Summer Funding Sources
The Office of Public Interest maintains the following list of summer funding resources. It is updated annually as new information is provided. For third-party funding sources (non-WCL), please refer to the organization websites for up-to-date information about application criteria, materials, and deadlines. Please contact OPI with any general summer funding questions at publicinterest@wcl.american.edu. PLEASE NOTE: Some deadlines for Summer 2010 have passed. Please use this information for future planning as well.
Popular Summer Funding Sources
WCL Equal Justice Foundation (EJF) Grants
Equal Justice Foundation (EJF) Grants are the primary source of funding for students who accept unpaid or low-paid public interest summer internships both in the U.S. and abroad. The $4,000 grants enable WCL students to gain valuable experience in the public interest sector while providing critical services to underrepresented members of our communities. Any student who accepts a full-time summer public interest position and meets EJF volunteer requirements is eligible to apply. The application will be available on the EJF website.
Established at American University Washington College of Law in 1989, EJF is a non-profit, student-run organization. Throughout the school year, EJF raises money and collects donations from students, faculty, staff, and the business community to fund grants for WCL students. Now in its eighteenth year at WCL, EJF has awarded more than 250 fellowships through the increased support of the greater WCL community, and largely funded by the annual Public Interest Charity Auction. Last year, EJF raised more than $46,000 at the auction. Matching gifts from the administration and other fundraising events made for a combined total of $120,000, enabling 40 students to receive summer stipends. Descriptions of previously funded summer placements are available online. EJF hosts its 17th Annual Public Interest Auction on March 17, 2010.
Equal Justice America Legal Services Fellowships
Equal Justice America provides $4,000 fellowships to students who accept full-time summer public interest employment at a non-profit organization in the U.S. providing direct legal services to the poor. Placements with public defender offices and government agencies do not qualify. Equal Justice America sponsors fellowships for 175 law students at more than 75 law schools, including Washington College of Law.
To apply, applicants must send a cover letter describing their commitment and interest in providing legal services to the poor, a resume, two letters of recommendation, and an employment confirmation letter from the hiring organization to Equal Justice America at the above address. Students should indicate on the cover letter whether or not they have work-study funding. Students may apply prior to securing a placement, but an employment confirmation letter is required before a fellowship will be awarded. All application materials must be sent together. All applications must be postmarked no later than March 22, 2010. Awards will be announced by email no later than April 21, 2010.
Equal Justice Works Summer Corps Program
Equal Justice Works Summer Corps is an AmeriCorps-funded program that provides 350 law students with the opportunity to earn a $1,000 education award voucher for spending the summer in a qualifying internship at a non-profit, public interest organization. Students must complete 300 service hours to receive the education award voucher, which can be used to pay current educational expenses or qualified student loans. Additionally, county, state, and nonprofit public defenders offices now qualify for Summer Corps funding. The 2010 application will be available mid-March on the Equal Justice Works website.
Other Funding Sources – Provided by PSLAWNET
PSLawNet.org publishes summer funding information each year. Below is a summary of various funding sources based on the type of work or geographic location. Visit the PSLawNet Summer Funding Resources page for updated information.
PLEASE NOTE: Some deadlines for Summer 2010 have passed. Please use this information for future planning as well.
Funding Available Nationwide
ABA Commission on Homelessness and Poverty / John J. Curtin, Jr. Legal Internship
Contact: Amy Horton Newell
Phone: 202-662-1694 |E-mail: homeless@abanet.org | http://www.abanet.org/homeless/curtin.shtml
This legal internship program provides a $2,500 stipend for students who work at least 8 weeks for an organization run by a bar organization or legal services organization anywhere in the country that serves homeless clients or those at risk of becoming homeless. The ABA provides a list of organizations the student may consider, however this list is not exclusive. The student may work at any approved homeless advocacy project run by a bar association or legal services program.The application form is available at http://www.abanet.org/homeless/curtin.shtml and must be postmarked no later than March 26, 2010.
AFL-CIO Law Student Union Summer
Contact: Nancy Schiffer
Phone: 202-637-5336 | Fax: 202-637-5232 | E-mail: nschiffe@aflcio.org | http://www.aflcio.org/aboutunions/unionsummer/lsus.cfm
The AFL-CIO Law Student Union Summer program provides a weekly stipend of $600 (plus transportation and housing costs) for a 10 week legal internship program that combines front-line legal work with grassroots organizing in real, on-going campaigns by AFL-CIO unions in various regions of the country. For more information and for application materials, see http://www.aflcio.org/aboutus/lsus/lsus_requirements.cfm. Online application is also available from this site. The 2010 deadline is October 20, 2009 for 2Ls, and January 26, 2010 for 1Ls.
