Funding for Unpaid and Underfunded Student Experiences (F.U.S.E.)
Career Center Student Internship Fund - Managed by the Office of Career Development & Professional Engagement
The application deadline for Spring, 2024 funding is Friday, January 26.
With the help of generous donors, including Julie Dobson, Chet Thaker, Martha and Daniel Lehman, and a $1-million leadership gift from Darpan Kapadia, the Office of Career Development & Professional Engagement is able to offer funding for unpaid or underfunded internship opportunities. The Career Center Student Internship Fund will award up to $5,000, over the course of their time at William & Mary, to qualified, returning undergraduate students who will be completing unpaid or underfunded internships.
All awards are based on a budget model for living expenses, to cover food, housing and transportation, so a student may participate in an unpaid or underfunded internship experience. F.U.S.E. funds are not intended to make up for lost wages.
To be eligible for summer funding, applicants must return to the University as an undergraduate student for the semester following completion of the internship. Students must have secured an unpaid or underfunded internship that is a minimum of 160 hours worked at one organization over at least four weeks during the summer, or a minimum of 100 hours worked at one organization over at least four weeks during the fall or spring semesters. Multiple internship experiences cannot be used to meet the 4-week duration and/or total hours requirements. Funding cannot be applied retroactively toward any internship hours that were completed prior to the funding semester or summer. For additional information, including qualifications and eligibility, please see our frequently asked questions.
To receive F.U.S.E. funding managed through the Office of Career Development & Professional Engagement, you must have completed or complete one of three prerequisites:
- My Active Career Exploration (MACE)
- Career Readiness Foundations (all 4 modules) - Participants will learn about the following topics through Blackboard: resumes, cover letters, interviewing, and LinkedIn. The four-week program is designed for participants to focus on one topic per week and receive feedback on drafts submitted.
- SCHEV Developing Career Readiness Skills modules (Course Foundations (must be completed before you can access modules) and any 3 additional modules).
If you have not already completed MACE or Career Readiness Foundations, you will need to complete the SCHEV modules. You do not have to have completed a prerequisite prior to applying, but it must be completed by the time you accept your award.
To apply, a student must submit the following 5 documents:
- Internship posting or position description
- Up-to-date resume (max. 2 pages). You may wish to view resume resources on the Office of Career Development & Professional Engagement website. Students can schedule a career advising appointment through TribeCareers or drop in for Quick Advising (Monday-Thursday, 2-4 p.m., Cohen Career Center Atrium) to meet with someone to review documents, including resumes.
- Budget (demonstrating the intended use of internship funds). Please utilize this Spring 2024 budget worksheet and make sure everything on the worksheet can be read when saving it as a PDF to submit. Provide as many details as possible for your requests. Follow these steps to find your financial aid information for the budget:
- Go to my.wm.edu
- Click on the Banner icon
- Enter your W&M username (not your 93 number) and password
- Click on the "Financial Aid" tab
- Select "My Award Information"
- Select "Award by Aid Year" and choose the 2023-24 year
- Select "Award Overview" to view your aid package
- Statement of interest (no more than 800 words total) addressing the following points:
- What is the connection between this internship and your career goals? How do you hope to benefit from the internship?
- How has your academic coursework prepared you for this internship?
- In what way would funding help better enable you to pursue an internship? Please explain your funding requests here if there isn’t ample space on the budget worksheet.
- List any other sources of funding that you have applied for and/or received whether from William & Mary or external sources. Please note the amount of the funding and when you anticipate hearing about whether you will receive it.
- If you've completed one of the pre-requisites for the internship course (MACE, Career Readiness Foundations, or the SCHEV modules (foundation and 3 additional modules)), please indicate that in your statement. This does not need to be done in advance to be considered.
- Proof of the internship offer, such as an offer letter or email, written in English, which outlines the employer’s contact information, confirms that the internship has been offered, lists the start and end dates for the internship, the total number of hours to be worked, and that it is unpaid (or the pay if it is underfunded). If the internship is unpaid, the employer also must complete an online verification form to certify that they have reviewed and will abide by the Department of Labor criteria established in the FLSA, which will route directly to Lisa Randolph.
A review committee will consider the following factors: academic standing, disciplinary status, nature of the internship, quality of application materials, and the connection between the internship and the applicant's career interests. Keep in mind that the application process is competitive and all application materials should be well-written and free of errors. You can schedule a career advising appointment through TribeCareers or drop in to Quick Advising (Monday-Thursday, 2-4 p.m., Cohen Career Center Atrium) to meet with someone to review your documents. Incomplete applications or applications received after the deadline will not be considered.
