Congresswoman Susan Wild, D-7th, has announced more than $86 million in emergency funding for colleges, universities and students in Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District under the American Rescue Plan.

The funding will help local institutions cope with the severe financial fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and continue serving their students safely.

At least half of the funding each institution receives will be distributed in the form of emergency cash assistance grants to students who are facing hunger, homelessness and other hardship.

The American Rescue Plan provides $36 billion for nearly 3,500 public and private, nonprofit colleges and universities nationwide.

“PA-07 is lucky enough to be home to some of the best colleges in the country,” Wild said on May 12. “When we are supporting our schools and students, we are supporting our community.

“The American Rescue Plan makes a historic investment that will secure the future of these institutions and provide struggling students with urgent relief that will allow them to stay on track, complete their education and continue bolstering the skilled workforce here in our district.

“I worked hard to join the Education and Labor Committee because I knew PA-07 needed a powerful advocate who would fight for PA-07 students and institutions of higher learning.

“This critical relief funding is a key part of that work, and I’m committed to making sure that we will continue to put students and colleges first as we recover from this devastating pandemic.”

The colleges and universities in Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District receiving funding under the American Rescue Plan include:

·Cedar Crest College: $4,004,246;

·DeSales Univ.: $5,375,059;

·Lafayette: $3,539,175;

·Lehigh Carbon Community College: $13,961,295;

·Lehigh Univ.: $9,244,359;

·Moravian: $5,407,348;

·Muhlenberg: $4,130,892;

·Northampton Community College: $22,546,003;

·East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania: $17,986,414; and

·*Pennsylvania State University: $150,013,876. This funding is allocated to Pennsylvania State University as a whole, including Pennsylvania State University-Lehigh Valley.

Students should contact their institutions for more information about how they can apply for an emergency grant.

The American Rescue Plan also includes nearly $3 billion in additional funding - which will be distributed at a later date - for historically Black colleges and universities, tribal colleges and universities, other minority-serving institutions, and other under-resourced institutions.

To read more about emergency education funding under the American Rescue Plan, go to ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-makes-available-36-billion-american-rescue-plan-funds-support-students-and-institutions.