Program Overview
The USC Graduate Student Government (GSG) Emergency Fund program is designed to help students with unforeseen expenses arising from a crisis and to quickly address financial setbacks. See below for details on the types of expenses that are and are not covered by this program.
If you have any questions about the application process, please email the GSG Director of Grants at gsgtgea@usc.edu.
Program Eligibility
To be eligible for an Emergency Fund grant, applicants must:
Qualifying Expenses
Examples of eligible expenses:
This fund is intended to have flexible review criteria. The following list is not exhaustive, but provides examples of circumstances that applicants might face.
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Medical Emergencies | Sudden, significant medical expenses |
| Immigration and Visa-related Expenses | Visa renewal fees |
| Legal Expenses | Asylum legal fees for those who face or fear prosecution if they return to their country of origin. Legal expenses for victims of violence, sexual assault, or other forms of abuse. Legal expenses for victims of crime, theft, burglary, or similar issues. |
| Home or Vehicle Repair Emergencies | Significant home or vehicle repair expenses following an emergency such as an accident, weather event, or crime |
| Gender Affirming Care Expenses | One-time gender affirming care and transition expenses. Routine, ongoing costs such as prescriptions or regular doctor visits are not covered. Covered gender affirming care expenses include, but are not limited to: costs related to gender marker and name change on identity documents such as driver’s licenses, passports, birth certificates, social security cards, etc.; Gender affirming surgery and hair removal costs, including medical co-pay, recovery, and travel. (Support letters for surgery are provided at no cost by USC Counseling and Mental Health. Please set-up an appointment with Matthew Brinkley, Riley Davis, Ekta Kumar, Guru Shabd Khalsa, or Dustin Nowaskie. Click here for more information on LGBTQ+ counseling services). Please be aware, you do not need to share any personal health information or dead names to access this fund. You can submit receipts or budget information documents that just show the total cost for an item with other information blocked out. |
| Moving Expenses | Sudden, significant moving expenses |
If you feel that you have an emergency that qualifies, please send an application. If you have any questions about anything not listed here or concerns, please reach out to the Director of Grants, gsgtgea@usc.edu.
Expenses NOT COVERED by the Emergency Fund
The Emergency Fund is designed to support graduate students facing unforeseen emergencies. The following list provides examples of circumstances that are NOT COVERED by the Emergency Fund.
| Category | Examples | Support for this Type of Expense |
|---|---|---|
| Medical Costs | Routine medical care costs. Health or dental insurance fees. | Note: If you are a USC doctoral student health insurance fees should be covered by your funding package. |
| Basic Needs | Food, rent or mortgage payments, utility costs, technology, internet access. | For funding requests for basic needs such as food, rent, utilities, technology access, and other needs, there are resources available on the USC Student Basic Needs website. You can also contact the USC Student Basic Needs office by email at basicneeds@usc.edu. Note, one time technology repairs may be considered in emergency circumstances or replacement of like in-kind products, but not technology upgrades. |
| Education Costs | Tuition and fees. | Note: If you are a USC doctoral student your tuition, health care fees, and other fees should be covered by your funding package. |
| Professional Development | Conference attendance, professional development courses | For funding requests for conference fees, conference travel, and other professional development expenses, please submit an application to the GSG Professional Development Fund. |
| Dependent care | Childcare or adult day care services | For caretaker-related funding requests, please submit an application to the GSG Caretaker Subsidy Grants. |
Other Resources
If you are a USC graduate student who is unhoused, at risk of becoming unhoused, in an unsafe housing situation, or in an abusive situation of any kind please reach out to the USC Office of Basic Needs at basicneeds@usc.edu for additional support.
If you are facing domestic abuse of any kind, we strongly encourage you to contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline as soon as possible: 1-800-799-7233 or https://www.thehotline.org.
Program Limitations
The funding limit is $1,000 per student per academic year.
Program Conditions
The GSG Emergency Fund is made possible by the USC Graduate Student Government (GSG) and is funded through the Graduate Student Programming Fee. GSG is responsible for reviewing applications and processing direct deposits to award recipients.
