With congressional funding, colleges could receive student basic-needs grants

The Education Secretary would award competitive planning and implementation grants to eligible higher education institutions. Planning grants could provide up to $200,000 for two years. Implementation grants could provide up to $5 million for five years for food, housing, and other basic-needs work. Implementation recipients would have to fund at least two allowed activities, and applicants must identify ongoing nonfederal funding for the work after the grant ends. At least 25% of available grant money must go to community colleges, and at least 25% must go to the named historically Black, Tribal, and other minority-serving colleges. A recipient could not reduce its own student grants because a student received one of the listed federally funded benefits. For each fiscal year from 2027 through 2033, the measure allows up to $1 billion for these grants, but Congress would still have to provide the money.

The Education Secretary would maintain data-sharing agreements, identify potentially eligible aid applicants, and send them benefit information and applications. The covered programs span federal public benefits and tax breaks that support students’ basic needs, including food and housing assistance. The initial screen would use only financial-aid application data and information available through the agreements. It would not decide final eligibility or apply certain income, work, enrollment, or participation rules. Applicants and, when needed, their parents or spouses would have a chance to authorize disclosure of application and financial-aid information to benefit agencies. Recipients could use shared information only for the benefit-program work and could not disclose it for another purpose, including civil or criminal investigations. After an applicant authorizes disclosure, the Secretary would send the covered information to the appropriate benefit agencies as soon as practicable.

The Education Secretary would publish a recurring public report with nationally representative statistics on student basic-needs problems. The survey would cover students who applied for federal aid, enrolled in higher education, and experienced unmet basic needs. Results would be broken down by student characteristics, financial-aid status, and state when data allow. Breakdowns would depend on information available in existing federal databases. State-level figures would be required only as far as practicable. A progress report to congressional committees would be due within one year after enactment. The first public statistics report would be due within two years, then at least once every four years.