WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced today that nearly $3 billion will quickly be made available to governors to ensure education continues for students of all ages impacted by the coronavirus national emergency. The Governor's Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Fund, authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, is an extraordinarily flexible "emergency block grant" designed to enable governors to decide how best to meet the needs of students, schools (including charter schools and non-public schools), postsecondary institutions, and other education-related organizations.

"Governors have the opportunity to truly rethink and transform the approach to education during this national emergency and ensure learning continues," said Secretary DeVos. "At a time when so many school boards and superintendents have shut down learning for the balance of the school year, I want to encourage each and every governor to focus on continuity of education for all students. Parents, families, teachers and other local education leaders are depending on their leadership to ensure students don't fall behind."

In an effort to get these emergency funds to states as quickly as possible, the Department has streamlined the application process and reduced the red tape and delays typically associated with the award of federal grant funds; all that is required is the completion of a brief application, which can be digitally signed and submitted in PDF to the email address GEERF@ed.gov.

The application, including instructions to apply, is available on the Department's website at https://oese.ed.gov/offices/education-stabilization-fund/governors-emergency-education-relief-fund/. Once states have submitted the signed PDF, the Department expects to obligate the funds within three business days.

To see state allocations for the GEER Fund click here.

Today's announcement comes on the heels of the Secretary's quick action to implement the CARES Act and distribute more than $6 billion to colleges and universities to provide direct emergency cash grants to college students whose lives and educations have been disrupted by the coronavirus outbreak.

The Department continues to update ed.gov/coronavirus with information for students, parents, educators and local leaders about how to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

For more information about COVID-19, please visit the following websites: coronavirus.gov, cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html, and usa.gov/coronavirus.