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. Please read the current eligibility criteria for our Pioneers Helping Pioneers Emergency Grants.

Deadline to apply for a Pioneers Helping Pioneers Emergency Grant during the 2023 Spring Semester is Thursday, May 18 by 4 p.m. This will allow PHP staff to review and process applications before the semester ends on Friday, May 19 at 5 p.m.

UW-Platteville students enrolled in the summer session may be eligible for assistance during their term of enrollment. Three or more credits are required.

Contact php@uwplatt.edu to determine if you are eligible for assistance.

Pioneers Helping Pioneers will be paused during breaks and will restart after the 10th day of classes in the 2023 Fall Semester.

Emergency Grant Eligibility Criteria

  • Must be a UW-Platteville main campus undergraduate student.
  • Must be enrolled in a minimum of six credits.
  • Must have a specific, qualifying emergency. This might include risk of becoming homeless, current food insecurity, inability to access needed transportation, pressing technology needs, and medical emergencies. Other emergencies will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
  • 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.
  • 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.

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.

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.”