Here is a closer look at the higher education relief fund and the controversy surrounding it.

Why were Harvard and other colleges receiving federal money?

The Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund was created as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act. Known as the CARES Act, it was passed by Congress in late March to provide economic assistance for workers, families, small businesses, students and schools affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Colleges and universities have been among the institutions facing the biggest losses. Beginning in about mid-March, they ordered most students to evacuate dormitories and campuses. They shut down dining halls, libraries, gyms and science centers, and moved classes online.

The cost of these shutdowns was high, and schools are still not sure whether they will be able to open normally in the fall. Senior executives at many universities have taken pay cuts; faculty salaries have been frozen and construction projects suspended. Many schools have returned unused room and board fees and continued to pay contract workers even when they are not needed.

The relief package included nearly $14 billion to help higher education, and institutions said much more was needed. About half of the money is designated for emergency grants to students to cover food, housing, course materials, technology, and health care needs associated with the disruption caused by the virus.

How was the money awarded?

Almost all of the higher education relief money, $12.6 billion, was designated by Congress for about 4,500 colleges and universities that are eligible for federal financial aid, ranging from Ivy League universities to trade schools.

The rest was reserved for institutions that primarily serve minority populations, and for grants to institutions that were particularly hard hit by the virus, mainly smaller colleges whose economic survival is threatened.

The distribution formula set by Congress is based on the federal financial aid distribution system, weighted toward students who receive federal Pell Grants. The bigger a school’s student body, and the more low-income students, the more money a school is entitled to receive.