In March 2020, COVID-19 sent shocking changes through California's public higher educational institutions' means and methods of operating, which resulted in sharp drops in revenue along with sudden costs associated with on-campus COVID-19 safety measures and with moving courses and student services online. To make matters worse, state funding also fell for fiscal year 2020-21. This policy brief describes the federal emergency relief response in the form of student aid and institutional spending funds and provides key takeaways around preparing for similar crises. [This report was written with support from Rina Nagashima.]