Maine colleges to receive $41M in emergency aid; transit gets $83M

FILE PHOTO / MAUREEN MILLIKEN Colby College was awarded $1.2 million in federal stimulus funds as part of a $41.1 million in the first round of funding for Maine colleges and universities.

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By Staff

More than two dozen Maine institutions of higher education will receive $41.6 million in the first round of federal relief funding for colleges and universities through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Of that amount, at least $20.5 million must be used for emergency financial aid grants to students, according to a news release.

With the funds, colleges and universities will offer direct aid to students to help them pay for items such as food, housing, course materials, technology, health care and child care. Schools may also use their funding to purchase technology to expand remote learning and to defray costs associated with lost revenue.

“This investment will help Maine’s institutions of higher education offset the economic harm they have experienced due to the coronavirus, ensure faculty have the tools they need to continue to provide quality instruction, and support students,” U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said in the release.

Nationwide, the CARES Act provides several different methods for distributing roughly $14 billion in funds to institutions of higher education. The most significant portion of that funding provides $12.56 billion to institutions using a formula based on student enrollment. Of that amount, at least 50% must be for emergency financial aid grants to help cover student expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus.

The act provides institutions with discretion on how to award the emergency assistance to students. Each institution may develop its own system and process for determining how to allocate the funds, which may include distributing the funds to all students or only to students who demonstrate significant need.

Maine schools receiving funds include:

Bates College: $953,516
Bowdoin College: $1,123,660
Central Maine Community College: $1,882,719
Colby College: $1,244,996
College of The Atlantic: $303,385
Eastern Maine Community College: $1,426,773
Husson University: $2,674,616
Kennebec Valley Community College: $979,695
Maine College of Art: $507,454
Maine Maritime Academy: $876,568
Northeast Technical Institute: $303,535
Northern Maine Community College: $655,429
St. Joseph's College: $649,094
Southern Maine Community College: $2,897,298
Thomas College: $762,266
Unity College: $822,158
University of Maine: $7,603,694
University of Maine at Augusta: $1,351,526
University of Maine at Farmington: $2,158,052
University of Maine at Fort Kent: $626,037
University of Maine at Machias: $293,556
University of Maine at Presque Isle: $610,998
University of New England: $1,365,831
University of Southern Maine: $4,616,245
Washington County Community College: $341,449
York County Community College: $556,529

Transportation

The CARES Act also awarded $83.3 million to help Maine’s public transportation systems respond to the pandemic. The money is part of a $25 billion national allocation intended to help transit agencies continue service while facing declines in fare revenues.

“Many Mainers in both urban and rural communities depend on public transit, but these systems are facing financial pressures due to the ongoing pandemic. This investment will help ensure that public transportation remains strong and reliable so that people can access medical care, grocery stores, pharmacies, and other necessities during this difficult time,” Collins said in a separate news release.

The U.S. Department of Transportation is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other federal partners to provide guidance to the public transportation industry in response to the coronavirus.

Editor's Note: This article has been updated to include the funding award to Maine College of Art.