For many students, surprise expenses can spell disaster. When a student is struggling financially, a sudden illness, death in the family, or loss of work hours can lead to a leave of absence or withdrawal. The Students in Crisis Fund makes an important difference to keep students enrolled and help overcome unexpected financial barriers, big or small, as quickly as possible.
During the pandemic, this fund became a lifeline for students and UO alumni and friends rallied to help. Thanks to the generosity of our Duck community, the Students in Crisis fund has awarded $1,347,000 to 2143 students since March of 2020 to assist with unexpected medical bills, rent, groceries, daycare expenses, and other financial hardships caused by circumstances beyond their control.
Moved by the stories of students impacted, members of our Parents Leadership Council have now generously established an endowment for the Students in Crisis Fund in order to provide sustainable support for students now and for generations to come.
Every gift counts to a student in need. Your support of the Students in Crisis Fund during Ducks Give will help provide students with critical funds for emergency circumstances and keep them on track to graduate.
After students received an award from the crisis fund, they were able to provide us with details on how the fund has helped them.
- 92% of students who received SICF monies said they were able to obtain or maintain safe housing because of the fund
- 94% of students who received SICF monies said they were able to have enough food to eat because of the fund
- 89% of student who received SICF monies said they were able to pay essential utility bills because of the fund
- 83% of students who received SICF monies said they were able to meet all their health care needs because of the fund
In the same survey we asked students who received an award from the crisis fund to let us know where they receive most of their financial support and frequency of inability to meet their basic needs.
- 54% of students reported they received little to no financial help from their families to meet their basic needs
- Only 4% of students never had to worry about being able to meet their monthly living expenses during the 20-21 academic year. Shockingly, 75% of students were concerned each month that they would not have enough money to pay for their monthly living expenses.
- 75% of students say that they had to skip meals because they did not have enough money for food.
- 67% of students reported that they were concerned about not having a place to live due to their financial situations.
| Rank | State | Gifts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | OR | 21 |
| 2 | CA | 14 |
| 3 | WA | 4 |
