Carnegie Mellon University
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GSA Child Care Grant 

The GSA Child Care Grant is a need-based child care support in the amount of $750 per semester to eligible graduate student applicants in the form of non-qualified scholarships.

While these grants do not cover the bulk of child care expenses, they do provide graduate student parents with some financial support to help offset childcare expenses and to enable graduate student parents to pursue their studies. The childcare grant can be used for most child care providers. 

Non-qualified scholarships, such as the Child Care Grant, are subject to taxation by the state and federal government. The tax amount will vary by individual.

Spring 2024 Child Care Grant applications will be open February 1-February 15, 2024. 


ELIGIBILITY

The GSA Child Care Grant considers one application per eligible student. Students of any citizenship may apply. If you meet the eligibility criteria below, we strongly encourage you to apply. You should still apply even if you already receive child care assistance, such as grants, scholarships, or reduced child care based on income level, or have received this grant in the past. We do our best to balance needs with funding, which may result in some deprioritization of grantees that have previously received the award, but we welcome and support repeat applicants.

At the time of application Child Care Grant applicants must: 

  • Be enrolled in at least 19 units as a graduate student at Carnegie Mellon University on the Pittsburgh campus. Doctoral students with an "In Absentia" status are not eligible.
  • Live with at least one dependent child who is not yet eligible for public elementary school due to age requirements, or a child with special needs under the age of eighteen. Special needs are identified as children who qualify under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as defined by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
  • Incur expenses from child care services. Child care services should be either: 
    • Administered by a licensed or accredited provider.
    • Acquired through a child care provider connection service. CMU offers free subscriptions to care.com through the Care@Work Family Care Benefits
  •  

APPLICATION PROCESS

GSA Child Care Grants are available for the Fall and Spring semester. Students must apply separately each semester. Selection to receive the grant does not guarantee that you will receive that grant again in future semesters, nor does it preclude you from receiving it again. 

On the application, there is space to describe your own reason for need, if you choose to disclose that information. Need-based preference is determined within the context of the applications received in every grant cycle. Applications will be open February 1 to February 15, 2024.

For students that experience a change in dependent eligibility (e.g., birth, adoption, dependent addition through marriage), applications will be accepted after the deadline on a rolling basis. If you apply after the deadline, we cannot guarantee that you will receive a grant, regardless of your needs: the available grants may have been committed to applicants who applied earlier.

Find the Spring 2024 Child Care Grant application here.

Selected recipients must submit the following:

  • Documentation of Enrollment as a Graduate Student at Carnegie Mellon University
    • Printout of enrollment status from SIO: Go to Academic Info ⇒ Enrollment Status
  • Documentation of child care expenses 
    • For example, a recent bill from a licensed child care provider and proof of payment
  • Documentation of any other child care support, if applicable
    • Copy of support received

Verification 

Selected recipients must have the required documents verified in order to receive the grant. The selected recipient will receive specific instructions regarding verification.  The GSA Executive Committee will notify selected recipients of how to digitally submit the documents necessary for verification. On a case-by-case basis, arrangements can be made to verify the documents in person.

Verification of eligibility must occur within seven days of grants being awarded. If eligibility cannot be verified, the grant may be awarded to an alternate recipient. If you are unable to meet this deadline due to a hardship, accommodations will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Privacy Statement

All documents submitted for verification purposes will have any personally identifiable information redacted. Demographic information submitted as part of the application will be retained for program improvement purposes. 

Audit

The GSA Executive Committee reserves the right to request documents that verify that the child(ren) described in the application is indeed a dependent of the applicant. We will only request further documentation from recipients of the grant. For proof of dependent status, you may provide the child’s birth certificate, adoption papers, the child’s passport, the child’s visa documents, tax returns if you have claimed the child as a dependent, etc.