Finding Funding for an Unpaid Summer Internship

Students looking for funding for their unpaid summer internship have a number of options. Equal Justice Works (EJW) has extended their deadline for their Summer Corps program to noon on Tuesday, April 10, 2012. Summer Corps is an AmeriCorps-funded program that provides students with a $1,175 education award voucher for working in a public interest position that provides direct legal services to low income clients. More information on how to apply is available on EJW's website.


The Public Interest Law Association (PILA) is also accepting applications for their PILA Grant which provides funding for students working in public interest law over the summer. The grant application and information packet has been posted on PILA's TWEN site and is due at 5:00pm on Friday, April 13, 2012. They will also host an information session on Monday, April 9, 2012 at 5:00pm in Room 304. This session will have a representative from the Office of Financial Aid to explain the details of the grant. 


Qualifying students may also consider applying for Federal Work Study. FWS allows students to work in law-related positions at a low cost to their employers. During the summer nonprofit employers are required to contribute only 33%  of the student's gross earnings while for-profit employers contribute 58%. The remainder of the student's earnings are funded by the federal government. More information is available on the Financial Aid Office's website. 

Additional summer funding resources may be found in the "Summer Funding Resources" section of PsLawNet. This section includes funding available in specific geographic regions as well as summer aid that may be applied in a variety of geographic locations. Because many deadlines fall in March and April,  students who have not already begun to search for outside funding for their summer public interest internship are encouraged to do so as soon as possible.