Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF)

Jump to a section:

• CRF Grant Code 4012
• CRF Grant Code 5012
• CRF Grant Code 6012 (Safe Schools Reopening Grant)

The CARES Act established the $150 billion Coronavirus Relief Fund to support states with expenses due to the public health emergency with respect to the COVID–19 incurred from March 1, 2020, to Dec. 30, 2020. In May 2020, Gov. Polis directed the transfer of $510 million from the State of Colorado’s CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Fund to CDE to be awarded to school districts, the Charter School Institute, the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind and facility schools on a per pupil basis. Additionally, each BOCES in the state received $25,000.

A provision within the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act extends the use of CRF until Dec. 31, 2021.

Addendum A to the Executive Order outlines the allowable uses for the CRF funds.

For questions related to CRF reporting, please contact Jennifer Austin at Austin_j@cde.state.co.us.

Resources

5012 is the At-Risk Share of CRF totaling $37M.

Given districts may spend the CRF funds on any costs associated with at-risk pupils, as they would their typical General Fund State Share payment, we assume that most of the 5012 funds will be spent on personnel costs

• Personnel costs could include Instructional Salaries and Benefits
• Other costs could include devices to facilitate distance learning, cleaning and sanitizing supplies, PPE, as well as other costs incurred by the district

As these costs need to be associated with at-risk pupils, districts can use the projected or actual at-risk pupils as a percent of total pupils to apply against the selected costs to determine the amount that can be charged to this CRF grant code.

• Projected student counts can come from those incorporated into the FY 2020-21 School Finance Act
• Actual student counts can come from Student October Data Pipeline "School Summary of Pupil Count" report
• This calculation can be done at the district level - It is not necessary to do this calculation at the school level

Resources

In addition to CRF distribution to districts, CDE managed the Safe Schools Reopening Grant (SSRG) in partnership with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). This $15 million in one-time grant funding provided local educational agencies (LEAs - school districts and BOCES) with public schools struggling to return to in-person learning.

Learn more about the Safe Schools Reopening Grant