DLW Emergency Fund

The Drake Law Women Emergency Fund is the product of a long-standing partnership between the Drake Law Women student organization and the faculty members of Drake Law School. The Fund is replenished through the annual Professor’s Auction fundraiser organized by Drake Law Women with auction items donated by faculty members.

All Drake Law students are eligible and encouraged to apply. First and foremost, the fund exists to help students when they need it most. If you’re unsure whether your circumstances constitute an emergency, it is always best to apply. An emergency is a sudden and unexpected occurrence. Emergencies include situations such as medical expenses, vehicle repairs, large home repairs, utility shut-offs, or unexpected loss of income. Failure to plan or budget appropriately does not constitute an emergency.

Your identity is kept completely confidential during the deliberation process and is only used as necessary to notify you of whether you’ve been granted an award and to disburse the funds to your account.

Each award is given in $100 increments up to a maximum of $1,000. A student may receive an award only once per year. For more details and to start the process, refer to the application below.

Once submitted, the process typically takes two weeks and includes the following steps:

1. Abbie Cram will redact the identifying information from the application and send it to the Emergency Fund Chair (the “Chair”).
2. The Chair will send a copy to each member of the Committee.
3. Each Committee member will review the redacted application and vote on whether the applicant should receive the Award. In the event of a tie, the Chair will cast the tie-breaking vote
4. Once the Committee has made its decision, Abbie Cram will turn over the identifying information to the Chair who will notify the applicant
5. If the Committee has decided to give an Award, the Chair will write the check to Drake University. The Award will then be applied to the recipient’s Drake student account.
6. The recipient will receive the Award in the same manner that the student receives loan check refunds (either through direct deposit or paper check, whichever has been set up).