Los Rios Community College District is rooted in the belief that all students – regardless of their background or income level – deserve access to a high-quality, affordable education. Nearly half of our 90,000 students are low-income, and just one unexpected financial emergency can threaten their ability to stay enrolled and complete their degree.
The Student Emergency Fund (SEF) provides fast, flexible, one-time financial support to students experiencing a crisis – whether it's an unanticipated medical bill, eviction threat, car repair, or job loss. Since the start of the pandemic, more than 20,000 students have received critical emergency aid. However, with public emergency relief now gone, the program depends entirely on private philanthropic support to meet growing student needs.
The Need is Real and Urgent
Many Los Rios students face daily financial challenges:
- 45% of students are low-income or below the poverty line
- 42% said they struggled to get adequate food
- 9% said they had gone at least one day during the last month without eating because they lacked the money
- 46% said they had difficulty paying for housing and utilities
- 28% are first-generation college students
- 14% report being unhoused in the last year
- 27% are single parents
- 18% are immigrants or refugees
- 100% face a financial emergency when they apply
Many Los Rios students face the difficult decision of whether to buy textbooks or pay for basic necessities like food, rent, and transportation, so all it takes is one unexpected expense to turn an already precarious situation into a major emergency.
Sometimes, that's a blown tire or unexpected medical expense, but just as often, recipients of the Student Emergency Fund have been homeless, lost family members, had homes destroyed by fire, or have been victims of violent crimes. Despite their hardships, these students remained determined to finish the education they started at Los Rios.
Your gift to the emergency fund helps students stay on track to complete their education and transform their futures.
"Thank you to the donors who helped me, so I could actually afford groceries for a month!"
— Sacramento City College Student Recipient
"I am incredibly appreciative of people like you who go out of their way to ease someone else's burden. You are the reason that individuals like myself strive to work harder and do better."
— American River College Student Recipient
Join Us
Help ensure no student must choose between an education and an unexpected crisis. Your gift today builds hope, stability, and a path to graduation.
Are You a Student?
Learn how to get help from the Student Emergency Fund.