Are you interested in applying for funding for unpaid or low paid opportunities? Please see below for information on the Pitzer Internship Fund, Ronald T. Scott Entrepreneurial Award, Thomas Poon Endowed Student Internship Fund, David Sadava Endowed Student Internship Fund, and the Science Internship Fund.
Overview
Career Services has been allocated generous gifts from Pitzer Alumni, Parents/Family Members, and Friends to provide funding for unpaid or low-paid summer opportunities. The goal of this funding is to support student engagement in meaningful internship, project, and research experiences that facilitate career exploration and the development of professional skills and networks.
Update December 1, 2022: We are happy to announce that we will accept applications for funding of summer 2023 international experiences. Since information can change at any time, we reserve the right to change our acceptance of funding applications. Our acceptance of applications is in part based on Travel Health Notices from the CDC as well as Safety and Security Alerts from the U.S. Department of State.
For summer 2022
Average Award Amount: $1975
For all funds, a student does not need to have an experience secured by the deadline to apply for funding. If a student has not secured an experience by the application deadline, they must be doing the following:
- Actively pursuing an experience or going through an application and interview process
- Have a targeted experience in mind when preparing application materials
- Have a targeted experience in mind when designing an independent project
Application Instructions – Summer 2023 – Note: Applications are now Closed!
- Fill out an online application (5 short answer questions).
- Upload and submit a one-page resume. Sample Resume Rubric [PDF]
- Download and complete your sample budget. [Excel Document]
- Upload and submit your sample budget.
Note: Student’s incomplete applications will not be considered. Late applications may be considered after all other applications are evaluated.
Funding is not guaranteed by the submission of an application. All these programs are competitive, and all applications will be assessed according to the application evaluation criteria described below. Before students begin their application, it is HIGHLY recommended they visit with a Career Services Advisor to discuss their applications and ask any pertinent questions.
Funding Timelines – Summer 2023
| Date | Event / Deadline |
|---|
| Early December 2022/January 2023 | Applications open for the Poon, Sadava, & SIF |
| January 31, 2023 | Applications open for the PIF & R.T. Scott |
| February 24, 2023, by 11:59 pm | Application deadline for the Poon, Sadava, & SIF |
| March 10, 2023, by 11:59 pm | Application deadline for the PIF & R.T. Scott |
| Late March/April 2023 | Funding notifications sent out for the PIF, Poon, R.T. Scott, Sadava, & SIF |
| May 1, 2023 | Funded students must notify Career Services of their plans to accept/deny funding |
Opportunity Guidelines – Summer 2023
Student Eligibility & General Information:
Applicants must be students who are currently enrolled at Pitzer College and will be returning the fall semester after their summer internship. Thus, typically first-years, sophomores, and juniors are eligible to apply for funding, unless specified for a particular fund (see specific funding descriptions below). Due to limited funding, Pitzer students can receive funding for any of the Career Services Funds for one summer during their Pitzer College career. Rare exceptions can be made for the Poon, Sadava, and SIF due to the specificity of the application requirements. Students must be in good academic standing (i.e. not on academic probation). If for any reason a student is unable to complete their experience, funding must be returned to Pitzer College. This may include pro-rated funding.
Students are required to complete an evaluation and a reflection piece at the end of their experience. If a student is funded, taxes will not be taken out of the award. It will be the responsibility of the recipient to report the funding appropriately to state and federal agencies.
If a Pitzer student is receiving funding for internship/research opportunities from Pitzer and/or the Claremont Colleges (e.g., Keck Science Department, Dean of Faculty’s Office, Student Affairs, etc.) they are not eligible for funding from the Pitzer Internship Fund (PIF). If a student is receiving funding from other sources (i.e., fellowships, stipends, salary), students must disclose this amount on their PIF Budget.
Eligible Opportunities:
- An unpaid or low-paid summer internship (low-paid is typical $1200 or less if it’s a full-time opportunity). These can be domestic or international opportunities (please see note below for international).
- An international internship, research experience, or project must take place in a country that the U.S. Department of State (DOS) qualifies as a Travel Advisory*1 Level 1 or Level 2 AND that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)*2 qualifies as a Travel Health Notice Watch Level 1. Since travel advisories and health notices can change at any time, we reserve the right to change our acceptance of funding applications or funding at any time.
- Summer research opportunities
- Entrepreneurial projects – for R.T. Scott Award only
Ineligible Opportunities:
- A tuition-based program without a significant experiential learning component will not be considered
- A position at an organization owned or run by a member of the applicant’s immediate family will not be considered.
- A position at an organization owned, run, or supervised by a current student at The Claremont Colleges will not be considered.
- An international experience (internship, research, project) is not generally considered in countries that are at a DOS Travel Advisory*1 Level 3 or Level 4 OR in countries that are at a CDC Travel Health Notice*2 Alert Level 2 and Warning Level 3.
