In late May 2020, the Aberdeen Area Community Foundation made a grant of $4,000 to Northern State University’s Student Emergency Relief Fund for COVID-19. Because of the pandemic, Northern students have faced job loss, child care expenses and lack of internet access and other digital resources after spring semester instruction was moved online. The fund provides immediate grants to students to help them stay enrolled and return to Northern.
In addition, the South Dakota Community Foundation, through its program to match grants made by its Community Savings Account partners (like AACF), matched the grant, so the NSU fund received a total of $8,000.