The Emergency Fund Application

PLEASE NOTE: Applications are encourged to be as specific as possible in documenting their emergency and to do so for specific costs - please provide documentation that states clearly what exactly the grant money will be used for - this includes screenshots of bank accounts, of flight tickets, of emails that prove your circumstances, or otherwise. 

Additionally, IF YOUR REQUEST IS GREATER THAN $1500, we encourage you to first seek out aid through the University Emergency Assistance Grant Program. This can be found on my.uchicago -> Finances -> Account -> Emergency Assistance. This emergency assistance program can sometimes fund up to $3000, an amount the student emergency fund finds difficult to handle. If your request is rejected by the university, please note this in your application, and we are happy to consider it. 

Please note that your application will only be considered first priority if it aligns with our priorities OR you request $200 or less and if your emergency occured three months before submission date or WILL occur within three months of your submission date.If your application does not meet these conditions, you are still eligible to apply, but your application will be considered second priority. If you want to know more about this process you can read The Emergency Fund Code here.

For the 2019-2020 school year all emergencies related to mental health and mental health care are automatically considered first priority. NOTE: As of March 12, the Emergency Fund's priority has shifted to Public Health; this includes any emergencies that result from the situation regarding the University's COVID-19 response

You are encouraged to consider all on-campus options for funding. A list of other emergency resources on campus can be found here. Please also note that if your application is accepted, an administrator will contact you to recieve a few tax forms. You must list your grant as taxable income which means that if your grant is particularly large you may need to pay taxes on it next year. If this will be a financial burden for you please email us. After your tax forms are received, you will receive your grant in the form of a check in about three weeks. If you need your grant faster than this please requst an emergency loan from Devon Moore (devonmoore@uchicago.edu) at the CCSS and we can give you the money to pay the loan back. 

A complete application includes:

1.Personal Information

2.Classification of your emergency

3.Description of your emergency

4. Letter of support corraborating your emergency (1 of 2 options)

5.Explanation of why the emergency qualifies as a financial burden

6.Additional details about the emergency (date, how much money you are requesting, etc.)

The above field is the only place where you should write your name in this  application. To ensure confidentiality, do not write your name in subsequent parts of the application.

If you'd like to see an example of an acceptable and general description of an emergency click here: Click Here

*If describing your emergency includes information that is         too private to describe, too upsetting to describe, reveals your legal immigration status, or includes information that would cause extensive legal repercussions please ONLY DESCRIBE how this emergency is a financial burden *

To see an example of an acceptable letter click here

This letter should NOT include your name.

This letter should:

1. Express that this person has discussed your emergency with you

2. Corroborate that the emergency you are experiencing is under the same classification that you identified on page 1

3. State that this emergency was unexpected

4. Strongly urge the Emergency Fund to fund your emergency

5. Be signed by the person who wrote the letter

As long as this person is university affiliated personnel (RA, RH, Professor, Academic/Career Advisor, etc) they are allowed to write your letter. 

* If the emergency you are facing is so private that you cannot discuss it with anyone else, please skip to the next page*

To see an example of an acceptable letter please Click Here

This letter should:

1. Express that this person trusts you

2. Express why this person trusts you (an anecdote, a description of your personality, etc.)

3. Strongly urge the Emergency Fund to fund your emergency

4. Be signed by the person who wrote the letter 

As long as this person is 18 or over, they are allowed to write your letter.