Emergency Assistance for Postsecondary Students (EAPS) Grant Program

Improving college retention and completion for students experiencing food/housing insecurity or an unforeseen financial emergency

 

The Office of Higher Education administers the Emergency Assistance for Postsecondary Students (EAPS) Grant Program to foster postsecondary attendance and retention for low-income students by providing funding and resources to Minnesota colleges and universities with a demonstrable homeless population. Grant funds are intended to meet immediate student needs related to housing, food, and transportation that would otherwise prevent students from completing their term.

Funding Source

The Minnesota Legislature established the EAPS Grant Program in May 2017. Updates to the program during the 2023 legislative session provided a total of $3,029,000 directly to the University of Minnesota and Minnesota State Colleges and Universities to support their emergency grant programs. $500,000 will be awarded, on a competitive basis, to tribal and private, nonprofit postsecondary institutions. Applicants may request a maximum of $75,000 per year for two years to support/bolster their campus emergency grant programs. 

Request for Proposals

The Minnesota Office of Higher Education has launched its EAPS Grant Program Request for Proposals. This competition will provide up to $75,000 per year, per institution, to support their campus's emergency grant program. The timeline for the competition is as follows: 

• Request for Proposals released - July 11, 2023
• Deadline for Intent to Submit Forms - July 31, 2023
• Our RFP Deadline has been extended! Proposals now due by 4:30 pm on August 28, 2023

Click here to download the Emergency Assistance for Postsecondry Students (EAPS) Grant Program Request for Proposals

Click to download: EAPS Budget Document

Submit proposals to Megan.FitzGibbon@state.mn.us on or before the deadline. 

 

Proposals are reviewed and scored by a panel of community reviewers who have professional or lived experience with: basic needs insecurity, youth homelessness, financial aid, low-income student support, and human/social services, among many other content areas. If you are interested in being a community reviewer, please contact Megan.FitzGibbon@state.mn.us. Community members that are a part of groups traditionally underrepresented in college are encouraged to sit on a review panel and may qualify for a small stipend for participation.

Eligibility

Minnesota postsecondary institutions that are private, nonprofit institutions or tribal colleges. 

2022-2023 Grant Recipients

• Minnesota State University, Mankato
• Normandale Community College
• South Central College
• Pine Technical and Community College
• St. Cloud Technical and Community College
• Century College
• Red Lake Nation College
• Saint Paul College

Contact

If you have questions or would like additional information on the Emergency Assistance for Postsecondary Students Grant Program, contact Lain DeSalvo by email at Lain.DeSalvo@state.mn.us or (651) 259-3988.

For Students:

Students in need of emergency assistance should contact the financial aid office and/or foundation at their college or university. For additional resources, see our Student Homelessness in Higher Education webpage.

Reports

• 2020 Emergency Assistance for Postsecondary Students Grant Program Report