What We Do
Our Beginning
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted life for the Rice community, leaving many with newfound social and financial challenges; for many, this is compounded by individual circumstances that students face in their daily life. In an effort to create a sustainable support network, a group of undergraduate students created Rice Mutual Aid (RMA) in the fall of 2020. RMA began work by facilitating access to university resources and creating an emergency aid fund that is funded by students for students. By the end of our first year as an organization, the Rice community helped us redistribute nearly $15,000; today, we maintain our mission to serve the Rice students and strive to expand our programs and networks to better serve our community.
Read more about our start here!
What is Mutual Aid?
Mutual aid is a collaborative and grassroots approach to providing support within communities, where individuals come together to meet each other's needs without relying on traditional hierarchical institutions or government agencies. It is based on the principles of solidarity, cooperation, and reciprocity, emphasizing the idea that people can help one another in times of crisis or need. Mutual aid can take various forms, such as sharing resources, knowledge, or emotional support, and it often operates on a voluntary and decentralized basis. This concept has gained prominence as a response to emergencies, disasters, economic hardships, and social challenges, fostering a sense of community empowerment and resilience by encouraging collective self-help and a more equitable distribution of resources.
Emergency Assistance Fund
Our emergency assistance fund provides monetary resources to students who need help with things like medical costs, academic costs, transportation, housing costs, and more. When requesting funds, students are asked to complete a brief form that includes details about their specific need, the required amount, their preferred turnaround time, and proof of school enrollment (NetID). It's important to note that all this information is handled with strict confidentiality and is used exclusively to facilitate and fulfill your requests. Donations to our organization are directed to our secure Venmo account and recorded in an organizational spreadsheet. This spreadsheet is available for students to access, ensuring transparency in our financial operations. Every donation we receive is contributed by students and alumni of Rice University, and all funds are reinvested back into our student community.
You can access our emergency request fund through our main page or by following this link.