The Basic Needs Fund Has Launched
The Basic Needs Coalition @Stanford has launched the Basic Needs Fund,
an initiative to help make sure every Stanford student can meet their
basic needs. We want to raise an initial $100,000 in the next month
to help support Stanford students meet their basic needs.
Our Mission
Access to basic needs such as food, housing, and healthcare should never
be an issue for any Stanford student, but has been and continues to be,
especially in the time of the pandemic. Take just one look at this
1-1 Mutual Aid Sheet
or any of the reporting on food and housing-insecurity throughout the years
(
1,
2,
3
)
and this will be abundantly clear.
The Basic Needs Coalition @ Stanford is launching a Basic Needs Fund, because we know
that there are enough resources in the Stanford community to provide safety for all of us.
The fund is a student led initiative to mobilize community and institutional resources to
support basic needs for Stanford students and their families when institutional resources are not enough.
We are fundraising an initial $100,000 for a Basic Needs Fund to
support Stanford students and their families struggling to meet their
basic needs in this unprecedented time.
The Basic Needs Fund & Coalition is launching rapidly
and under changing conditions.
While the core mission and structure of the fund and coalition will
not change, this is a living document that will be updated to
reflect feedback and learnings.
Who We Are
The Basic Needs Coalition @Stanford, whose members also represent student
organizations such as FLIP (First-Generation and/or Low-Income Partnership), Stanford Mutual
Aid, Stanford Food Recovery, ASSU (Associated Students of Stanford University), and SWR
(Students for Workers’ Rights), among others, seeks to organize resources and advocacy to ensure
that the basic needs of the Stanford community are comprehensively met.
Our team consists of students, alumni, and staff who previously ran
the Mutual Aid Spreadsheet
that helped 100s of Stanford affiliates
share resources (spare rooms, transportation, groceries, childcare,
and more) with each other and move an estimated $30,000 to students; the
ASSU Support fund
(which distributed $191,000 to 1500 students); the
Columbae Student Support Fund
(which distributed $110,000 of
community donations to 1100 students); and the
FLIP Housing Match Initiative
(which worked with 125 housing-insecure students to match them with
temporary housing for Spring Quarter and Summer).
The Basic Needs Fund is fiscally sponsored by the Academic Mutual Aid Foundation,
an amazing 501(c)3 organization that distributes emergency cost assistance to students and academic workers in need.
Why This Is Needed
Current university resources have proven insufficient in meeting many
of the urgent needs of Stanford students and their families.
Students are navigating countless crises, escalating in the wake of
COVID-19, including the loss of campus jobs (such as recently
cancelled student staff roles
), parental unemployment, and housing instability.
Many are left without the proper resources to care for themselves and
their loved ones. Student need, which always exists, has skyrocketed
during this time period and will likely remain high for the foreseeable future.
Some students are able to access institutional resources, through the
FLI and Financial Aid offices in particular, but find that these funds
are not enough. Other students fall through the cracks.
Some—particularly those navigating lost personal or family income—are
unequivocally in need but are ineligible for the
Opportunity Fund
(for which applications are only open to students whose expected
student contribution and expected family contribution are each under $5000).
For those who can access University support with living expenses,
these resources are only available to students enrolled in classes.
Yet during the upcoming modified Academic Year, many students are
not in a position to dedicate sufficient time to coursework, given
other responsibilities and access barriers. Some students are taking
leaves of absences, while others enroll because it is the only way to
access institutional support. (Wealthier peers, in contrast, have the
opportunity to put time into being a student or, if they choose, to take a gap year.)
Finally, the university is unable to provide financial support for a
student’s family members, despite the fact that the well-being and
livelihood of one’s family is, of course, inextricably linked to
the well-being and livelihood of students.
The Basic Needs Fund is a resource for these students, students for whom university
resources have been insufficient, and/or who have been classified as ineligible for university resources,
but nonetheless have urgent need.
Make a Request
If you are a student in need of additional support beyond what the
university can provide for your basic needs right now, use this
request form
to request aid from the Basic Needs Fund. See the
FAQ for a clear breakdown of who can access the fund,
and for what basic needs this fund is intended.
How To Help
The Basic Needs Coalition is raising $100,000 to support students
and families. We’re asking alumni, parents, faculty, current
students, and other supporters to donate to a Basic Needs Fund,
which will be disbursed this fall and potentially beyond.
