Cornyn: Houston Area Schools Receive $145M in Federal Grants for Coronavirus Response

Senator John Cornyn

Funding Comes from the CARES Act, Passed by the Senate Last Month

WASHINGTON – Several Houston area schools will receive $145,005,569 in federal grants to respond to the effects of the coronavirus outbreak, U.S. Senator John Cornyn announced.  The grant funding comes from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund authorized by the CARES Act, which Sen. Cornyn supported in the Senate last month.  At least fifty percent of each grant must go towards providing students with emergency financial aid grants to help cover expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to the coronavirus, and the CARES Act allows each institution discretion in how to award this assistance to its students.

“No Texan should have to give up their education because of the economic effects of the coronavirus,” said Sen. Cornyn.  “In addition to allowing students to defer their federal student loan payments for six months, the CARES Act provides targeted funding to Texas institutions to help students continue their education – even if that means taking classes online.”

In total, Texas institutions of higher education were awarded more than $1 billion of the $14 billion available.

School Total Aid Student Aid Portion City
University Of Houston $36,703,283 $18,351,642 Houston
University Of Houston – Clear Lake $5,555,369 $2,777,685 Houston
University Of Houston – Downtown $9,456,650 $4,728,325 Houston
Texas Southern University $11,796,898 $5,898,449 Houston
University Of Texas Health Science Center At Houston $1,995,703 $997,852 Houston
University Of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center $285,840 $142,920 Houston
Rice University $3,433,160 $1,716,580 Houston
Houston Baptist University $2,615,603 $1,307,802 Houston
Houston Community College $28,294,391 $14,147,196 Houston
Interactive College Of Technology $2,503,478 $1,251,739 Houston
Lone Star College System $28,823,255 $14,411,628 The Woodlands
Alvin Community College $2,277,498 $1,138,749 Alvin
San Jacinto Community College District $8,950,463 $4,475,232 Pasadena
Galveston College $1,212,226 $606,113 Galveston
University Of Texas Medical Branch At Galveston $1,101,752 $550,876 Galveston

Sen. Cornyn’s website has additional resources for Texans during the coronavirus outbreak here.

Senator John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas, is a member of the Senate Finance, Intelligence, and Judiciary Committees.