On this page, you can find answers to all of the most frequently asked questions about how the Ways and Means Fund works as of March 2026.
Who is eligible for the Ways and Means Fund?
Any CUPE 3903 member who is (or has been) a dues-paying member during the current funding year or the five months preceding it is eligible to apply to either or both sub-funds. For example, for the 2025–2026 funding year (September 1, 2025–August 31, 2026), you must be or have been a dues-paying member at any time between April 2025 and August 2026.
If a member dies, can their next-of-kin apply to the fund?
Yes. In most circumstances, only members can apply for Ways and Means funding. However, in the case of the death of a CUPE 3903 member, the member’s next-of-kin may apply to the Emergencies Fund, providing documentation of their relationship to the deceased member.
Does the Ways and Means Fund cover disability accommodation expenses?
Yes! Members with a disability who incur work-related accommodation expenses (e.g., assistive devices or software not provided by the Employer) may apply to the Emergencies Fund to cover such expenses. (Such applications do not need to show that the application is related to an emergency.)
What are the application deadlines?
The Emergencies Fund has no set deadline; members can apply at any time. The Ways and Means Committee adjudicates applications for the Emergencies Fund at its twice-monthly meetings.
The Hardship Fund has one deadline in each academic term, and applications will be adjudicated once per term/semester, according to the schedule below:
| Hardship Funding Round | Application | Fund Disbursement |
|---|---|---|
| Winter | March 31, 2026 | May 31, 2026 |
| Summer | July 31, 2026 | September 30, 2026 |
Can I apply more than once per year and/or to both funds?
Yes. You may apply to both funds, as long as you meet each fund’s requirements and demonstrate your financial need. Only one application per emergency is allowed for the Emergencies Fund and per funding period / term for the Hardship Fund.
The yearly individual maximum of $2000 applies to all Ways and Means funds awarded to members from either or both sub-funds. No member will normally receive more than $2000 per funding year (September 1 – August 31), subject to the Ways and Means Committee’s discretion under Bylaws Appendix C.
How are applications adjudicated?
Applications are adjudicated by the Ways and Means Committee, comprising four members elected annually in September (a coordinator and three general members) and an ex-officio (non-voting) member fromthe Executive Committee.
Recognizing that applicants to the Emergencies Fund, especially, are experiencing acute financial distress resulting from an emergency, the Ways and Means Committee normally meets every two weeks to adjudicate Emergencies Fund applications.
Once per term/semester, the Ways and Means Committee will adjudicate all Hardship Fund applications received by the deadline.
The Committee will approve or deny each application based on
- the grounds for the application,
- the eligibility of the expenses claimed,
- the supporting documents submitted to substantiate the expense claims,
- an assessment of the applicant’s overall financial need, and
- the amount remaining in the fund.
Incomplete, unclear, or insufficiently documented claims will be placed on Hold, and applicants will receive an email with a link to their application asking them to update it. This will effectively restart the adjudication process, delaying completion.
Note that submitting incomplete or insufficient documentation will result in the Committee either rejecting your application outright or placing it on hold pending the submission of further information, which will delay processing your application.
How soon after approval will I get my money?
Applicants will be notified of the committee’s decision and the reason(s) for it by an email sent via Jotform.
If an application is approved, the Committee will submit a fund requisition to the Treasurer and Financial Coordinator, which must then be countersigned by two of Local’s signing authorities. After this is completed, a payment will be issued by electronic fund transfer using Plooto. Please click this link for instructions on how to receive funds using Plooto. Payments may take up to four weeks after approval.
How do I appeal a rejection of my application?
To appeal a decision of the Committee, please use the Ways and Means Appeal Form and select which fund application you are appealing (Emergencies or Hardship fund).
Your appeal must include
- A copy of your original application
- An explanation of the grounds for your appeal
- Any additional supporting documentation not originally included in your application
Upon receipt of an appeal, the committee will first reconsider your appeal, usually at its next meeting for Emergencies Fund appeals.
If the committee reverses its original decision, you will be notified via an email from Jotform.
If the committee upholds its original decision, it will anonymize your appeal and forward it to the CUPE 3903 Executive Committee for consideration. The Executive’s decision is final and cannot be appealed.
How do I contact the Committee?
If you have questions about a potential or existing application, email cupe3903waysandmeans@gmail.com. Please allow up to 2 weeks for a response.
If you haven’t received a timely response from the committee, feel free to contact the committee’s ex-officio member. See the “Our Executives” section of the Contacts page to find the current Executive Committee member assisting the committee. The current ex-officio member is, Vice-President Unit 2, Joseph Tohill, who you can email at vpu2@cupe3903.org.
How does the Emergencies Fund differ from the Hardship Fund?
Both funds assist members who are experiencing financial need and require applicants to document it with detailed budget information and supporting documentation.
Key differences include the type of expenses covered, application deadlines and frequency of adjudication, and the amounts available per application.
Expenses Covered
The Emergencies Fund provides awards to cover eligible emergency-related expenses on a reimbursement basis only. That is, it assists members experiencing acute financial distress related to a specific cause/event. It doesn’t cover everyday expenses (rent, student fees, and the like), which cannot be reimbursed, and you must submit (eligible) receipts for the entire amount of the claim.
