OVERVIEW

The Emergency Support Fund provides one-time, limited financial assistance to eligible postdoctoral appointees who are experiencing immediate financial hardship as a result of an unforeseeable and unavoidable event. Priority is given to individuals with acute, demonstrated financial need and additional extenuating circumstances. 

All requests are confidential and are reviewed on an individual, case-by-case basis.

Please note that these awards do not need to be repaid.

Eligibility and Covered Expenses

Eligible postdoctoral appointees are members of the BPLO bargaining unit. 

Eligible expenses are limited to one-time, non-recurring costs related to essential living needs, including housing, utilities, medical care, and transportation to and from work that arise from qualifying emergency events, such as fire, flood, serious illness or injury, sudden loss of an immediate family member, theft, or natural disaster. 

Reimbursements are provided only for actual expenses.

The Emergency Support Fund is intended for postdoctoral appointees who have exhausted all other available financial resources, including loans and Brown’s Employee Assistance Program.

This fund cannot be used for any expenses already covered under the Collective Bargaining Agreement or for any expenses covered by another University source (such as the Child Care Subsidy or the Visa-related Expense Reimbursement).

The fund is not intended to cover ongoing or recurring expenses, such as routine rent or mortgage payments, in the absence of an unavoidable event. It is also not intended to cover discretionary expenses, routine debt repayment, career- or research-related expenses, educational expenses, or financial situations resulting from voluntary decisions or foreseeable commitments.

Funding Limits, Award Amounts, and Time Limit

Total funding for the Emergency Support Fund is limited to forty thousand dollars ($40,000) per fiscal year (July 1–June 30), and the University may not be able to support all requests. Once funds are depleted, no further applications will be considered for the rest of the fiscal year.

Individual awards are capped at $1,000 per postdoctoral appointee per fiscal year (July 1-June 30). Please note that awards are treated as taxable income.

Reimbursement requests must be submitted within six weeks of the incurred expense.

Timeline

Requests are reviewed monthly by a committee. As a result, a review may take up to four business weeks. Once a request is approved by the committee, the Controller’s Office processes payments, which may take up to two additional business weeks to be distributed.

Required Documentation

When submitting a request for Emergency Support Funds, postdoctoral appointees should provide:

• Proof of payment (for example, a receipt of payment, credit card statement, or bank statement) showing the nature and amount of the expense
• Supporting documentation demonstrating the financial hardship, confirming that the emergency or event was beyond the individual’s control, and confirming that all other available resources have been exhausted

You may be contacted by OUPA if additional information is needed. Missing required documentation may delay processing.

Please note that in certain circumstances—such as when a postdoctoral appointment is sponsored by an institution other than Brown—written approval from the sponsoring institution must be obtained and submitted to Brown’s Controller’s Office before the award payment can be distributed. You will be notified if such written approval is required.

Medical Privacy

Postdoctoral appointees may submit a brief statement as part of their request describing a medical circumstance without disclosing a diagnosis or providing a medical note. Supporting documentation may instead relate to the resulting financial hardship, such as medical bills. When necessary, University Human Resources may confirm that valid medical information is on file.

How to Submit a Request

To submit a request for emergency support funding, click the yellow button below. Respondents will be required to sign in to Google.

SUBMIT A REQUEST FOR EMERGENCY SUPPORT FUNDING

Questions

Please direct any questions to postdoc-affairs@brown.edu.