Emergency Funding

Q1:  What is the purpose of a Student Emergency Grant?
A1: A Student Emergency Grant is intended to provide one time financial assistance for essential expenses or tuition to students experiencing a temporary hardship surrounding unusual or unforeseen situations such as an accident, fire or water damage or need for temporary housing. The Student Emergency Grant is not a replacement for financial aid, loan options, scholarship and/or stipend. 

You may apply for an emergency grant as a last resort after other options have been considered such as savings, family contributions, or loans. Emergency grants are not intended to replace existing financial aid.

Q2: What type of emergency expenses does a Student Emergency Grant cover?
A2: A Student Emergency Grant can cover a number of expenses and situations. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Tuition ($3,000.00 or less)
• Utility bills (heat, gas, or electricity)
• Rent arrears
• Loss of clothing due to a catastrophic event
• Internet services bill for distance-learning purposes
• Unexpected medical and/or dental expenses that impacts academic progress
• Short-term shelter for a students experiencing housing insecurity
• Loss of textbooks (Please apply for an Emergency Book Voucher.)

Q3: What type of emergency expenses CANNOT be covered by a Student Emergency Grant?
A3: Types of expenses that are not covered by a Student Emergency Grant include, but are not limited to:

• IRS tax bill
• Storage units
• House repairs
• Cell phone bill
• Credit card bills
• Moving expenses
• Furniture expenses
• Pet related expenses
• Personal luxury items
• Laptops/ laptop repairs
• Family funeral expenses
• Household/laundry items
• Fines on student’s account
• Campus residential housing
• Student loans/personal loans
• Reimbursements of bills already paid
• Cleaning expenses related to natural disasters
• Travel expenses due to illness/ death in the family
• Entertainment, recreation, or other non-essential expenses
• Non-essential utilities (i.e. cable), household or furniture costs
• Car repairs, insurance and/or car note/lease payments
• Medical/Dental/Health insurance (co-payments, cosmetics, co-payment bills, past due bills)
• Legal expenses (for divorce or child custody cases, civil or criminal cases, etc.)
• Food cost (Please apply to the John Jay Food Pantry.)

Q4: Is there a maximum amount for a Student Emergency Grant?
A4: The maximum award is $3,000.00. All requested amounts will be subject to be reported on a W-9 form as required by tax regulations.

Q5: Who is eligible for a Student Emergency Grant?
A5: You are eligible to apply for a Student Emergency Grant if you are currently enrolled at John Jay as either a full-time or part-time undergraduate or graduate degree student, including if you are an undocumented student, student with DACA or international student. Students must complete at least one semester. 

Once you are eligible to apply, there are additional factors that are weighed to determine if your application will be approved:

• You must complete the application in its entirety. All information will be verified by an Emergency Funding CARES coordinator and academic, financial and student conduct information may be used to determine eligibility. Applications submitted without supporting documents will NOT be reviewed. 
• There must be funds available and approving your application must be consistent with all applicable laws. 
• Your degree progression (how close you are to degree completion/conferral), SAP status (Standards of Academic Progress (GPA)), and financial situation (including, as appropriate, financial aid) will all be considered by the Emergency Funding Committee.

Q6: I am an international student. Can I apply for a Student Emergency Grant?
A6: Yes.

Q7: I am a CUSP student. Can I apply for a Student Emergency Grant?
A7: CUSP students can receive a Student Emergency Grant to cover emergency expenses but not to cover tuition. CUSP students who need money for tuition should contact their CUSP advisor to apply for the CUSP completion grant program.

Q8: I am a graduate student. Can I apply for a Student Emergency Grant?
A8: Yes.

Q9: Do I need to be a full-time, degree-seeking student?
A9: No. You must be currently enrolled as a degree-seeking student but full-time enrollment is not required. On a case-by-case basis, the number of credits enrolled can be a factor in whether a Student Emergency Grant application is approved.

Q10: May I receive more than one Emergency Grant?
A10: A student may only receive an emergency grant once per John Jay academic lifetime. In extraordinary circumstances, an appeal may be submitted to request an exception to this rule on a case by case basis. If you need to submit an appeal, please complete the emergency grant application and submit additional information explaining the extraordinary circumstances as part of the appeal section in the application. 

