The Jack Canfield Student Medical Emergency Relief Fund (SMERF) is a service that provides grants to all UCSB students with expenses related to medical, dental, psychological, and optical emergencies. For the purpose of this fund, a medical emergency is a condition, injury, or illness that poses a risk to a person’s life, long-term health, or well-being and requires timely intervention. This does not include prescriptions or medical care for on-going non-emergency conditions.

Students can complete the online application form to be considered for this resource.

History of SMERF

This fund was created in 1991 in honor of Ina Kristiansen, a UCSB Intramural employee, who was diagnosed with leukemia. Ina’s inability to receive proper medical care due to financial reasons led to her premature death. In an effort to celebrate Ina’s life, her family, friends, and coworkers created a student medical emergency fund at UCSB.

Seven years later, Jack Canfield, author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul® series, compassionately donated $30,000 with a matching grant of $10,000 from fundraisers sponsored by UCSB Recreational Sports. This amount created the Jack Canfield Chicken Soup for the Soul endowment. From these endowed funds, only the interest was distributed to students in need. It was soon realized that approximately $3,000 in annual interest from the fund was simply not enough.

In the spring of 2005, students in Recreational Sports placed the Student Medical Emergency Relief Fund (SMERF) initiative on the ballot for election. SMERF asked students to pay 89¢ per quarter to support student medical emergencies. Both the undergraduate and graduate student body overwhelmingly passed the initiative, thus providing financial assistance to UCSB students in need.

In 2022 the Equity in Mental Health Assistance Grant was provided by the State of California to help University of California address the mental health needs of students. The Equity in Mental Health Assistance Grant at UCSB is specifically intended to address the financial barriers which prevent students from accessing mental health resources. Some examples of costs associated with Mental Health include assessment & testing, medications, & co-pays that are not already covered by insurance. Other expenses related to accessing needed mental health services & supports may be considered. 

The SMERF Grant is currently overseen by the Financial Crisis Response Team in the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships. 

Important Information

Any registered student who has paid student registration fees is eligible to apply. This includes Graduate, Undergraduate, International, and DREAM Scholars. Students who have graduated are eligible to apply for funding up to one quarter after their graduation date so long as they incurred their medical emergency during their final quarter. Students graduating in Spring Quarter have until the end of the Fiscal Year to apply (June 30th).

The Jack Canfield Student Medical Emergency Relief Fund (SMERF) provides grants to students with expenses related to medical, dental, psychological, and optical emergencies. For the purposes of this fund, a medical emergency is a condition, injury, or illness that poses a risk to a person’s life, long-term health, or well-being and requires timely intervention.

Any registered student who has paid student registration fees are eligible to apply. Students who have graduated are eligible to apply for funding up to one quarter after their graduation date if they incurred a medical emergency during their final quarter of enrollment. Students graduating in Spring Quarter have until the end of the Fiscal Year to apply (June 30th).

Please complete the online application and attach the following documents:

  1. A letter to the committee describing your emergency and any steps you have taken to address the situation
  2. Copies of your medical bills, quotes, cost of services, or any other supporting documents related to the assistance you are requesting

*PDF format is preferred but students without access to a scanner can take a photo of your bills with your phone to upload with your application.

If you would like to schedule a meeting with a member of the SMERF Committee to ask questions or better explain your circumstances, please email financialcrisis@sa.ucsb.edu.

Each amount awarded will be determined at the discretion of the SMERF Committee based on individual situation, financial aid eligibility, and funding availability. The maximum award granted per student is $1,500 per quarter. Students are welcome to re-apply for additional awards in future quarters.

Students with large medical bills can apply once per quarter. Generally, students will only be approved a maximum of twice per academic year.

The SMERF Committee meets every two weeks to review applications. Students will receive an email confirmation of approval or denial once the committee has reviewed their application. Approved students will receive the grant through the BARC office either through a check or direct deposit. Processing usually takes 2-4 days.

The SMERF Committee is made up of UCSB staff with experience in medical, mental health, and basic needs resources. We have representatives from Disabled Student Services, Social Work, Student Mental Health Coordination Services, EOP, and Financial Aid.

Yes, gender affirmation surgery costs can be considered if the out of pocket expense is impacting a student's ability to pay for food, housing or other basic needs.

  • Inability to pay existing and/or anticipated medical, dental, optical, or psychological expenses. The medical emergency must have occurred in a quarter in which you were enrolled.
  • Ongoing financial insecurity due to recent emergency medical, dental, optical, or psychological expenses. The medical emergency must have occurred within the current quarter or the previous quarter in which a student was also enrolled.
  • Past examples included vehicle/sports/bike accidents, diseases, medical, dental and psychological conditions, and surgical needs.
  • Housing requests, childcare, school supplies/books
  • Non-emergency procedures (i.e., Braces, Contact Lenses, Fertility Treatments, Lasik Eye Surgery, Gastric Bypass, etc.)
  • Medical expenses for relatives or dependents

Contact Information

UCSB Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships
Student Affairs/Administrative Services Building (SAASB)
University of California
Santa Barbara, CA
93106-3025

The SMERF Grant is currently overseen by the UCSB Financial Crisis Response Team.
Please direct all inquiries to 
financialcrisis@sa.ucsb.edu

Campus Quick Links