Untitled Document

Johnson School
Cornell University

The Ann Dyckman Staff Emergency Grant Fund

The Ann Dyckman Staff Emergency Fund is a program offering financial assistance to employees experiencing financial hardship due to catastrophic events beyond their control. These awards are intended to assist with immediate, essential expenses and are subject to state and federal taxes.

Who is eligible to receive a grant?
Employees must be a full-time or part-time staff member in a regular non-academic position in the Johnson School. Employee must be post-probation and in officially good standing. There is no guarantee that an eligible employee will receive a grant. The maximum amount awarded will be $5,000 initially, to be reviewed by the committee for periodic updating, and must be reported as taxable income. Grants are awarded based on funds available, and would cover expenses and taxes for a gross amount.

What are the criteria for eligibility?
Two criteria must be met for an eligible employee to qualify for a grant. The applicant must have insufficient resources to deal with the immediate consequences of a disastrous or catastrophic event.

Awards will be made on the basis of demonstrated financial need, to be determined by the committee.

An event will be considered a disaster or catastrophe if it is sudden, unanticipated, or accidental. Examples include, but are not limited to, disasters such as fires and floods.

What are some examples of catastrophic events that would qualify an emergency grant?

An employee loses his/her home to a fire.
An employee loses his/her home to other disasters such as flood, tornado, or hurricane.
One-time costs arising out of a significant medical situation; typically these would not be direct medical costs

What are some examples that do not qualify for an emergency grant fund?

An employee’s relative lost their home to a fire or disaster.
An employee is hurt on the job, his worker’s compensation case is controverted, and he is behind on his bills.
An employee is on disability and needs money to help pay for his/her electric bill.

How do I apply for a grant?
To ensure confidentiality and guarantee fair treatment, employees are requested to call the Johnson School Human Resources office at 255-5037 to set up an appointment. A supervisor or co-worker can submit on behalf of a colleague. The dean will approve a committee of no more than 3 people who will meet on an as needed basis to review applicant’s needs. Chair selected by the Dean from the staff eligible to be considered for an award. At least one member to be exempt and one non-exempt selected by the chair. No names will be presented by the HR office to the emergency grant fund committee members. Every effort will be made to preserve an applicant’s privacy.

Note that this fund may be insufficient in the case of widespread natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes or tornadoes.

Last Modified: January 22, 2007