About the FAST Fund


The FAST (Faculty And Students Together) Fund assists students with emergency costs such as a lack of food, car repairs, medical necessities, job loss/reduction in work hours, or past due tuition so that they can continue with their education. 

NEIU UPI (University Professionals of Illinois) established a FAST Fund in Fall 2018 with a matching grant from the Believe in Students Foundation.  Since then, we have been making grants to students from donations and fundraising to help with essentials that create obstacles to continuing their education.  These grants are awards, and do not need to be paid back by students.

UPI members (faculty and advisors) raise money through donations because caring for our students is part of our work as an educational community. This project reflects the values of Bargaining for the Common Good because our commitment to our union is about more than just our own pay and work conditions. Compassion and helping our students are an expression of our collective values as a union working toward social justice.

How It Works  

The FAST Fund provides emergency assistance to students in need. The Fund is administered by a small committee of UPI members at NEIU and our union local who review applications and make decisions on grants.  

To apply, students fill out the online application and email FastFund.UPI.neiu@gmail.com to alert us that you’ve applied:

  • In order to receive a FAST Fund grant, you should explain your need in the brief application. It helps to be specific about your situation and how a FAST Fund grant will help you stay in school.  
  • You need to provide some documentation to support your need, for example, an invoice for a car repair or medical bill, rental agreement, past due tuition statement, or other proof of need (we do not require this for food or gas money).
  • We ask you to provide a faculty member or advisor as a reference, and a member of the FAST Fund Committee will reach out to have a conversation with you. Then the NEIUPI FAST Fund Committee will make a recommendation to the union local committee.
  • If your grant is approved, we write a check and mail it to you. (We are working on improving the transfer of money, but currently are stuck with these old-fashioned ways.) The amount of the grant is based on the students’ documented request, how much money we have available, and a discussion with the student on what, if anything, they can afford.

A FAST Fund grant from NEIU UPI is a gift.