The Hardship Fund requires applicants only to demonstrate that they are in financial need or distress, regardless of the cause. Unlike the Emergencies Fund, it doesn’t reimburse specific expenses; instead, it provides grants to people in acute or chronic financial distress. You can provide receipts for major expenses as part of your financial documentation, but the fund doesn’t directly reimburse members for specific expenses.
Deadlines and Frequency of Adjudication
The Emergencies Fund has no set application deadlines, and applications are adjudicated on an ongoing basis, usually twice per month.
The Hardship Fund has three deadlines per year, and applications are normally adjudicated within a month of each deadline.
Amounts Available per Application
Applicants for both funds should indicate how much money they are requesting.
The Ways and Means Committee adjudicates each Emergencies Fund application individually and can award approved Emergencies Fund applicants up to the claimed amount or the annual maximum ($2000), whichever is higher. A lesser amount may be approved if applicants don’t document all expenses or if there’s a high volume of applications (i.e., the total funds available are projected to be insufficient to last to the end of the funding year).
Because Hardship Fund applications are adjudicated once per term and the available funds are divided evenly by the number of applicants, the amount available for each approved application will vary. Approved applicants will be awarded an amount up to the amount requested or their annual individual maximum ($2000). The high volume of anticipated applications will likely mean each applicant will receive significantly less than the maximum. However, applicants can submit one application per term.
What kind of expenses can the Emergencies Fund cover, and what documentation is required?
Applicants must document, to the fullest extent possible, their financial hardship and its nature as unexpected or an emergency. All documentation about the unexpected financial hardship must be attached to the application. Receipts are required for all expenses. Attach either original electronic receipts or clear scans of physical receipts (preferably PDFs).
Applicants must provide documentation to substantiate each of these three criteria:
- the emergency or unexpected nature of the event/emergency
- that you have incurred expenses as a result of the emergency
- that you are unable to afford/absorb the expenses on your current income (or household income for members with spouses or common-law partners)
Documentation could include any or all of the following:
- Original receipts for items or services purchased (e.g., flight documents, including boarding passes)
- Proof of payment documents (e.g., bills, mortgages)
- Incident report numbers (e.g., police report numbers)
- Insurance claims
- Death certificates or published funeral notices
Examples of required documentation of emergency expenses:
- Emergency travel to visit a close friend or relative who is seriously ill or has died:
- Receipts verifying completed travel (airplane ticket showing cost plus boarding passes)
- Death notice / obituary; hospital admission record, or other verification of the loved one’s illness
- Replacement/repair of appliances, heating furnace, water heater, etc. due to flooding or other emergency not covered by insurance:
- Proof of homeownership (copy of mortgage)
- Repair/replacement receipts
- Insurance documents (showing exclusions of flood damage or coverage limits)
- Replacement of bed(s) and other items infested with bed bugs
- A letter from a landlord or receipts from an exterminator verifying the apartment/home was infested
- Receipts for items that needed to be replaced
- Theft of property not covered by insurance
- Copy of insurance policy, if applicable
- Police report
What kinds of expenses are NOT covered by the Emergencies Fund?
The Emergencies Fund does not cover regularly occurring, anticipated expenses such as rent, phone or internet, childcare, and the like, though the overall financial situation of applicants (including income and regular expenses) will be considered in assessing the impact of their unexpected or emergency expenses.
The following expenses cannot be reimbursed by the Emergencies Fund (though you may include them in your detailed budget, if applicable). Do not include them in the amount claimed:
- Regular rent or mortgage payments
- Moving or rental fees (unless you can provide proof that you needed to move for an unexpected/emergency reason, like eviction)
- Internet or cellphone bills
- Tuition and other student fees (international or domestic)
- Landed immigration costs
- Student visa costs
- Permanent residency costs
- OSAP or any financial loan repayment
- Laptop or computer replacement (exception: assistive technology and other computer-based disability accommodations)
- Personal medical expenses (apply for CUPE 3903 Extended Health Benefits)
- Conference costs such as fees, travel, accommodation, or meals (apply to the Professional Development Fund. Members of Units 2 and 4 can also apply to the Conference Travel Fund)
- Fieldwork costs such as travel, accommodation, or food (Apply for Fieldwork Cost Fund and Graduate Development Fund)
Can I apply to the Emergencies Fund before incurring the expenses I want to claim?
Unfortunately, no. Applicants must apply after the emergency financial burden has occurred. Any applications submitted for anticipated expenses will be rejected.
What documentation should my Hardship Fund application include?
Applicants must document, to the fullest extent possible, their financial hardship. All documentation about your financial hardship must be attached to the application (preferably PDFs).
Vital documentation could include any or all of the following:
- Income Tax assessments (with SIN redacted)
- Regular Rent or mortgage payments
- Moving expenses
- Internet or cellphone bills
- Copies of your student account
- Receipts for expenses related to international student status (visas, immigration or residency fees)
- OSAP or any other loans
- Professional expenses (conference fees, fieldwork costs, etc.) not eligible for or exceeding funds awarded from other union funds like the Professional Development Fund, Conference Travel Fund, Tuition Costs Fund, Fieldwork Costs Fund, and Graduate Development Fund)
Can I access the previous Ways and Means webpage?
Yes. Please click here if you need to access older information about the previous Ways and Means Fund structure. Note that the application linked to that page isn’t accepting applications. Please use the application link on this page.