Here’s how you can help:
Donate
Share
For easy email and social media templates, use our comprehensive
media toolkit
to spread the campaign to your friends and Stanford networks.
Subscribe
If you want to stay updated on the Fund and the Stanford Basic
Needs Coalition, you can subscribe to our mailing list.
You can also follow us on
Instagram,
Twitter, and
Facebook.
Join Us
The Basic Needs Coalition is working rapidly and forming strategy
under uncertain conditions. Fill out this
onboarding form to get
more deeply involved; and please feel welcome to fill out this
feedback form
— particularly if you don’t have the capacity to get
involved but want to share your wisdom, experiences, or concerns.
This pandemic has made it abundantly clear that each and every
one of us needs to step up to advocate for community, accessibility,
and equity, and we ask that you join us in supporting the basic
needs of all Stanford students, both now and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.
FAQ: The Basic Needs Fund
What counts as a basic need?
Our framework, developed in conversation with organizers
at Basic Needs Centers at several other private and public
universities such as the
University of Southern California
,
UC Berkeley
, and
UCLA
, accounts for resources that are essential
to living. These include
food, shelter (including rent and utilities),
and healthcare (including mental health care).
PS:
Every University of California and California State University
school has a dedicated Basic Needs Center. Stanford does not.
Who is eligible for the Basic Needs Fund?
Any Stanford student in need is eligible to request aid from
this fund to help with their and their family’s basic needs.
This includes:
- Undergraduate students
- Graduate students
- Postdocs
- Students taking leaves of absences due to COVID-19
- Incoming frosh and transfers
- Frosh and transfer students deferring enrollment due to COVID-19
- New alumni impacted by COVID-19 (specifically the Class of 2020)
Note:
Eligible students are asked to apply for funds via institutional
resources first, such as the
Opportunity Fund
for undergraduate
students or
Emergency Grant-in-Aid
for graduate students, before
accessing this community-organized Basic Needs Fund. A
student-compiled, best-effort list of almost all institutional
resources can be found
here.
Depending on your enrollment status
and program, you may be eligible for additional resources.
How are requests handled and processed?
The fund request process starts with the
Basic Needs Fund Request Form
,
which informs students of alternative sources of university
funding for which they might be eligible. (The Basic Needs Fund
is not an institutional source of funding and should be seen
as a last resort to cover basic needs).
Students then have the opportunity to describe their needs, which
are anonymized. Anonymized requests are then passed on to the
Basic Needs Fund management board, composed of students who were
nominated and confirmed by student communities that have long been
engaged in advocacy work related to Basic Needs. The management
board meets at least weekly to review applications and grant what
the fund allows, while also conferring on an ad-hoc basis to
address urgent requests. Lastly, a separate student volunteer—not
on the management board—helps distribute the funds to students to
protect student privacy.
How quickly will my request be processed?
Generally within 1 week, dependent on the timing and volume of
donations. More urgent requests (ie. funds needed in less than
7 days) will be processed accordingly.
How does the Basic Needs Coalition differ from the Basic Needs Fund?
The Basic Needs Coalition
is a coalition dedicated to mobilizing
community resources and institutional resources to ensure the
basic needs of the full Stanford community (students, students’
families, workers, and staff) are comprehensively met.
The Basic Needs Fund is a project
to specifically support the
basic needs of Stanford students and their families in
this time by raising and distributing funds.
Do you have other questions?
If you still have unanswered questions after visiting the
website, you can email
contact@basic-needs-stanford.org.
We will respond and update this document with answers.
FAQ: Fiscal Sponsorship by the AMAF
What is Fiscal Sponsorship?
Fiscal sponsorship is a way that community groups can access the structural benefits of being
a non-profit without actually becoming one. Money flows through an organization with 501(c)3
non-profit status. Accounting, tax reporting, and some operations are shared.
Who is the AMAF?
The Academic Mutual Aid Foundation (AMAF) facilitates mutual aid among students and
academic workers by distributing cash assistance to anyone in need.
Too many people have to leave higher education incomplete due to unexpected cost. AMAF is helping to build a resilient academic community that cares for its own.
Check out AMAF’s website here!
Too many people have to leave higher education incomplete due to unexpected cost. AMAF is helping to build a resilient academic community that cares for its own.
Check out AMAF’s website here!
Why do we want fiscal sponsorship?
A fiscal sponsorship gives the Basic Needs Fund @Stanford five major benefits:
It is worth noting that fiscal sponsorship can, in some cases, be a way that nonprofits and funders exert control over more community-led groups, often in the name of “administrative oversight.” This was our primary concern when we began to consider seeking fiscal sponsorship.
