The Campaign for Emergency Student Aid (CESA) is a unique United Negro College Fund (UNCF) scholarship program that provides "just-in-time" financial aid to historically black college and university (HBCU) students poised to graduate, but short of funding. In 2018, the Kresge Foundation provided UNCF with funding to better understand how students were selected for CESA awards, the impact of those awards and to gain an in-depth understanding of the array of emergency aid efforts and programs available on UNCF-member institution campuses and their effectiveness to improve student outcomes and increase graduation rates. Specific to emergency aid, this research includes the processes by which HBCUs administer aid, the methods for informing students about availability of aid, the types of aid available, the characteristics of students who receive the aid, funding sources, etc. This study is important as CESA funding revenue has been declining on an annual basis. UNCF seeks to learn more about what is working and what is not working relative to emergency aid programs for HBCU students as the emergency needs continue to grow. It is anticipated that this study will enable UNCF to strengthen its case for CESA support. Increased support will likely lead to increased revenue and, over the long term, improved student outcomes.