IV.Q. BSC Emergency Grant Program

1. The Grant Fund

a. Emergency grants shall be funded through the Scholarship Fund. See §IV.P.1 of the Policy Directory.

b. At the end of the fiscal year, any unused funds that had been allotted for grants shall be rolled into the Scholarship Fund.

2. Grant Funding

a. The emergency grant program shall be funded out of the annual distribution of funds from the scholarship program.

b. The exact amount budgeted for emergency grants shall be decided by the Capital and Finance Committee.

3. Grant Applications

a. Current members may apply for emergency grants at any time, unless they could reasonably apply for a traditional BSC Scholarship. Staff shall advertise the grant on the website and make a good-faith effort to inform all students with delinquent rent of the emergency grants and the application process.

b. Applications shall be made through the traditional administrative request process.

c. The Administrative Team may identify good candidates for emergency grants even if they have not specifically applied for a grant.

4. Awarding Grants

a. Grant applications shall be awarded by consensus of the Operations Manager and the AdCom Assistant.

b. Grants shall only be awarded upon the determination of dire unexpected financial need such that, given cost of living expenses and without a grant, the applicant would be unable to remain a member of the BSC.

c. Only in exceptional circumstances should grants be awarded to members not in good standing, e.g. members paying off excessive house bills, in danger of conduct/student status/workshift termination, etc.

d. There is no mandate to disburse the entirety of the grant fund each year. If the grant fund limit is reached, no additional grants will be awarded for the remainder of the fiscal year.

e. The amount need not be limited to the charges currently on the applicant’s account. The maximum grant awarded may vary during each contract period depending on the size of the Emergency Grant Fund, as well as the portion of the fund remaining, at the discretion of the Administrative Committee.

f. No member may receive a grant more than once per academic year.

[‎Updated 4.d. & 4.e. and removed entire section of 4.g per Board #3 (11.21.2024)]

5. Grant Distribution

a. Emergency Grants shall be distributed only as rent credit to the applicant’s account and shall only offset rent, room, and/or board charges.

b. Emergency Grants shall not be distributed in any form other than credits to the member’s account.

[Board approved 11/2016. Last updated 5/2020. Last updated per IACom 03.20.2023]