Doing our Part: Pitt's COVID-19 Response

Join the 1850 donors that have made an immediate impact in Pitt's COVID-19 relief efforts.

Doing our Part: Pitt's COVID-19 Response

Fighting the COVID-19 Pandemic Together

The Pitt community, along with the rest of the world, is facing unprecedented times. The COVID-19 crisis has impacted daily life in more ways than we can count, but we are all willing to adjust to keep our community safe. Although campus looks a little different at the moment, Pitt is poised to be part of the solution, and we are asking you to join our fight against COVID-19. For generations, Pitt faculty and staff have provided world-class education and training to students that will lead us into the future. And now more than ever, our students, faculty, and researchers need our support. 

 

The Student Emergency Assistance Fund

The Student Emergency Assistance Fund is a collective effort led by the Office of the Provost, Division of Philanthropic & Alumni Engagement, Student Government Board, the Graduate & Professional Student Government, and the Division of Student Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh. This fund will be distributed by the Provost to provide financial support to Pitt undergraduate, graduate, and professional students with unanticipated and insurmountable expenses related to emergency situations, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Expenses covered by the fund include, but are not limited to:

  • Medical necessities
  • Food insecurity
  • Unexpected transportation or travel expenses
  • Homelessness or sudden loss of housing
  • Overdue utility bills reaching a turn-off notice
  • Loss of childcare
  • Technology repair or support.

Students in need of emergency financial assistance are encouraged to submit an application. Questions may be directed to emergencyfund@pitt.edu.

Health Sciences COVID-19 Response Fund

The Health Sciences COVID-19 Response Fund supports research in the areas of vaccines, epidemiology, treatment, prevention, education, and public health. Funds will help Pitt's dedicated researchers, educators, and public health leaders continue collaborating on projects including but not limited to:

  • Virus tracking 
  • Effectiveness of social distancing measures 
  • Longevity of virus on surfaces 
  • New projects as needs arise 

COVID-19 Vaccine Research

The federal government chose Pitt's Center for Vaccine Research as one of a handful of institutions nationwide to receive the virus for study, and our reputation as a center for excellence in health innovation stretches back decades—to the pioneering work of Jonas Salk, inventor of the Polio Vaccine. Pitt has already made progress in collaboration with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations to take a potential vaccine through Phase I clinical trials in humans. Contributions to the COVID-19 Vaccine Research Fund will support continued development of a vaccine that could save countless lives. 

How You Can Help

  • Make a gift. All COVID-19 response funds require financial support to meet the needs of our students, faculty, staff, and researchers. Gifts of any size make a big impact.
  • Do Your Part. Practice social distancing, wash your hands, and stay at home as much as possible. Until a vaccine is discovered, these are the best ways we can protect each other and ourselves.
  • Be a Good Neighbor. Reach out to your family, friends, classmates, and neighbors to let them know you are here to support them, even though it’s from a distance. We may be apart, but that doesn’t mean we can’t stay connected.

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Contributions received for this project shall be used in accordance with the purposes described herein, the terms in the FAQs and applicable law. For questions that cannot be answered in the FAQs, please call 412-648-4658 or email engage@pitt.edu.

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