The American Society of International Law Arthur C. Helton Fellowship Program
Contact:Veronica Onorevole
Phone: 202-939-6000 | E-mail: fellowship@asil.org | http://www.asil.org/helton-fellowship.cfm
Funded by contributions from ASIL members, this one-time award will provide financial assistance, "micro-grants" of up to $1000, for law students and young lawyers to pursue human rights work and research. Fellows will undertake their projects in affiliation with an established NGO or human rights organization. Applications must be received by February 12, 2010. Students can begin to submit applications on October 12, 2009. Only the first 50 completed applications will be considered.
For more information, and for online application, see http://www.asil.org/helton-fellowship.cfm.
Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area (AABA) / AABA Law Foundation
http://www.aaba-bay.com/
The AABA offers one $2000 scholarship to a qualified summer law clerk to work on legal projects that provide free legal services to the Asian American community. Students must work a minimum of 10 weeks. Application instructions for the 2010 grant are available on the AABA's website.
Federal Communications Bar Association Foundation/ Robert E. Lee Scholarship and Internship Fund
Phone: 202-293- 4000 | E-mail: heidi@fcba.org | http://www.fcba.org/
The FCBA will award at least four summer stipends of $5,000 to law students employed as unpaid summer interns in positions with the FCC and other government agencies or entities with jurisdiction over the communications industry (i.e., broadcasting, cable television, telephony, satellite and information technology). Applicants will be considered based on their demonstrated interest in the communications field; having secured or having pending, an unpaid summer position for at least eight (8) weeks with a government agency; their involvement in community activities; and, their dependence on financial assistance in order to accept an unpaid internship. More information and application materials are available on the Foundation’s website. Applications are due March 19, 2010.
Peggy Browning Fund Summer Internship
Contact: Mary Anne Moffa
Phone: 215-665- 6815 | Fax: 215-564-2262 | Email: mmoffa@peggybrowningfund.org
Website: http://www.peggybrowningfund.org/
The Peggy Browning Fund supports between 40 and 50 funded Summer Fellowships of $4,500 in labor-related organizations throughout the United States. Participating labor organizations and application materials are available at: http://www.peggybrowningfund.org/apply.html. A cover letter, resume and completed application form must be sent to each eligible work site to which you wish to apply. A copy of each complete application must also be sent to the Peggy Browning Fund. Both the Fund and the specific sites to which students are applying must have received your applications by the deadline. Students can apply for up to 3 positions. The deadline for Summer 2010 was January 15, 2010.
Political Economy Research Center for Graduate Fellowship Program
Phone: 406-587-9591 | E-mail: perc@perc.org | http://www.perc.org/
PERC'S fellowships for graduate students and law students offer the ideal opportunity for those who are interested in researching issues related to natural resources and the environment. Graduate fellows receive a monthly stipend of $1,600 for three months while working at PERC in Bozeman, Montana, researching and writing a paper under the supervision of a PERC senior fellow. While there, fellows are required to present two to three seminars to outline, report on, and summarize their research findings. A paper of publishable quality is the expected result. For more information and application materials see http://www.perc.org/enviroprog/students/grad/basics.php. Summer 2010 Applications are due by February 15th for early decision and March 15th for regular decision.
Pride Law Fund Summer Fellowship
Phone: 415-788-0900 | Email: info@PrideLawFund.org | http://www.pridelawfund.org/pride_law_fund/summer_fellowships.html
The Roberta Achtenberg, Steven Block, Mary Morgan, and Richter Fellowship Programs are open to law students working under the supervision of an attorney at a 501(c)(3) organization anywhere in the country. Applicants may apply for more than one fellowship by submitting a written proposal for a Summer project on which they seek to work, together with a letter of sponsorship by an attorney from a 501 (c)(3) organization, setting forth the attorney's commitment to supervise the applicant on the project. The Achtenberg Fellowship supports the work of concern to the lesbian and gay community in the public sector, regarding public policy or of a public service nature. The Block Fellowship supports work in the area of lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgendered civil rights and education. The Morgan Fellowship supports legal work on issues of concern to lesbians and bisexual women. The Richter Fellowship supports work in the area of HIV/AIDS, including legal services to people with HIV and/or AIDS. All applications must be postmarked by April 1, 2010.
