SCDE Announces $15M in Emergency Assistance Funding to 19 Non-Public Schools

Press Release

Columbia, S.C. – The South Carolina Department of Education has announced $15,025,386.68 in federal funding for 19 nonpublic schools in South Carolina. The funds are part of the second round of allocations to states under the Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools (EANS) program, originally authorized under the 2021 Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act and continued under the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act.

“Congress appropriated EANS funding to states to ensure that children who attend private and parochial schools have access to the resources needed to rebound from the pandemic,” said State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman. “The South Carolina Department of Education has administered these funds in coordination with the Governor’s Office and with the help and support of our non-public school partners know that they will be used to serve the best interests of students, families, and educators.”

In September of 2021, the Governor’s Office applied for the ARP EANS grant and South Carolina was awarded $40,560,267, of which, $40,357,466 was available to eligible nonprofit, nonpublic schools. Of the $40,357,466 awarded, $15,025,386.68 went to eligible schools, which includes $14,658,913.82 in direct assistance and $366,472.86 (2.5 percent) in fees incurred for processing payments to vendors. The remaining $25,332,079.32 in ARP EANS funding will revert to the Governor to be used for allowable uses under the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEER) program.

To receive the second round of federal funding, the eligibility for private schools were as follows:

• be established as a nonprofit entity;

• be in existence prior to March 13, 2020;

• be licensed, accredited, or otherwise approved to operate in accordance with State law;

• have not and will not apply for and receive a loan under the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) (15 U.S.C. 636(a)(37)) that is made on or after December 27, 2020;

• have enrolled at least 20% of students from low-income families during the 2020-2021 school year;

• have been most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The Catholic schools in South Carolina have experienced tremendous challenges in a COVID-19 environment, however, because of a strong partnership with the South Carolina Department of Education, we’ve been able to meet the demands of this unusual time with more resources for our most important asset: the children of South Carolina,” said Michael Acquilano, Director of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston.

To view the 19 non-public schools and the amount of financial assistance each school received, please click here. The full list of allowable uses can be found here.

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