The UPI-NIU FAST Fund

The FAST Fund (Faculty And Students Together Fund) assists students with emergency costs such as a lack of food, car repairs, medical necessities, job loss/reduction in work hours, or past-due tuition, so that they can continue with their education. 

The FAST Fund helps students with problems that create obstacles to continuing their education.  These grants are awards, and do not need to be paid back by students.

​The FAST Fund at NIU is about direct support of Huskie students by faculty and other community members at NIU. It is a joint project of the two University Professionals of Illinois unions at Northern: United Faculty Alliance, the Professors’ labor union; and UPI-NIU Instructors.

Please give generously through the UPI 4100 link.   Use the drop-down menu to select one of the NIU accounts, either NIU-F (NIU-Faculty) or NIU-I (NIU-Instructors). Because we want the FAST Fund to be an ongoing part of our work of caring for our students, please consider making your gift a monthly donation.

The FAST Fund is administered by our Local, UPI 4100, but it depends entirely upon donations from NIU faculty, staff, and community partners. Compassion and helping our students are expressions of our collective values as unions working toward social justice.