Caretaker Subsidy Grant

The USC Graduate Student Government (GSG) Caretaker Subsidy provides awards of grants valuing up to $1,000 per semester to assist eligible students who are primary caretakers. Examples of primary care giving include caring for an infant through a pre-school age child, senior, terminally ill family member, or other dependent who is unable to care for themselves. Please note that applications must demonstrate need for funding with expenses directly related to the dependent, rather than adjacent expenses such as rent and utilities (details about funding priorities can be found under qualifying expenses).

If you have any questions about the application process, please email the GSG Director of Grants at gsgtgea@usc.edu.

To be eligible for a Caretaker Subsidy, applicants must:

• Be a USC graduate student (post-doctoral fellows and undergraduate students are not eligible). Enrollment is required to receive disbursement of a grant. If you are working towards a dissertation, you must still be enrolled in a non-enrollment course.
• Have paid the Graduate Student Programming Fee for the semester they are applying.
• Have primary caretaking responsibilities for a dependent.
  • Applicants who are not the parent or legal guardian for a child or dependent, but have primary caretaker responsibilities and expenses, are eligible to apply
  • Exceptions may also be made for children and adults with special needs Consider your financial aid package All applications are reviewed by the Office of Financial Aid as part of the grant disbursement process. Additional aid may be available to support caretaking from Financial Aid.
• Consider your financial aid package
  • All applications are reviewed by the Office of Financial Aid as part of the grant disbursement process. Additional aid may be available to support caretaking from Financial Aid.

Parents and primary caregivers of the same dependent(s) may apply separately for funding.

Note: Doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows who meet all the eligibility criteria of the USC Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) organization are also encouraged to apply for assistance through the WiSE Child Care Subsidy Program.

Examples of expenses that are eligible for the GSG Caretaker Subsidy Grant may include, but are not limited to:

• Childcare or adult daycare services (e.g., babysitting and daycare)
• Educational or technological needs for the dependent child

Funding will be prioritized for the dependent's basic and care-taking needs that are not traditionally covered by available city, state or federal programs.

Funds for technological and educational tools and services (e.g., laptops, desks, toys, educational software) will be allocated a limited amount of funds, at the discretion of the application review committee. When requesting funding for technological and educational tools and services for children, the review committee may ask for additional proof that other avenues were exhausted (e.g. USC Basic Needs technology rentals or assistance from the daycare).

USC graduate students are eligible for a maximum of $1,000 per semester and a maximum of $2,000 per year.

• Applicants can expect a determination of either selection for the award, deferment to the next round's randomized selection, or changes to ensure the eligibility of their application.
• The GSG Director of Grants may submit messages to the applicant through engageSC to request additional information or supporting documents. You may also receive email messages pertaining to your application from the GSG Director of Grants (gsgtgea@usc.edu). Please respond as quickly as possible to all messages to ensure timely application review.
• For approved applications, applicants can expect to receive their award within 6-8 weeks of the approval date. International students may take up to 3 months to receive a disbursement.
• Most recipients can expect the award to be paid in a single lump-sum grant.
• If the award might adversely impacts an applicant’s financial aid package, GSG will advise the applicant to work with the Office of Financial Aid to develop a solution before proceeding to accept the GSG grant.
• If you are an international student living outside the United States, your award may be subject to taxes.