Emergency Fund for Students with Children
This fund supports students of the University of Bonn with children who find themselves in an unforeseen financial emergency. As a rule, the emergency fund can be used to apply for a one-time payment of a maximum of 1000 €. The financial emergency must not be the result of gross negligence on the part of the applicant. This measure was developed in cooperation with the Office of Family Services.
Requirements
There are situations in which, without warning and without any fault of your own, you may find yourself in sudden financial difficulties. Students with children – and single parents in particular – are affected even more than others because they bear the additional responsibility of caring for a family. In such cases, you can apply for a one-time payment of up to 1,000 € intended to help you overcome the acute emergency quickly and without complications.
The general living expenses of the applicant and their children must be secured. Corresponding proof must be enclosed with the application. As a rule, children should not be more than twelve years of age.
There is no legal entitlement to this type of funding. Funds for this type of financial support are limited. You will also be required to submit a report on use of funds.
Application
In order to receive emergency funding, you must submit a written application. This should contain the following information and documents.
- cover letter stating exactly what the hardship is and how it arose
- information on the intended use of funds
- proof of income for all members of the household, showing that general living expenses are secured
- CV (table form)
- current certificate of study and transcript of records
- birth certificate of the child/children or child benefit certificate
Applications can be submitted at any point during the year in a single PDF file via e-mail to the Gender Equality Office (sekretariat@zgb.uni-bonn.de).
FAQ: Application and Proof of Use
Applications for emergency funding can be submitted at any time. However, there are limited funds available, and our ability to approve your application may depend on the total amount of funds left. If the fund has run out by the time of your application, you are not entitled to funding. We therefore ask you to contact us before you submit your application, ideally by sending a short e-mail outlining your situation.
You can apply for a maximum of EUR 1.000. The amount of funding granted depends on the amount required for the intended use.
Funding must not be used for general living expenses. The money must be used exclusively to overcome an unforeseen financial emergency. For example, you may use it for absolutely necessary expenses, purchases or materials, without which your everyday life as a student with childcare responsibilities would be significantly more difficult. You can only apply for this kind of funding once.
Your application must show that your household income is sufficient to cover general living expenses such as rent, food and clothing. However, it must also demonstrate that without the requested funds it would be very difficult or impossible to balance out the sudden financial difficulty. Families whose total income is low, and single parents in particular, will be given preferential consideration.
Among others, we recognize salary statements, child/parental benefits notices, alimony payments, BaFöG, scholarships as well as proof of other income that contributes to securing the livelihood of all persons living in the household.
Since an unforeseen financial emergency generally requires quick assistance, we try to approve applications as soon as possible. Usually, we take just a few days to review your application and the documents included. The more comprehensive and detailed the information you provide, the less time we need to process it.
You will be required to submit a written report including proof of use of funds within four weeks of receiving the payment. The information given in your report must correspond to the intended use of funds named in your application. If your report is delayed, you must notify us.
Please submit your report and relevant documents via post to the Gender Equality Office at the University of Bonn, Regina-Pacis-Weg 3, 53113 Bonn, Germany, to the attention of Dr. Martina Pottek, or via email to sekretariat@zgb.uni-bonn.de.