QLaw Summer Public Interest Grant Program
Contact: Cynthia Buhr
Phone: 206-328-8048 | Fax: 866-592-8490 | E-mail: summergrant@q-law.org | http://www.q-law.org/
The GLBT Bar Association of Washington (“QLaw”) will sponsor law student summer internships for up to $500 per week for 10 weeks beginning in the summer of 2010. Law students seeking low or unpaid summer internships serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (“LGBT”) community or people with HIV/AIDS are encouraged to apply. The Public Interest Summer Grant Program is designed to encourage innovative new projects while developing the critical skills necessary for law students developing careers in the public interest. Students will design legal projects to be sponsored by a non-profit, government, or tribal organization. The sponsoring organizations will provide the student with legal supervision and administrative support over the course of the ten (10) week internship. Applications and all supporting materials must be submitted by March 19, 2010. Applicationsare available online. For more information about the application process, go to http://www.q-law.org/summergrantprogram.
Robert Masur Fellowship in Civil Liberties, The Nation Institute
Phone: 212-822-0252 | E-mail: info@nationinstitute.org | http://www.nationinstitute.org/
The Masur Fellowship provides a $1,000 honorarium for a first year law student to pursue significant summer activities in the practice areas of civil rights or civil liberties. Proposed activities may include a writing or research project, work with a public interest organization, work on a case under the supervision of a law faculty member or lawyer, or any other work in the areas of civil rights or civil liberties. Applicants should send a one-to-two page proposal to the Institute describing their intended summer project, along with a resume and the name of their faculty or organization sponsor. For more information, visit http://www.nationinstitute.org/p/masur. All applications must be postmarked by May 1, 2010.
Funding Available in Specific Regions
ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources Fellowships in Environmental Law
Contact: Julie Connell, Section Assistant
Phone: 312-988-5625 | E-mail: connellj@staff.abanet.org
The ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources is pleased to announce the sponsorship of several Fellowships for eligiblelaw students during the summer of 2010. Each successful recipient will receive a $5,000 stipend ($6,000 for New York fellows) in exchange for participation in the Fellowship program. The Fellowship program is available to first and second year law students or third year night students from economically or socially disadvantaged or other underrepresented groups, including, among others, age, ability/disability, sexual orientation, cultural, linguistic, or geographic backgrounds. There is an 8-10 week minimum commitment wherein the Fellow will work on legal matters for a government agency or public interest organization in the fields of environmental, energy, or resources law, with emphasis on air pollution. 2010 Deadlines: January 18, 2010 for California and Florida fellowships, Jan. 31, 2010 for D.C., and Nov. 20, 2009 for New York. Please check website for other states' deadlines. For more information, visit the ABA website.
Asian American Law Fund of New York
Contact: Sylvia Fung Chin
E-mail: schin@ny.whitecase.com | http://www.aabany.org/
AALF of NY will fundup to threescholarships of $5,000 each. Each student is expected to volunteer at least 6 weeks, 35 hours per week, during the summer of 2010 at such project and to apply the award to the payment of law school tuition. Projects must be with non-profit organizations and must serve New York's Asian American community. Proposed projects for the summer of 2010 are included with the application. Applicants may propose their own projects. A proposed project should involve legal work and have a supervising attorney. Applications are due March 19, 2010. Contact AALF for an application: http://www.aabany.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=83.
Asian Pacific American Bar Association Educational Fund (AEF) - Washington, DC
Phone: 202-347-5634 | E-mail: aefboard@yahoo.com | http://www.aefdc.org/
AEF awards summer fellowships of $2,500 for 10 weeks each year to law students from around the nation. The primary purpose of the fellowships is to fund a student’s internship with a public interest organization that benefits either the metropolitan Washington, D.C. community-at-large and/or theAsian Pacific American community. Such organizations include governmental organizations and other non-profits serving the public interest. The internship must be unpaid (except for nominal payment for such items as transportation), arranged by the student, extend at least ten weeks or a total of 400 hours, and be based in the Greater Washington, D.C. area. Students must secure sponsorship, then apply to AEF for funding. Application materials and information are available on the Fund's website, at law schools, or from AEF, http://www.aefdc.org/. Applications are due April 30, 2010.
Asian Pacific Bar Association of the Silicon Valley
Contact: Bijal V. Vakil
E-mail: apbasv@gmail.com | http://www.apbasv.org/
APBA will award up to four scholarships of $3,000 each to recognize law students in theBay Area who have overcome personal hardships or challenges, shown excellence and acheivement in law school; ordemonstrated leadershipand service to the Asian Pacific Americancommunity. The Summer 2010 application date is not yet available, but the 2009 application date was March 20, 2009.
