Funding Your Summer or Fall Internship

by Leeor Neta
Assistant Director of Public Interest Programs

Now that most of you have secured positions for the summer (and some of you even have positions for the fall), I want to take this opportunity to talk to you about funding your internship.

There are four places for you to look:

1. Apply for a PILF grant: To provide students with support so that they may pursue work in public interest agencies, The Public Interest Law Foundation (PILF) sponsors an annual fundraising auction. The proceeds from the sale of tickets, auctioned items and the raffle are used to provide grants to Golden Gate law students doing public interest work during the summer and fall (for HLP students). The grants vary in accordance with student income and employer resources, but generally provide support for living expenses and/or transportation. The 2011 grants are expected to average approximately $2,000. Last year, PILF awarded 12 grants for a total of approximately $22,000. Please go to www.pilfhome.blogspot.com for more details on the auction.

2. Equal Justice Works Summer Corps: Summer Corps is an AmeriCorps-funded program that in 2011 will provide 700 law students with the opportunity to earn a $1,132 Segal AmeriCorps Education Award for dedicating their summer to a qualifying legal project at a nonprofit public interest organization. The amount of the education award has increased from $1,000 to $1,132 in 2011. More Summer Corps funding opportunities mean more opportunities for law students to get involved in the public interest field. The 2011 Summer Corps program will be the largest class to date. Also, note that the Summer Corps Standout Program was started in 2009 to recognize members for their innovative approach to meeting the needs of an underserved or marginalized person or community. Winners received an article promoting their service on the Equal Justice Works public interest blog and more! If you have any questions about Summer Corps, please contact summercorps@equaljusticeworks.org.

3. Explore PSLawNet: PSLawNet is the nation’s largest online resource for public service legal careers. Go to www.pslawnet.org and register. Then click on “Career Central” and “Financing a Summer Job” (http://pslawnet.org/summerfundingresources). There are many funding sources listed there. Don’t miss your chance to apply for these scholarships!

4. Workstudy and loans: Please be sure to apply for workstudy. Also, to the extent grants, scholarships and workstudy do not afford you enough funding for the summer, you should also consider applying for a living allowance loan. Gaby De la Vega, our director of financial aid, can discuss these options with you in detail.

For those of you who still need to find summer employment, make sure to apply for Spring Recruitment. The deadline is TOMORROW! Many employers—including prominent public defender offices—have received few resumes. Don’t miss out on this opportunity!