Workforce Policy
Equity and Emergency: COVID-19 Relief Funding at Historically and Predominantly Black Community Colleges in the South
This report, Equity and Emergency: COVID-19 Relief Funding at Historically and Predominantly Black Community Colleges in the South, examines the unprecedented $2.7 billion in Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) allocations to Black community colleges in the South.
The COVID-19 pandemic was catastrophic for Black Americans’ economic well-being. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Black adults faced higher rates of food and housing insecurity and were more likely to have taken on debt to pay for household expenses.1 As Black families in America faced more challenging economic and mental health hardships than their peers, it is no wonder the cost and commitments of higher education were difficult to maintain.2
The Joint Center’s 2022 report, “The State of Black Students at Community Colleges,” examined the educational and economic outcomes for Black students who attended community colleges and underscored the role of community colleges as tools for economic recovery amid the COVID-19 pandemic. When compared to their peers of other races, Black students are disproportionately overrepresented at community colleges, more likely to be awarded certificates than degrees, experience the lowest graduation rates, and earn $20,000 less post-graduation. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated decreasing enrollment trends for Black enrollment. In fact, Black students’ community college enrollment declined by 21 percent from fall 2019 to fall 2021.3
To help higher education institutions combat the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress allocated nearly $80 billion for higher education institutions (including $25 billion for community colleges) through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF).4 This unprecedented funding required higher education institutions to disburse emergency student aid directly to students for costs such as food, housing, healthcare, and tools needed for online learning. The institutions also received funding to address institutional needs, such as campus safety, online instruction training, COVID prevention practices, internet access, and unemployment aid.
This report examines HEERF allocations to 39 community colleges across 10 states in the South with federal designation as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) or Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs), the emergency aid they disbursed to students, and their purchases to address institutional needs.
Read the report here.
1 Lindsay M. Monte and Daniel J. Perez-Lopez, “How the Pandemic Affected Black and White Households,” (Washington: U.S. Census Bureau, July 2021).
2 Ibid.
3 National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, “Current Term Enrollment Estimates: Fall 2024 Expanded Edition,” (Herndon: National Student Clearinghouse Research Center January, 2025
4 U.S. Department of Education, “Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund Allocations,” (Washington: U.S. Department of Education, last accessed February 26, 2025).
