Emergency Financial Aid and Pandemic Relief

Are you experiencing financial hardship due to COVID-19? If so, you are eligible to apply for FREE money through grant funds.

Direct aid for students in need

Emergency relief grants like the CARES Act and the GSETG can be used to ease financial burdens issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, such as expenses incurred due to loss of employment, physical and mental health care, childcare, and the cost of college attendance.

Golden State Education and Training Grant

The Golden State Education and Training Grant (GSETG) Program supports Californians who lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic with a one-time grant of $2,500 for reskilling, up-skilling, and accessing educational programs to get back into the workforce. This grant program is facilitated by the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC).

Apply Online About the Grant Program

You're eligible if you...

  • Were displaced from employment due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Were not enrolled in a training program or institution of higher education at the time of emplyment displacement.
  • Have been unable to obtain employment that provides an average monthly wage equal to or greater than the average monthly wage received from their employment prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Meet the income and asset criteria to be eligible for a Cal Grant A award.
  • Are enrolled in an educational program at an institution of higher education, an adult vocational or career training program provided by a K-12 school or community college.

How to Apply

The deadline to apply for a 2022-23 GSETG award is June 16. Submit the GSETG application by:

  1. Creating or logging to your CSAC account. To create an account, use the first-time user option.
  2. Complete the GSETG application. Applicants are not required to have filed a FAFSA or CA Dream Act application, but are encouraged to in order to potentially receive additional aid.

If you have any questions regarding the program, please email gsetgp@csac.ca.gov. 

Apply Frequent Questions (video)

Former Programs

Moreno Valley College, and the Riverside Community College District, distributed emergency aid to students in need through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) I and II funds from 2020 to 2023.

HEERF II

The Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund II (HEERF II) is authorized by the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (CRRSAA) to provide emergency grants to qualifying students. This was the second approved package of aid allocated to higher education institutions.

HEERF I

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act or, CARES Act, was passed by Congress on March 27, 2020. Of the $2.2 trillion allotted to the American people negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately $14 billion was given to the Office of Postsecondary Education as HEERF I.

CARES and HEERF Grant Distribution Information

A RCCD task force in consultation with student representatives determined how CARES Act and HEERF funds will be distributed based on Department of Education eligibility criteria and need. The application – along with a scoring rubric (see below) – will guide the task force in determining awards. Only students who submit an application and demonstrate a COVID-19 related need will be eligible for monies. Funds are limited. See below for current award amounts, quarterly reports, information on the scoring rubric, and more.

Category Total Funds
CARES Act Funding $1,840,922
HEERF Funding $1,840,922
ARP $8,442,171
Total Funding $12,124,015
Total Funds Dispersed $11,870,650
Remaining Funds
(as of September 30, 2022)		 $253,365

Student counts are duplicated as eligible students may receive aid each term.

Category and/or Cycle Number of Awards Amount of Aid Dispersed
Estimated Number of Eligible Students
(based on spring 2020 enrollment)		 8,730  
Total # of Awards 17,941  

Through December 2020

2,807 awards

$1,403,500 awarded

January 1 - March 31, 2021

783 awards

$717,500 awarded

April 1 - June 30, 2021

951 awards

$475,500 awarded

July 1 - September 30, 2021

1,016 awards

$508,500 awarded

October 1 - December 31, 2021

2,970 awards

$3,006,100 awarded

January 1 - March 31, 2022

5,000 awards

$3,587,350 awarded

April 1 - June 30, 2022

​1,084 awards

$353,775 awarded

July 1 - September 30, 2022

​2,386 awards

$1,764,975 awarded

October 1 - December 31, 2022

944 awards

$387,926 awarded

Student applications are evaluated based on two point-based rubrics with a maximum total of 22 points.

Based on Student Records (Total Points Possible: 9)

  • Pell Eligible (2 points)

  • California Promise Program Eligible (1 point)

  • EOPS (1 point)

  • Foster Youth (1 point)

  • Veteran (1 point)

  • Documented Disability (1 point)

  • CalWORKs (1 point)

  • First Generation (1 point)

Based on Application Answers (Total Points Possible: 13)

  • Reduction in work hours due to COVID 19

  • Student (1 point)

  • Family Member(s) (1 point)

  • Laid off due to COVID-19

  • Student (1 point)

  • Family Member(s) (1 point)

  • Food Insecurity / Hunger (1 point)

  • Housing Insecurity / Homelessness (1 point)

  • Food Cost (1 point)

  • Housing Cost (1 point)

  • Technology Expenses (1 point)

  • Health Care/Medical Expenses (1 point)

  • Child Care Expenses (1 point)

  • Transportation Expenses (1 point)

  • Other (1 point)

In addition to receiving funding for direct aid to students through the CARES Act: Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, RCCD and its three colleges received funding from the US Department of Education through CARES Act Sections 18004(a)(1) Institutional Portion, and 18004(a)(2), Support for Minority Serving Institutions, including Hispanic Serving Institutions. The Department of Education requires that each college post a Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Report. Follow the links below to access MVC's Quarterly CARES Report. For more information, contact the RCCD Grants Office or review RCCD's COVID-19 Funding Resources.

The Riverside Community College District and its colleges have signed and returned to the US Department of Education the Certification and Agreement and the assurance that the institution has used, or intends to use, no less than 50 percent of the funds received under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students. More information about the grants to students can be accessed on our COVID-19 Funding Resources page.