Chi-Rise Emergency Aid
Crown Family Philanthropies on behalf of Arie and Ida Crown Memorial has established a grant program for active Chi-Rise Scholarship recipients currently enrolled in school who are experiencing a financial difficulty that may negatively impact their enrollment in college.
Chi-Rise Emergency Aid
The program is administered by Scholarship America®, the nation’s largest designer and manager of scholarships and other education support programs for corporations, foundations, associations, and individuals. Eligibility for individual programs is determined at the sole discretion of the sponsor and eligible applications are reviewed by Scholarship America’s evaluation team.
Eligibility
Applicants for Chi-Rise Emergency Aid must:
- Be an active Chi-Rise Scholarship Recipient
- Be a current college undergraduate student enrolled full-time
- Have unexpected financial difficulties that may impact enrollment in school
- Be able to upload a course schedule* to verify full-time enrollment
- Be able to upload documentation of an eligible expense**
*Course schedule must include the student’s first and last name, school name, current semester, courses, and credit hours for each course.
** Applicants must have incurred eligible expenses within thirty (30) days of application submission to be considered for reimbursement. Expenses are for one-time, emergency need situations and are not meant to address long-standing challenges. Students may only select one (1) eligible expense category on the application. Acceptable documentation for eligible expenses includes bills, invoices, and receipts. Documentation must include the student’s first and last name; vendor or payee name, physical address and/or URL, and phone number; itemized list of expense(s); and total expense.
Eligible Expenses (for student only, not family members):
- Off-campus housing/rent/utilities (for utilities only – the lesser of three (3) months utility costs or the maximum award amount)
- Medical/dental (including school-required medical insurance if not already calculated in the student’s Chi-Rise Scholarship award amount for 2025 and 2026 high school graduates)
- Childcare
- Transportation/car repair (not gas, insurance, or regular maintenance – expense should be an unexpected repair or emergency situation)
- Food/groceries (not school-associated meal plans)
- Public transportation/travel (does not include public transportation passes required by the school if included in the calculation of the student’s Chi-Rise Scholarship for 2025 and 2026 high school graduates)
- Technology/computer/Wi-Fi
- Device grants are limited to a one-time award per student’s academic lifetime, specifically intended to fund the repair or replacement of broken or non-functional technology.
Ineligible Expenses:
- Books
- Tuition and fees
- Required course materials
- On-campus housing
- Expenses calculated as part of the student’s Chi-Rise Scholarship (2025 and 2026 high school graduates)
Awards
If selected as a recipient, the student will receive a grant of up to $1,500 per request (or up to $500 if requesting assistance with food expenses). Grants will not exceed the amount of the eligible expense.
All eligible applicants may receive one (1) grant per semester for one eligible expense category. Eligible students may apply once per application cycle.
Notification
Applicants will receive written acknowledgement and/or approval of their application within one (1) business day of applying. Note: additional time may be needed at times of high volume.
Notifications are sent via email. When setting up your account, avoid using a school or work email. Instead, use an active, personal email address that you will continue to have access to.
Payment of Grants
Payments will be made within three (3) business days for complete and approved requests. Note: additional time may be needed at times of high volume.
Grants will be made payable directly to the students whenever possible. Recipients must select the form of payment (direct deposit or check).
Grants may be considered taxable income. Recipients are instructed to consult a tax professional.
Grants are for undergraduate students only
Selection of Recipients
Grant recipients are selected on the basis of:
- Ability to demonstrate need as defined by the program requirements
- Meeting the basic eligibility requirements
- The availability of funds
Selection of recipients is made by Scholarship America. In no instance does any officer or employee of the Crown Family Philanthropies on behalf of Arie and Ida Crown Memorial play a part in the selection. All applicants agree to accept the decision as final.
Requirements
As part of your application, you must upload the following:
- Class schedule for the current semester/term showing student’s name, school name (or URL), semester/term name, list of classes, and the credits for each class.
- Documentation of financial emergency
For requests other than food, documentation must include:
- Your name
- Vendor’s name, address and phone number
- Itemized list of expense(s) and total expense
- Date the expense occurred
Your application is not complete unless all required materials are submitted electronically.
