Employee Emergency Fund

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Employee Emergency Fund

The Employee Emergency Fund makes available limited financial assistance for eligible employees when they are facing an immediate and substantial financial need. At the University of Pittsburgh, we care deeply about employees who are struggling, and already have programs that provide valuable help if and when you are facing a hardship. However, we understand that sometimes you may need extra support.

Originating from an idea developed by Staff Council, this is a collaborative program from organizations throughout our campus community. Anyone in our campus community can make contributions through the Office of Philanthropic and Alumni Engagement.

 

The Employee Emergency Fund provides financial support of up to $1,500 to eligible Pitt employees across all five campuses. To request help, employees encountering an eligible hardship should complete an application and provide valid supporting documentation to explain their financial needs.

Eligibility

Employees eligible under this policy include full-time and part-time active executive, staff, faculty, research associates, and postdoctoral associates. Union-eligible employees should check their collective bargaining agreement for eligibility. There are no service time requirements to receive funding. Employees on a leave of absence, regardless of payment status, are eligible. This program does NOT apply to temporary employees, volunteers, independent contractors or employees terminated by the University. Undergraduate, graduate and professional students who have an immediate financial need should apply to the Student Emergency Assistance Fund.

Immediate financial needs are those that create temporary financial hardship. This includes both local or natural disasters and personal emergencies. This also includes disasters not covered by a federally declared event, such as a flood, hurricane, tornado or fire. 

Please use the links below to learn more about the required criteria for each hardship type:

Application Process

An eligible employee can request a net amount up to $1,500 once every two calendar years. If an employee is awarded an amount less than the maximum and another financial need arises, that employee may submit a new application. However, there is a total cap of $1,500 per employee during a two-year period. An eligible employee may apply for financial assistance through the emergency fund when they have exhausted all other available resources.

Payment to employees is not guaranteed and must be supported with documentation. An employee is not required to pay the emergency funds received back to the University; however, we encourage employees who have utilized the fund to contribute back into it, if and when they are able to do so. Anyone in our campus community can make contributions through the Office of Philanthropic and Alumni Engagement.

To apply for this funding, eligible employees must submit an application via the Contact OHR form (see screenshot below), which includes the total amount being requested from the emergency fund and all supporting documentation needed to determine eligibility. 

The Office of Human Resources will respond to the request within three business days.

Review of Application 

The maximum payment for the emergency financial need is $1,500. Communication of whether your request has been approved or denied will be e-mailed to you by the Office of Human Resources. If denied, you will be provided with a reason for the denial. You may appeal a denial, as outlined in the following Appeal Process section. If the payment is approved, it will be processed through the payroll system and distributed as soon as possible consistent with payroll procedures. This payment is taxable. As such, the Payroll Department in collaboration with the Office of Human Resources, will estimate the amount of taxes, and increase the approved amount so that the employee receives the amount requested as a net payment.

Confidentiality 

Information provided by applicants will be treated as highly confidential and shared only with individuals directly involved in emergency fund administration and payroll processing. 

Appeal Process 

If an employee’s application was denied because it was incomplete, the employee may resubmit the application with all required documentation. If the application was denied because the reason for the request did not fall within the parameters of the policy, the employee may submit an appeal to the vice chancellor for human resources to review the situation and determine eligibility.

For any questions regarding the Employee Emergency Fund, please submit an online inquiry