Florida Bar Foundation Legal Services Summer Fellowship Program
Contact: Margaret Hepworth
Phone: 407-843- 0045 or 800-541-2195 | Fax: 407-839-0287 | E-mail: mhepworth@flabarfndn.org |
http://www.flabarfndn.org/
The fellowship program provides stipends ($5,500 for 1Ls, $7,000 for 2Ls) for students who work full time for eleven weeks at a legal services organization in the state of Florida. Approximately 40 positions are available. The Summer 2010 deadline was January 21, 2010.
Google Policy Fellowship
Email: policyfellowship@google.com
Website: http://www.google.com/policyfellowship/index.html
Fellows will have the opportunity to work at public interest organizations at the forefront of debates on broadband and access policy, content regulation, copyright and trademark reform, consumer privacy, open government, and more. The fellowship pays $7,000 for 10 weeks spent with a host organization. The Summer 2010 deadline was December 28, 2009. Check the Google Policy Fellowship website for future host programs for the internship.
Hispanic Bar Association of the District of Columbia - Washington, DC
E-mail: info@hbadc.org | http://www.hbadc.org/
The HBA-DC unds two fellowships of up to $5,000 for first and second year law students to work in a non-profit legal services agency in Washington, D.C. Students must secure sponsorship on their own, then apply to the HBA-DC for funding. For application procedures, see http://www.hbadc.org/site/page/foundation. The Summer 2010 deadline has not been posted, but the Summer 2009 deadline was April 3, 2009.
Janet Steiger Fellowship
Contact: Deborah Douglas
Email: douglasd@staff.abanet.org | http://www.abanet.org/antitrust
This fellowship provides $5,000 for full-time, eight week minimum, summer employment open to all first and second year law students. Through a working partnership with the National Association of Attorneys General, students will work in the consumer protection departments of the offices of state attorneys general. The following states are selected to receive a Steiger Fellowfor the summer of 2010: Alaska, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia. Applicants must submit an application form; resume; writing sample; and, statement of interest. The application form is available at http://www.abanet.org/antitrust/at-law-student/at-js-project.shtml. The Summer 2010 application deadline is January 30, 2010.
Legal Aid Association of California, Dan Bradley Summer Fellowship Program
Phone: 415-834 -0100 | Fax: 415-834-0202 | Email: cmoulton@pic.org | http://www.calegaladvocates.org/
Fellows must work a minimum of ten full time weeks atone of the LAAC member organizations and will receive a stipend of $3,500. Applicants must have a strong interest in working to defend and expand the legal rights of the poor and disadvantaged. People of color and students from low-income or working class backgrounds are particularly encouraged to apply. For more information, see: http://www.calegaladvocates.org/about/item.Dan_Bradley_Fellowships. The Summer 2010 application deadline is April 2, 2010.
Massachusetts Bar Foundation - Legal Intern Fellowship Program
Phone: 617-338-0534 | E-mail: foundation@massbar.org | http://www.massbarfoundation.org/
This fellowship program offers approximately 6 stipends of up to $6,000 to law students who intern during the summer months at nonprofit organizations providing civil legal services to low-income clients in Massachusetts. Students must work 10 weeks. To apply, students must submit a resume, an official law school transcript, one letter of reference, applicant information form, essay (details on applicant information form), and an organization supporting statement form. Applications may be obtained on-line. For the 2010 application, see http://www.massbarfoundation.org/grant-programs/legal-intern-fellowship-program. The Summer 2010 application deadline is March 12, 2010.
New Jersey Summer Public Interest Legal Intern Program
Phone: 732-572-9100 | E-mail: pkoncius@lsnj.org | http://www.lsnj.org/internprog.htm
The program places law students in public interest legal organizations in New Jersey. Students must apply directly to Legal Services of New Jersey, which will refer prospective candidates to participating employers for final selection. Every year, over 20 public interest and government organizations in New Jersey participate in the program. 2009 Interns were paid at a rate of $550 per week for rising 2nd year students and $750 per week for rising 3rd year students. All applications will be considered in the order in which they are received. Hiring decisions will be made on a rolling basis, beginning Fall 2009.
New York State Bar Association - Minority Fellowships in Environmental Law
Contact: Lisa Batille
Phone: 518-463-3200 | http://www.nysba.org/
Law students are eligible for consideration if they are enrolled in a law school in New York State or are permanent New York State residents enrolled in a law school in another state. Recipients will receive a $6,000 stipend for a minimum of ten weeks of summer employment. The winner of the fellowship must find his/her own placement. For more information, see NYSBA's website. The Summer 2010 application deadline was November 20, 2009.
