation funders have launched COVID-19 relief funds (as mentioned previously, e.g., A Call to Action: Philanthropy's Commitment During Covid-19). In addition to the wide variety of foundation responses listed in last week’s Grant Alerts, notable new announcements include:
NON-COVID-19 FEDERAL GRANTS

To be resumed in the near future.
NON-COVID-19 FOUNDATION GRANTS

To be resumed in the near future.

Questions?

We'll be happy to help you find the right grants opportunity for your organization.
 
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About Hanover Research: Founded in 2003, Hanover Research is a global research and analytics firm that delivers market intelligence through a unique, fixed-fee model to more than 1,000 clients. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, Hanover employs high-caliber market researchers, analysts, and account executives to provide a service that is revolutionary in its combination of flexibility and affordability. Hanover was named a Top 50 Market Research Firm by the American Marketing Association in 2015, 2016, and 2017, and has also been twice named a Washington Business Journal Fastest Growing Company. To learn more about Hanover Research, visit www.hanoverresearch.com.