Pioneers Helping Pioneers

Emergency Grant Funding

For the past few years, UW-Platteville has been able to utilize federal COVID relief funds to offer emergency grants for UW-Platteville students. Unfortunately, all federal COVID funds have now been exhausted and UW-Platteville has very limited funding available to provide emergency grants.

Deadline to apply for a Pioneers Helping Pioneers Emergency Grant during the 2023 Fall Semester is Friday, December 17 by 5:00 p.m.

Processing of PHP applications will be paused until after the 10th day of classes in the Spring Semester. Applications will be accepted starting on Monday, February 5, 2024. 

Questions can be sent to php@uwplatt.edu.

Eligibility Criteria has been updated for the 2023-2024 Academic Year due to the limited amount of funding. Please review to determine if you are eligible.

Emergency Grant Eligibility Criteria

  • Must be a UW-Platteville undergraduate student.
  • Must be enrolled in a minimum of six credits.
  • Students must currently have a Pell Grant as a part of their financial aid package. Students without Pell Grants with truly extenuating circumstances will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
  • Must have a specific, qualifying emergency in one of the following needs: rent, vehicle repair, medical/dental bills, computer repair/replacement, or childcare. Other emergencies will be considered on a case-by-case basis but due to uncertain funding, UW-Platteville will be prioritizing the needs listed above and will be unable to assist in other needs, such as tuition.
  • Students must be able to submit a bill, invoice, etc. identifying their emergency financial need as part of their application.
  • Students may only receive one Pioneers Helping Pioneers Emergency Grant per academic year.
  • Students who are granted assistance that did not receive the maximum grant amount, cannot submit a second application for the same emergency twice. Assistance may be considered for a different emergency but is dependent on available funds and will not exceed the maximum grant amount.

Gift Cards

Students who are experiencing food insecurity are encouraged to visit Pioneer Provisions,a free pantry/grocery service on campus located in Glenview Commons, northeast entrance.

Students can complete an application at the TRIO Office in 103 Warner Hall to request one grocery and one campus meal card per semester. Gas cards for emergency assistance are available for students once per semester.

To apply

To apply, students must meet with a staff member in-person to talk through questions, review eligibility and discuss resources. If eligible, students will be provided with the next steps in the application process.

To arrange an appointment with staff, fill out this short survey with the student's availability. Staff is available to meet in person Monday–Thursday between 9 a.m.–5 p.m. in 30-minute time slots. Students will receive a calendar invite with a date, time, office location, and name of the staff member they will be meeting with.

Donating

The Pioneers Helping Pioneers Fund is sustained solely through donations from alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of the university. If you are interested in donating, please email php@uwplatt.edu or visit the online giving page.

Learn More

UW-Platteville has been providing emergency grant funding to students since 2017 and has found that at least 93% of students who received the funding return to campus the following semester. Supporting vulnerable students in their time of need makes a difference. View the Pioneers Helping Pioneers handout.

What our students are saying:

“I am completely on my own, trying to juggle two jobs and school. My jobs have also cut hours, and now I am coming up short on a majority of my bills. It would be greatly appreciated if I could receive any help that could be given to me so that I can keep pushing toward my goal of finishing school and worry less about finances.”

“During COVID, it is hard to say, but there was not enough food for my siblings and me. I come from a big family, and before the virus my parents did their best to put food on the table and make sure we had a roof over our heads. My parents were forced to stop working, and all the bills started to pile up. The start of the Coronavirus is affecting me personally, but it is also affecting me academically. This is a major issue because college means the most to me and my family. My success here at UW-Platteville will help every member of my family...”

“I’m barely making it. I don’t even have money for food and gas. I had to rely on my parents to send me fifty dollars a week so that I can feed myself and drive to work. They can’t afford to give me more money. I currently don’t have any money to pay my October car payment and November rent.”