We are so excited to share we’ve just reached our goal and completed our matching challenge — but I know that we can do even more to support the Student Emergency Grant Program before the end of the day.
To those of you who have supported this campaign, thank you so much for your generosity from all of us here at UVM.
Emergency situations show up out of nowhere, and that’s why every single gift matters. So, if you haven't made your gift, please consider still doing so.
When you give before the end of the day, you’re making sure that no matter what a student is going through, this important program has the resources to step in and help.
Your support today will ensure the Student Emergency Grant Program can sustain itself for the remainder of this academic year and for years to come.
Thank you for your consideration!
206 days ago by Wilson Nelms
Show your support for UVM students in need this Giving Tuesday
The UVM Student Emergency Grant Program helps students when unexpected hardships arise. These grants are only made possible thanks to generous donors like you.
Each year, Student Financial Services distributes almost all of the money raised to students in need. As we near the end of the Fall 2025 semester, emergency funds have been almost fully depleted due to the needs of students facing hardships. To continue providing this level of support, we need your help to replenish these critical resources for our students.
We are thrilled to share that a generous donor who knows first-hand the impact emergencies have on students has offered to match your gift dollar for dollar — doubling your impact on students in need.
There is no better time to give than now. Your donation provides more than just financial assistance — it offers stability, dignity, and hope during some of the most stressful moments in a student’s college journey.
Meet our matching donor
When Susan Marchand Higgins ’85 P’17 first came to UVM, she fell in love with the campus and the community. But financial challenges forced her to take time off to work and save money before returning to complete her degree.
Susan’s own college experience inspired her philanthropic focus today: ensuring students can graduate, no matter the obstacles. She established a fund that provides grants to students facing unexpected hardships. “It doesn’t matter if it’s $5, $50, or $500,” Susan explains. “If you don’t have any funds, it might as well be five million dollars.”
This Giving Tuesday, Susan is offering a dollar-for-dollar match to inspire others to support this important cause.
That means your gift today will have twice the impact, directly helping students overcome challenges and stay on track to graduate.
Reflecting on her motivation, Susan says, “In this current environment, where barriers to attending college are increasing rather than contracting, every dollar spent to ensure a student can attend — and, more importantly, complete — their education is an investment, not just in the individual, but in our community, our country, and our civilization.”
Thank you, Susan, for your generous support!
What is the Student Emergency Grant Program?
Last academic year, more than $65,000 in donor-funded emergency grants were awarded to UVM students, with individual grants ranging from $50 to $1,500.
Students have turned to this fund for help with situations such as:
- Paying for unexpected travel home due to illness or loss in the family
- Managing living expenses after a parent’s job loss or medical emergency
- Paying for necessary medical, dental, or mental health needs not covered by insurance
- Covering the cost of staying on campus and accessing meals during breaks when travel home isn’t possible
- Repairing or replacing essential school materials such as laptops
When emergencies happen, no student should have to face them alone. With your support, we can ensure that every Catamount in crisis has the help they need to stay on track.
For more information on the Emergency Grant Program visit: UVM Emergency Grant Program | Student Financial Services | The University of Vermont.
What do the Student Emergency Grants mean to students?
When you give today, you’re changing a life. You’re providing vital assistance at a time when our students need our community that's there for them the most.
A student who received an emergency grant last year summed up its impact best:
“To the donors who made this emergency grant possible: thank you. Your generosity reached me at a time when I was facing an impossible choice—whether I could continue pursuing my education while navigating deeply painful and destabilizing personal circumstances, without a safety net to fall back on.
This support was more than financial relief. It was a reminder that I am part of a community that refuses to let hardship be a barrier to learning. That kind of care—rooted in equity, access, and shared responsibility — defines the best of what higher education can stand for.
As a medical student, I study systems that shape people’s lives. But living through this moment reminded me that the same principles apply beyond the classroom: that justice starts with opportunity, that education is a social good, and that a generous act can quietly change someone’s future.
To the donors who made this possible — you are not just helping students. You are building a university culture that walks the walk. When I can give back, I will do so with you in mind.”
Thank you to our donors 🙏
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