BATON ROUGE- Sen. Kennedy announced $51,410,270 in federal funding for Louisiana schools from the Department of Education Friday afternoon.

The CARES Act funding will support continued education for minority-serving institutions in Louisiana that were affected by the coronavirus pandemic. These institutions include historically black colleges and universities, tribally controlled colleges and universities, and institutions serving low-income students, according to the news release.

“Universities and students around Louisiana are doing everything they can to adapt to this pandemic. This funding will help institutions continue to provide quality education and help students succeed under these challenging circumstances,” Kennedy said.

The funding is part of the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund provided under the coronavirus aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. 

The money will help pay for distance education technology, student grants, staff training, payroll, and operational costs, according to the statement.

Additional information about this CARES Act relief funding is available here.