Q11: What documentation do I need to verify an emergency?
A11: You will need the following:

• Your student photo I.D.
• Documentation showing your efforts, if any, to obtain funding from other sources. For example, indicate if you have filed a FAFSA, or applied for other scholarship or funding opportunities documentation associated with your current emergency
• A W-9 form is required for all the below emergencies:
  • Rental Arrears
    - Rental Agreement/Lease/completed HRA form
    - Invoice indicating how much is owed, eviction notice
     
  • Security Deposit
    - Rental Agreement/Lease/ completed HRA form
    - Invoice indicating security deposit cost
     
  • Moving Expenses
    - Invoice from moving company indicating moving cost, etc.
     
  • Utility Arrears
    - Recent utility bill, shut-off notice, or letter from the utility account holder
  • Domestic Violence
    - police report
    - court document protection order (if applicable)
     
  • Child Care (one time)
    - Invoice
    - Care Provider Verification
    - Registration of child at a child care facility
     
  • Travel Expenses (one time)
    - Proof of hardship (recent loss of employment letter)
    - Internship placement letter
    - Loss of a scholarship
    - Pending Federal Work-study job placement
    - FASFA award
    - Class schedule
     
  • Clean-up after a natural disaster (flood/fire)
    - Proof of damage
    - Police report (if applicable)
    - Invoice indicating the cost of clean-up
     
  • Medical Expenses:
    - non-copay emergency medical bill
    - Invoice of balance due
     
  • Loss of Clothing due to Domestic Violence or natural disaster (flood/fire)
    - Proof of damage
    - Police report (if applicable)
     
  • Loss of furniture due to domestic violence or natural disaster (flood/fire)
    - Proof of damage
    - Police report (if applicable)
    - Invoice indicating the cost of furniture replacement
     
  • Tuition
    -e-Bill
     
  • Utility expenses (heat, gas, or electricity): bills, past-due notifications, shut-off notices (submit a letter written and signed by the account holder which includes the student’s name, address of service, account number and the address the bill is payable too for bills that are not in the student’s name)
     
  • Rent: Active lease agreement, eviction notice, rent verification letter (written and signed by the primary tenant of the apartment, the letter must include the student’s name, address, the amount the student is responsible to pay for rent each month), invoice, court documents, W-9 form, CUNY Payee form and voided check completed by the building management office
     
  • Unforeseen Medical Bill: Medical facility invoice, W-9 form, discharge documents from the hospital

Q12: Is the grant available on a first-come, first-serve basis?
A12: Applications are processed in the order they are received, but you are not guaranteed a grant simply because you apply before someone else—instead, you must meet all the criteria described here, and the committee must approve your application. Approval of applications is based on the availability of funds raised.

Q13: How soon can I expect to find out if I have received a Student Emergency Grant?
A13: Once a completed application is received (including all required documents), the approval process can take up to 15 business days. When there is a high volume of applications, however, it can take up to 30 days.

Q14: If I am approved for the grant, how will the money reach me?
A14: If your grant is for tuition, the money will be deposited directly into your CUNY First account. For all other funds, payments will be provided to third parties only (for example, a landlord for rent, or utility service provider).

Q15: Are the funds received from the emergency grant considered taxable income?
A15: Possibly. Depending on the expense(s) the grant is used for, it may be considered taxable income. For more information about how receiving an emergency grant could impact your taxes, please be sure to speak to your financial advisor or tax preparer.

Q16: Do I have to pay the Student Emergency Grant back?
A16: No. 

Q17: What are the application deadlines for the Student Emergency Grant?
A17: 

• Spring Application Deadline: May 15th
• Summer Application Deadline: August 15th
• Fall Application Deadline: December 15th

All supporting documents must be provided within 14 days of application submission. 

Q18: Who can I contact if I need assistance filling out the application?
A18: Email emergencyfunding@jjay.cuny.edu. 

Click Here for the Emergency Funding Application