Expectations of awardees:
- Register for a 0-credit internship course.
- Complete an evaluation reflecting on the internship’s impact on their academic and career goals.
- Supervisor evaluation must submit an evaluation of the intern’s performance including verification that the required hours were completed during the award summer or semester. If the supervisor evaluation form is not returned at the conclusion of the experience, the internship is considered incomplete, and students will be expected to repay all funds awarded.
- Produce a deliverable (a PowerPoint slide and 3-minute presentation) and participate in an internship showcase.
- Write a thank you note to donors and participate as requested, if available, in activities such as information sessions and donor-recognition events.
Questions about F.U.S.E. funding through the Office of Career Development & Professional Engagement can be directed to Lisa Randolph, Assistant Director, Internships & Applied Learning, at lrandolph@wm.edu or 757-221-3230.
Summer F.U.S.E. Funding Managed by William & Mary Campus Partners
Lawrence and Jean Irwin Memorial Internship ScholarshipDeadline was April 30, 2023. Thanks to a generous donation by Lawrence and Jean Irwin, the William & Mary Government Department is able to award a number of scholarships to help support continuing undergraduate-level students undertaking summer internships related politics, government, or public affairs. The exact number of awards and the amount of each will vary from year to year. Applicants must be continuing undergraduate-level students majoring in Government or Public Policy and undertaking unpaid or low-paying summer internships related to politics, government, or public affairs in general (positions with law firms, consultants or other for-profit enterprises do not qualify). Students may apply while still awaiting word about an internship, but Irwin Scholarships will only be awarded once they provide confirmation of a formal offer in letter or email form. Students receiving credit for academic work in conjunction with their internships, through the College or another university, are not eligible for Irwin Scholarship funding. Students already receiving funds from the College (e.g., Departmental or Charles Center summer support, Monroe Scholarships, other F.U.S.E. scholarships) are not eligible. To apply, a student must submit the following 5 documents. Keep in mind that the application process is competitive and all application materials should be well-written.
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H Stewart Dunn, Jr. Civil Liberties FellowshipDeadline was April 30, 2023. The H. Stewart Dunn, Jr. Civil Liberties Fellowships exists thanks to the generous donation by Timothy P. Dunn and Ellen R. Stofan. The Project funds several summer internships for William & Mary undergraduates who secure low-paying or unpaid civil liberties internships at organizations of their choice. Dunn Fellowships are available for civil liberties internships of personal interest to the applicant, regardless of political affiliation or subject, so long as that organization seeks to preserve and protect civil liberties afforded Americans by the U.S. Constitution. Internships with organizations protecting First Amendment rights are particularly encouraged. In most cases, internships with public defenders’ offices are not eligible for funding. Most fellowships range from $2000 to $3000, depending on student need. To be eligible, applicants may be from any field of study, but they must be continuing undergraduate students. The internships must last a minimum of five full-time weeks. To apply, a student must submit the following 5 documents. Keep in mind that the application process is competitive and all application materials should be well-written.
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Public Policy Fellowship Program for InternshipsPriority Application Deadline was April 14, 2023. Final Deadline was April 30, 2023 (Please note: The requirements of this fellowship program differ in some important respects from FUSE programs managed by the Office of Career Development & Professional Engagement and other William & Mary community partners. Please be sure to follow the policies and procedures as detailed on the Public Policy Program website.) Selected public policy students receiving funding under the Public Policy/Schroeder Center Fellowship Program will receive as much as $4,000 to support eligible, unpaid or low-paid summer public policy internships. For complete details on the policies and procedures related to this program (including eligibility and application requirements), please visit the Public Policy Program’s website. |
Schroeder Center for Health Policy Fellowship Program for InternshipsPriority Application Deadline was April 14, 2023. Final Deadline was April 30, 2023 Note, the requirements of this fellowship program differ in some important respects from FUSE programs managed by the Office of Career Development & Professional Engagement and other William & Mary community partners. Please be sure to follow the policies and procedures as detailed on the Schroeder Center for Health Policy’s website. Selected public policy students receiving funding under the Public Policy/Schroeder Center Fellowship Program will receive as much as $4,000 to support eligible, unpaid or low-paid summer public policy internships. For complete details on the policies and procedures related to this program (including eligibility and application requirements), please visit the Schroeder Center for Health Policy’s website. Application materials must be submitted directly to Kelly Metcalf-Meese (klmetcalfmeese@wm.edu) AND via TribeCareers (log onto your TribeCareers account and search for the FUSE postings through the Jobs tab). Deadline: Friday, April 14th. |
