Supplemental Financial Assistance for Students
When you are enrolled as a full-time student, unforeseen expenses can cause significant stress and impact your academics and personal well-being. Help comes in a variety of forms like MCAD’s Emergency Parachute Fund and city and state resources. Financial Aid can also help you find additional options including grants, scholarships, loans, and money management as well as short-term $100 loans.
Through the generosity of the broader MCAD community, the Emergency Parachute Fund provides limited financial assistance to currently enrolled students who are unable to meet expenses due to unforeseen hardship, including temporary housing, food supplies, transportation, mental health support, and other essentials. Students must also have exhausted financial aid available to them. Award amounts vary based on need and availability of overall funding dollars. Maximum request is $500.
If you are in need of assistance, the first step is to submit the Emergency Parachute Fund form.
On Campus Support Services
- Students who have questions or problems of any kind are encouraged to visit the Student Affairs Office for assistance, or stop in the office located on the first floor of the Morrison Building, M104.
- Learning Center and Accessibility Services supports MCAD learners in their academic and professional endeavors
- Student Counseling and Wellness Services has a variety of mental health resouces available for all students
- Grocery Cards are available in Student Affairs, Financial Aid, Learning Center, and Student Accounts
City and State Resources
- The Minnesota Education and Training Voucher (ETV) Program provides funds to help foster youth pay for post-secondary education. The money does not need to be paid back.
- AssuranceWireless offers free phones and service for people who have Food Stamps/SNAP, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Veterans Pension benefit or Survivors Pension, Medicaid, Federal Public Housing Assistance or Section 8
- Aunt Bertha Social Care Network helps you find resources in Minnesota and throughout the United States
- Lutheran Social Services assistance with housing, health, and employment
Food shelves:
Food resources:
- Good Grocer's Food Oulet
- SNAP helps Minnesotans with low incomes get the food they need for nutritious and well-balanced meals.
- Minnesota Department of Human Services, food assistance and mental health services
- SNAP recipients and enrolled MN Care members can already receive 10% groceries EVERY DAY and a reduced membership premium through their CAP program. Memberships are fully transferable and refundable. Members also get annual patronage refunds based on the amount of their annual purchases!
- Market Bucks - Triple your SNAP/EBT at your participating farmers markets with Market Bucks
- Minnesota Food HelpLine - 1-888-711-1151, use the chat feature, or fill out this form to contact us.
Other resources:
- MN Unemployment Insurance
- Minneapolis Homeless Shelter Directory
- MNSure health insurance
- MetroTransit TAP Metrobus Discount
- Rental Help in Minnesota
- Minnesota Computers for Schools has a Lifelong Learners Program where students/adults/alums with economic need can receive a refreshed and cleared desktop or laptop computer
- Springboard For the Arts Grants for Artist A directory of grant providers to support your artistic practice
- Compassionate Advocacy support for those who are home insecure