Pennsylvania Legal Aid, Inc. - Martin Luther King Internship and Fellowship Program
Contact: Cynthia Newcomer
Phone: 800-322-7572 | E-mail: cnewcomer@palegalaid.net | http://www.palegalaid.net/
Martin Luther King (MLK) Interns are assigned to local legal service programs across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Interns are selected and assigned by the Martin Luther King, Jr. Hiring and Training Committee. The Hiring Committee will assign selected interns to local legal service agencies. Salary and benefits are determined by the host program. Minority law students from any law school are invited to apply. For more information, see http://www.palegalaid.net/mlk_program.htm. The Summer 2010 application deadline is January 31, 2010.
Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) of Chicago Summer Internship Program
Contact: Susan Curry, Executive Director
Phone: 312-832- 5127 | E-mail: scurry@pili-law.org | http://www.pili-law.org/
PILI recruits law students from across the nation for summer internships with public interest law agencies in the Chicago metropolitan area. PILI awards stipends of $5,000 for ten weeks of full-time employment. For more information about participating public interest law agencies in the Chicago area, and for application materials, please see http://www.pili-law.org/internships.htm. Beginning in December, 2009 the application period for summer of 2010 will open. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis through March 2010. Applicants should be first or second year law students.
Robert M. Takasugi Summer Fellowship Program (California)
E-mail: ekprather@takasugifellowship.com | http://www.takasugifellowship.com/
The Robert M. Takasugi Public Interest Fellowship was established to honor the Honorable Robert M. Takasugi (C.D. Cal.) for his service on the federal bench and a lifetime of community activism and leadership. The Fellowship encourages future generations of attorneys to embrace the qualities of selfless struggle, courage, intellect, and compassion that Judge Takasugi has exemplified through his many years as a state and federal judge, and as a member of the bar. All fellows must work at a public interest “sponsoring” organization, subject to approval by the Fellowship. The Fellowship funds one or more summer law fellows in amounts up to $5,000. In the past, the Fellowship has approved organizations classified as 501(c)(3)s (by the IRS Code) and public defenders’ offices. The organization must be in either the San Francisco Bay Area or the Greater Los Angeles Metropolitan Area. The fellows must work at a sponsoring organization for at least ten weeks. Applications are available at http://www.takasugifellowship.com/. The Summer 2010 application deadline has not been announced, but the Summer 2009 application deadline was March 27, 2009.
South Asian Bar Association of New York Public Interest Fellowship
Contact:Gowri Krishna
Email: gkrishna@urbanjustice.org
SABANY annually awards four fellowships of $4,000to outstanding law students who have demonstrated a commitment to public service so that they may spend their summer working unpaid in the New York area public interest sector. Fellowships are awarded to first- and second-year law students either of South Asian descent working in an unpaid legal internship or those spending at least six weeks of the summer in an unpaid legal internship focusing on the needs of the South Asian community. To be eligible for the fellowship, candidates must be a first or second year law student either (i) of South Asian descent who will be spending at leastten weeks of the summer of 2010 in an unpaid legal internship in New York State, or (ii) who will be spending at leastten weeks of the summer in an unpaid legal internship in New York State which specifically focuses on the needs of the local South Asian community. Applications are available on the SABANY website. The Summer 2010 application deadline has not been announced, but the Summer 2009 application deadline was March 27, 2009.
South Asian Bar Association of Washington D.C. Public Interest Fellowship
SABA-DC provides financial assistance in the form of summer fellowships to law students working at public interest organizations in the metropolitan D.C. area. The primary purpose of the fellowship is to help fund a student’s internship with a public interest organization for the benefit of the South Asian community and the metropolitan D.C. area. The number of Fellowships awarded, as well as the amount of each grant, will be determined by the SABA-DC Fellowship Committee and is based on SABA-DC’s fundraising efforts and the number of quality applicants it receives. In 2009, SABA-DC sponsored at least two fellowship grants of at least $2000. Applications are available on the SABA-DC website. The Summer 2010 application deadline has not been announced, but the Summer 2009 application deadline was May 8, 2009.
WLALA Fran Kandel Public Interest Grant, Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles
Contact: Michelle Williams Court
Phone: 323-549-5840 | Fax: 323-939-1040 | E-mail: info@wlala.org | http://www.wlala.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=25
The Foundation will provide grants of up to $5,000 to law students for projects that make governmental and social services agencies more accessible and responsive to individuals or groups whose needs are not adequately met. The Foundation is interested only in proposals that will produce some tangible program, such as information booklets, brochures, educational curriculum and videotapes. Projects must benefit residents of Southern California. Application available at: http://www.wlala.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=25. The Summer 2010 application deadline has not been announced, but the Summer 2009 application deadline was March 13, 2009.
