Mutual aid for Iranian students at UCF.
Members chip in monthly. When a student faces an emergency — rent, medical bills, immigration costs — the fund pays out. Run by a five-person committee under a public rulebook.
ICSF (Iranian Community Support Fund) is the program. IRSA Aid is how IRSA at UCF runs it — the same way irsa.info is the site and IRSA is the org.
- Members
- 52
- monthly
- Pooled
- $3.4k
- this cycle
- Disbursed
- $1.2k
- to students
- Cap / case
- $1.5k
- per §10
Four rules. That’s it.
Not a nonprofit. Contributions are not tax-deductible.
Mutual, not charity
Contributors and recipients are the same community.
§2Double-blind review
The committee sees APP-#### codes, not names. Like blind peer review.
PrivacyIdentity stays separate
Names live in an encrypted vault. Unlocked only after a decision.
PrivacyAid, not a loan
Once approved, the money is yours. No repayment. No interest.
§10
Pick a tier.
All tiers carry the same membership. Higher amounts do not buy priority. Cancel anytime.
- Student Member$10/ month
For students on a stipend.
- Active ICSF membership
- Eligible to apply after 3 months
- Quarterly transparency report
- Most chosenSupporting Member$20/ month
For those who can give a bit more this semester.
- Everything in Student
- Doubles the fund’s reach
- Same membership — no extra priority
- Sustaining Member$45/ month
For alumni, faculty, and community allies.
- Everything in Supporting
- Optional listing on the supporters wall
- Keeps the pool funded through summer
Not tax-deductible. Cancel anytime from your account dashboard. See §3 and §6.
Need help? Apply here.
Confidential. Reviewed within 72 hours. Approval is not guaranteed.
- Iranian student at UCF
Graduate students affiliated with UCF.
- Active ICSF member
Contributing 3+ months, or newly-arrived exemption.
- Emergency
Rent, food, medical, immigration, urgent travel, documents.
- Once per 12 months
Unless extraordinary circumstances clear a supermajority.
- Newly arrived students
- Immigration-related challenges
- Housing instability
- Medical or mental-health emergency
- Food insecurity
- Lost or stolen essential documents
Three isolated systems.
Identity, application, and money never sit in the same place. Reviewers cannot link a name to a request. The treasurer cannot vote. Stripe cannot read your story.
- Treasurer-only
Identity Vault
Encrypted store for real names, contact info, and payout details. Unlocked only after a decision is made — and only for the treasurer who needs it to move funds.
Sees- Real name
- Email + phone
- Payout method
- Committee
Blind Review
Reviewers see anonymous packets coded APP-#### — the need category, the amount, the statement. Never names, never contact info, never payout details.
Sees- APP-#### code
- Need category
- Amount requested
- Statement
- Stripe
Payment Layer
Stripe moves money in and out. It knows payer and recipient identities because it has to. It never shares them with the committee.
Sees- Card / bank details
- Transaction history
- Receipts
- 1Submit
Identity goes to the Vault. The request gets an APP-#### code.
- 2Review
Committee reads the blind packet. Votes 3 of 5.
- 3Approve
Treasurer unlocks identity from the Vault.
- 4Pay out
Stripe moves funds. Committee never sees the name.
You can opt out of blindness in either direction. Donors who want public credit can show their name. Applicants who would rather the committee know who they are can flip the toggle in the application. The default in both cases is anonymous.
Three steps.
From contribution to payout.
- §6Step 01
Members give
Monthly or once. Stripe handles money.
Stripe sees the payer - §5Step 02
Committee reviews
Blind packet (APP-####). 3-of-5 majority decides.
Committee sees no names - §10Step 03
Fund pays out
$500–$1,500 per case, vendor or reimbursement.
Treasurer unlocks identity
What counts and what doesn’t.
- Emergency housing or temporary rent support
- Food insecurity and basic necessities
- Medical or mental-health emergencies
- Immigration-related or legal consultation costs
- Urgent travel tied to a family emergency
- Replacement of essential documents lost or stolen
- Tuition payments or long-term educational expenses
- Salaries, stipends, or compensation of any kind
- Personal business or investment activities
- Political fundraising or advocacy
- Religious activities
- Loans with interest — ICSF lends, but never at interest
Edge cases get clarifying questions. Misleading information voids the request.
Who runs it.
Two treasurers on the bank account. Five committee members on the vote. Quarterly reports.
- Term
- 6 or 12 months. Vacancies filled by majority vote.
- Conflicts
- Members recuse. Undisclosed conflicts trigger removal.
- Reports
- Collected, disbursed, balance. No personal info.
Supervisor / Treasurer
Holds the bank account. Executes disbursements after committee approval.
Co-Treasurer
Joint holder. Provides continuity and a backstop.
Two IRSA representatives
From IRSA’s active board.
Three community members
Active ICSF members from the UCF Iranian community.
Voting rule
Quorum: 3 of 5. Decisions: simple majority (3 of 5).
Transparency
Periodic financial summaries. No applicant details.
Five roles. Five access levels.
- DonorOwn receipts, aggregate fund stats
- ApplicantOwn application, decision, payout status
- Reviewer (committee)Blind APP-#### packets — need, amount, statement
- TreasurerIdentity vault + payout info (post-approval only)
- AdminSystem health — never application content
Not a 501(c)(3); not tax-deductible. ICSF operates as a community mutual aid initiative governed by an internal rulebook approved by its founding committee.
Contribute, or apply.
Both belong here. Pick one.