We are so grateful to have partnered with AMAF -- an organization that shares our values and goals -- and to have signed a contract that protects our autonomy.
- Donations are tax-deductible. All future contributions to the Basic Needs Fund @Stanford are tax-deductible, and we hope that this encourages more individuals to support the Fund.
- Accepting donations that are only available to 501(c)3 groups. Those who wish to contribute from a donor-advised fund, charitable account, foundation, or corporate matching program now have the opportunity to do so.
- Tax protections. Previously, those managing and organizing the Fund held tax risks and legal liability for the organization. Fiscal sponsorship removes those risks.
- Stronger infrastructure. Access to AMAF’s banking, reporting, and accounting services strengthen the BNF’s already-rigorous financial management.
- Shared values and mutual support. We want to support and uplift the work that AMAF is doing nationally, which aligns deeply with the BNF’s vision.
It is worth noting that fiscal sponsorship can, in some cases, be a way that nonprofits and funders exert control over more community-led groups, often in the name of “administrative oversight.” This was our primary concern when we began to consider seeking fiscal sponsorship.
We are so grateful to have partnered with AMAF -- an organization that shares our values and goals -- and to have signed a contract that protects our autonomy.
What does this change for me if I'm requesting funds?
Nothing!
What does this mean for me if I'm contributing funds?
PayPal, Venmo, and GoFundMe are still great ways to contribute (PayPal is preferred between these three).
If you would like to contribute by check, please mail it to 609 4th Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94118. Make it out to the Academic Mutual Aid Foundation, but mention “Basic Needs Fund at Stanford” in the memo line.
If you would like to contribute via a grant-making entity, AMAF’s EIN is 84-4695549. Please mark contributions as for the Basic Needs Fund @ Stanford. If you are seeking corporate matching and your company uses Benevity -- AMAF’s profile is here. Again, please be sure to mark contributions as for the Basic Needs Fund @ Stanford. If you have additional questions, please reach out: contact@basic-needs-stanford.org.
If you would like to contribute by check, please mail it to 609 4th Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94118. Make it out to the Academic Mutual Aid Foundation, but mention “Basic Needs Fund at Stanford” in the memo line.
If you would like to contribute via a grant-making entity, AMAF’s EIN is 84-4695549. Please mark contributions as for the Basic Needs Fund @ Stanford. If you are seeking corporate matching and your company uses Benevity -- AMAF’s profile is here. Again, please be sure to mark contributions as for the Basic Needs Fund @ Stanford. If you have additional questions, please reach out: contact@basic-needs-stanford.org.
How do I request a tax deduction?
AMAF and BNF will issue 501(c)3 donation receipts by the end of each calendar year for all contributions totalling $250 or more.
To ensure that you receive your receipt, please contribute via PayPal and make sure that the email on your profile is up-to-date.
If you do not receive a receipt by December 31st, you have made a contribution of >= $250, and you would like one, please email studentmutualaid@gmail.com and AMAF will get back to you!.
To ensure that you receive your receipt, please contribute via PayPal and make sure that the email on your profile is up-to-date.
If you do not receive a receipt by December 31st, you have made a contribution of >= $250, and you would like one, please email studentmutualaid@gmail.com and AMAF will get back to you!.
Does my full contribution go to the Basic Needs Fund? Does fiscal sponsorship come with a fee?
We have agreed to apply a 5% fee to all “large” donations that the BNF receives, defined as those that are $250 or more. This fee will go toward the Academic Mutual Aid Foundation’s general fund, applications for which are open to university students and academic workers across the United States.
In other words:
We are grateful to AMAF for these generous terms, and we hope that you share our excitement about ensuring that this fiscal sponsorship supports both organizations’ missions!
In other words:
- If you make a contribution of under $250, then your full contribution goes directly to the BNF, which is distributed to Stanford students by our fund management board.
- If you make a contribution of $250 or more, then 5% of your contribution supports AMAF’s general fund, which may support a student outside of Stanford.
We are grateful to AMAF for these generous terms, and we hope that you share our excitement about ensuring that this fiscal sponsorship supports both organizations’ missions!
Contact Us
Have any comments, concerns, feedback, or suggestions? We're always
available! Feel free to email us at
contact@basic-needs-stanford.org
or find us on on
Instagram,
Twitter, and
Facebook.