GAGE EmergencY Assistance Fund
The Emergency Assistance Fund (EAF) is designed to alleviate financial hardship for graduate workers at Georgetown. The EAF is the result of the 2020 Collective Bargaining Agreement between Georgetown University and the Georgetown Alliance of Graduate Employees (GAGE). Following our second contract (effective August 18, 2023), the University will budget $85 per Graduate Student Assistant for Fiscal Year 2025 (July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2025) and increase annually after that; we expect this amount to total around $100,000.
Eligibility:
All graduate students in the GU School of Arts & Sciences who are currently employed at Georgetown as Research Assistants, Teaching Assistants, or Instructors of Record are eligible to receive funds from the EAF.
Examples of eligible hardships include, but are not limited to, costs due to
Medical care (including emergency care, routine care, and care for chronic health conditions)
Caring for a family member
Bereavement following the death of a family member
Damage to a graduate assistant’s home
Damage or loss of any materials required for a graduate assistant’s work, such as a computer
Lost income for hourly workers who have had to miss work due to injury or illness
COVID-19
Any other hardship that causes a significant financial burden
This fund is intended to aid in all types of hardship; not solely hardship due to unforeseen accidents. If you are experiencing financial distress, we strongly encourage you to apply!
EAF request process:
December 9, 2024 update: Due to limited funds, we will only be accepting requests of up to $750 at this point
Requests can be made for up to $1,000; each graduate worker is eligible for one emergency grant per academic year (July 1 to June 30). This $1,000 cap may increase or decrease over the year, depending on worker need and fund availability. If $1,000 is insufficient to cover your need, or if you experience another financial hardship within the academic year, we encourage you to apply for additional funds from the GAGE Mutual Aid Fund.
If you are a graduate student who is not currently employed by Georgetown, and therefore not eligible for the EAF, we encourage you to apply to the GAGE Mutual Aid Fund (MAF). The MAF is a separate fund that is supported by GAGE membership dues and member donations. All GAGE members (both Full and Associate) are eligible to receive funds from the MAF.
All identifying information in your request will remain confidential during the review process. Requests are processed by a committee of GAGE members and members of the Georgetown administration; approval of your request will take up to a week. Once your request has been approved, you will be notified, and the funds will be disbursed through the GMS payroll system. You do not need to make any changes or take any action in GMS; the disbursal will be processed automatically within a week. Funds from the EAF will be reported on your W2 as taxable income, and tax will be withheld accordingly.
If you have any questions about the process or your eligibility, please reach out to us at vicepresident@wearegage.org.