Read the latest health and safety guidelines for Fall 2021 here.
Support Students Impacted
by Coronavirus Crisis
Chancellor’s
Emergency Relief Fund
Many CUNY students are facing severe financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. They need emergency aid now more than ever. That’s why we’ve launched the Chancellor’s Emergency Relief Fund, an unprecedented University-wide effort to provide students in need with $500 emergency grants. Your donation — any amount matters — will go directly to students.
CUNY, the nation’s largest urban public university, serves 275,000 degree-seeking students whose median household income is about $40,000 a year, with nearly 40 percent from families earning less than $20,000. Almost half of our students work while in school, and many now find their jobs and incomes eliminated, drastically reduced or otherwise imperiled — exacerbating financial pressures and challenges including food and housing insecurity and lack of access to health care.
In April, the University established the Chancellor’s Emergency Relief Fund, the first university-wide student assistance program of its kind at CUNY. The emergency fund has raised $8.3 million in generous support from long-time CUNY benefactors including the Carroll & Milton Petrie Foundation, the James and Judith K. Dimon Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Robin Hood and many other corporate and philanthropic donors, along with individual donors. By the end of year, we will have given emergency relief grants to almost 10,500 students. Priority has been given to students who were near graduation; those who are single parents; undocumented and international students who were denied financial relief under the federal CARES Act; and students from foster care. As the fund continues to grow, we’ll provide more students with grants.
To learn more about the Chancellor’s Emergency Grant Relief Program and how students are selected, please refer to the FAQ.
*CUNY is not tax exempt under IRC Section 501(c)(3). Rather, it is tax-exempt by virtue of the fact that it is an instrumentality of the State of New York. Contributions to CUNY are deductible by donors in accordance with §170(c) of the Internal Revenue Code, providing such contributions are made for exclusively public purposes. A copy of CUNY’s latest financial statements is available here. General information on charitable organizations is available from the New York State Office of the Attorney General at www.charitiesnys.com or (212) 416-8401.
Please make checks payable to:
The City University of New York
Memo: Chancellor’s Emergency Relief Fund
Send checks to:
CUNY University Advancement
Mail Code: 6742
P.O. Box 7247
Philadelphia, PA 19170-0001
For more information, please contact:
Andrea Shapiro Davis
Interim Vice Chancellor for University Advancement
646-664-9025
[email protected]
“I am not working, and I don’t receive financial aid so it is impossible to pay for my tuition because I need the money for other necessities at this moment.”
–Senior, Baruch College
“I temporarily lost my job because of the pandemic. I’m from New Jersey and can’t go home out of risk of infecting my family members who have pre-existing health conditions. I’m worried about paying my bills. I’m alone.”
–Junior, John Jay College
of Criminal Justice
“Lost ability to access campus resources, student government, student spaces, technology, library services, loss of wages.”
– Senior, School of Public Health
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To learn more about the Chancellor’s Emergency Grant Relief Program and how students are selected, please refer to the FAQ.