The Department of Education announced that all open Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) grants with a balance of $1,000 or more will receive an automatic extension until June 30, 2023.  

The notice outlines the following important points: 

• Institutions will not receive a new Grant Award Notification (GAN) with this new deadline;
• Institutions are not required to take any action to take advantage of the automatic extension;
• Institutions are encouraged to keep a copy of the notice within their HEERF grant files for auditing purposes; and 
• Institutions must have at least $1,000 in remaining funds to extend the usage period. 

In making this notice, which has been anticipated for months, the Department commended institutions for diligently spending HEERF funds while grappling with the ongoing pandemic, and continuing to target remaining funds to meet institutional and student needs.