Wright State Campus | Photo by Kayli Thompson | The Wright State Guardian
On Oct. 23, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted announced a $419.5 million CARES Act package in the works to aid Ohioans impacted financially by the continued spread of the coronavirus.
CARES Act recipients
“We know that Ohioans are hurting, and the needs are great. We must do what we can to help them through this crisis,” said Gov. DeWine in a press release on Oct 23. “Providing financial support to small businesses, the arts, and nonprofits will help them keep the doors open and Ohioans employed. For Ohioans in need, this assistance will help them stay in their homes, which can make all the difference.”
The CARES Act package will be divided among small businesses, restaurants, bars, hospitals, higher education, art programs, nonprofits and low-income families in Ohio. Applications for the CARES Act opened on Nov. 2.
Local impact
The City of Dayton Commission has been awarded $17.3 million from the CARES Act package to delegate however they choose. As of now, over $250,000 has been approved to be distributed as grants to a variety of restaurants and event centers in the Dayton area.
“All of the grants support safe operations during COVID-19 by funding improvements that create social distancing, provide sanitation or alter the operations of the business to accommodate new ways of doing business required due to the health crisis,” said City of Dayton Planner Susan Vincent.
CARES Act at Wright State University
In May, Wright State University (WSU) received $5,070,423 from the U.S Department of Education to provide direct relief to students who experienced disruption due to the coronavirus during the spring semester.
“The CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) provides funding to institutions to provide emergency financial aid grants to students whose lives have been disrupted, many of whom are facing financial challenges and struggling to make ends meet due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said WSU at the time of the CARES Act announcement.
As of now, there has not yet been an indication as to whether or not WSU will be receiving funding from the CARES Act package, nor what the university may do with these funds if received.
WSU was contacted in regard to this story, but was unavailable to comment at this time.
