Internship Support + Emergency Fund

Modeled after the UB Student Emergency Fund, the Internship Support + Emergency Fund is designed to provide limited, one-time financial support for students experiencing unexpected or exceptional financial need directly related to a current experiential learning opportunity—or one they are actively in the process of committing to— during the Fall 2025 Semester. These opportunities may include, but are not limited to, internships, on-campus jobs, research assistantships, and education/study abroad.

Please note that the Internship Support + Emergency Fund is not intended to serve as income replacement for unpaid opportunities. Eligible expenses must represent clear barriers to participation and may include, but are not limited to, relocation costs, transportation, childcare, essential supplies, or emergencies that arise during the experience. Ineligible expenses include tuition + related fees, rent, car payments, and other ongoing living costs unrelated to your experiential learning opportunity.

Requests must demonstrate a specific financial need directly tied to the experiential learning opportunity and be supported with documentation, if necessary. Funding is awarded on a case-by-case basis and is subject to availability.

_Please also note that we are unable to provide retroactive funding; expenses incurred prior to application submission unfortunately will not be considered. _

Additional Eligibility Criteria:
- Student must be currently enrolled at the University at Buffalo
- Must be currently participating in or actively pursuing an experiential learning opportunity taking place during the Fall 2025 semester. The application for Spring 2026 opportunities will open in early December.
- Student has not previously received emergency funding from UB for the same reason
- Students must have a Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) as awards are considered taxable income

Additional Program Information:
- Awards range in amount, with typical funding around $2,000
- Applicants can expect to receive outreach via their UB email within 7 business days of submission. Emergency requests will be prioritized and addressed as quickly as possible.
- Final funding decisions are typically made within 3-4 weeks of application submission

Award
Most awards range from $1,000-$2,500
Departments
Career Design Center
Deadline
Supplemental Questions
  1. What is the current status of your Fall 2025 experiential learning opportunity?
  2. What type of experiential learning opportunity is this?
  3. Where is your experiential learning opportunity taking place?
  4. What is the duration of your experiential learning opportunity?
  5. How many total hours have you already completed for this experiential learning opportunity?
  6. How many hours do you still have remaining for this experiential learning opportunity?
  7. What is the modality of your experiential learning opportunity?
  8. In at least 3-5 sentences, please describe the nature of this experience and your responsibilities, providing specific examples or details where possible. If you selected "Other" for type of experiential learning opportunity, please also describe the opportunity here.
  9. Are you receiving academic credit for this opportunity?
  10. Name of experiential learning opportunity supervisor and contact information (email + phone number):
  11. Please provide the website affiliated with your experiential learning opportunity.
  12. Please upload proof of your experiential learning opportunity here.
  13. How much are you being paid for this experience? If this experience is unpaid, simply put "unpaid."
  14. How much total funding are you requesting?
  15. Are the expenses that you are requesting funding for directly tied to your participation in the experiential learning opportunity?
  16. Have you already paid for these expenses?
  17. Please select the categories associated with your expenses and financial need:
  18. If you selected emergency, essential supplies, or other, please explain these selections here. Please be as specific as possible
  19. In at least 3-5 sentences, please describe (in detail) how your experiential learning opportunity is directly impacted by the expenses you have listed. Be sure to explain how this funding will help you overcome this barrier. If you are being paid for your experiential learning opportunity, please also explain why your salary is insufficient to address your financial needs.
  20. Please provide an itemized breakdown of the expenses for which you are requesting support, including dollar amounts and purpose for each expense.
  21. Please provide any relevant documentation (up to three documents) to further articulate your financial need.
    • Supporting Documentation #1
    • Supporting Documentation #2
    • Supporting Documentation #3
  22. How were you referred to the Internship Support + Emergency Fund? If a person referred you, please include their name and title/role.
  23. Have you previously received UB emergency funds OR funding from the Career Design Center? If yes, please list the specific funding source, when you received the funding, and how much funding you received.
  24. Do you have a Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN)?
  25. If selected for funding, we will issue your award through a U.S. Bank Expense Card-- which will be considered taxable income. Please upload the appropriate tax document as outlined below.
  26. If selected for funding, are you able to pick up your expense card from our office (259 Capen Hall)?
  27. I understand that this funding is not intended as general financial aid or wage replacement and must be applied to expenses directly related to my experiential learning opportunity. I understand that the Internship Support + Emergency Fund is unable to offer assistance for tuition + related fees, rent, car payments, and other ongoing living costs unrelated to your experiential learning opportunity.
  28. Once this application is submitted, someone from the Career Design Center will reach out via UB email in 7 business days. We aim to make a final funding decision and offer funding to accepted applicants within 15–20 business days. This includes scheduling a conversation with you if needed, evaluating your request, and working with our finance team to deliver approved funding via US Bank expense card.
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