Note *1 Acceptance or denying of applications and awarding of funding for international experiences is in part determined by information obtained from the U.S. Department of State (DOS) Travel Advisory website. “They state “Conditions can change rapidly in a country at any time.” Since travel advisories can change at any time, we reserve the right to change our acceptance of funding applications or funding stipends at any time. Please see the following website for up to the minute information. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories.html
Note *2: Acceptance or denying of applications and awarding of funding for international experiences is in part determined by information obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Traveler’s Health Notices website. Since health notices can change at any time, we reserve the right to change our acceptance of funding applications or funding stipends at any time Please see the following website for up to the minute information. https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices
Funding Guidelines – Summer 2023
Full-time experiences consists of 320 hours or more over the course of the summer. Prorated amounts of funding may be offered for experiences less than 320 hours. Virtual experience should comprise over 120 hours of work. To receive any funding above $1200, the experience must be 50 miles or more away from a student’s permanent residence.
Application Evaluation Criteria – Summer 2023
For the most objective evaluation, the Pitzer Internship Fund (PIF) & R.T. Scott applications are anonymized. Two members of the evaluation committee independently review each application. The evaluation committee uses the following criteria to evaluate applications. Students should review the criteria below to make sure that they have addressed all points in their application.
- How this position will impact the students’ career planning and goals
- Ability to articulate what students will learn from the internship/project
- Ability to articulate how students are prepared to participate in this internship/project
- Ability to articulate the importance of funding (through essay questions and a realistic budget)
- The quality of the planned internship/project experience (substantive, project-based, skills-building, career exploration, etc.)
- Quality of the resume
Due to the specificity of the Poon, Sadava, and SIF funds, applications will be evaluated initially according to major, GPA, and financial need.
Fund Descriptions – Summer 2023
Pitzer Internship Fund (PIF)
Our largest and oldest internship fund, The Pitzer Internship Fund (PIF) is the result of generous gifts from Pitzer Alumni, Parents/Family Members, and Friends to provide funding for unpaid or low-paid summer internships. The goal of the Pitzer Internship Fund is to support student engagement in meaningful internship experiences that facilitate career exploration and the development of professional skills and networks. Eligible students must be current first-years, sophomores, or juniors (i.e., rising sophomores, juniors or seniors for fall 2023) Funding for summer 2023 range between $1200 to $4000. Funding is intended to support expenses incurred as part of a student’s summer experience, such as lodging, transportation, and food, and is not intended to provide compensation. The amount of funding offered is based on the budget submitted, the total hours worked, and available funding. Applications open in January/February. The application deadline is March 10, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. For more information, contact Teresa Roberts at [email protected]
The Ronald T. Scott Entrepreneurial Award (R.T. Scott)
This award will fund student-driven entrepreneurial summer projects that add to the education of the award recipients and their anticipated career path. The fund was created by Pitzer alumnus and Director of The John and Carrie Santangelo Foundation, John T. Scott ’87, to honor his late father, Ronald T. Scott, a Pomona College alumnus. Majoring in Philosophy, Ronald studied Aristotelian ethics and was devoted to incorporating the values of Aristotle’s 12 virtues into his personal and professional endeavors.
Award criteria include the following: 1) Proposals should reflect the academic, philosophical, and career aspirations that emulate the spirit of Ronald T. Scott’s life. 2) Applicants must be Pitzer students who are current first- years, sophomores, and juniors (i.e., rising sophomores, juniors, & seniors for fall 2023) in good academic standing. 3) Funds can be awarded to an individual student or a student team, although funding will only support participation by Pitzer students. 4) Individual students or student teams will be required to have a mentor or mentors to support the development of their project. The award will be given to at least (1) student annually and be determined by the Office of Career Services. Funding available is from $1000 to $5000. Partial funding may be offered. The application deadline is March 10, 2023,at 11:59 p.m. For more information, contact Teresa Roberts at [email protected]
Thomas Poon Endowed Student Internship Fund (Poon)
Named in honor of Dr. Thomas Poon, Professor of Chemistry at the Keck Science Department, and former Interim President of Pitzer College, the Poon Endowed Student Internship Fund supports the engagement of one Pitzer student in a summer internship/research experience. Eligible students must be current sophomore or junior (i.e., rising junior or senior for fall 2023) with a GPA of 3.5 or higher and have an academic concentration in chemistry or biochemistry. Preference will be given to candidates with demonstrated financial need. Awards will be given to at least one student annually and be determined by the Office of Career Services. Funding for summer 2023 is $4,500. Applications open in December/January. The application deadline is February 24, 2023,at 11:59 pm. For more information, contact Teresa Roberts at [email protected].
David Sadava Endowed Student Internship Fund (Sadava)
Named in honor of Dr. David Sadava, Emeritus Pritzker Professor of Biology at the Keck Science Department, the Sadava Endowed Student Internship Fund supports the engagement of one Pitzer student in a summer internship/research experience. Eligible students must be a current sophomore or junior (i.e., rising junior or senior for fall 2023) with a GPA of 3.5 or higher; have demonstrated financial need; have an academic concentration in biology, and have demonstrated a strong career and/or research interest in medicine or a related field focusing on human health. Awards will be given to at least one student annually and be determined by the Office of Career Services. Funding for summer 2023 is $4,500. Applications open in December/January. The application deadline is February 24, 2023, at 11:59 pm. For more information, contact Teresa Roberts at [email protected].
Science Internship Fund (SIF)
Award preference for the Science Internship Fund will be given to Pitzer students majoring in neuroscience, cognitive science, or any of the degree options offered through the Keck Science Department, jointly managed by Claremont McKenna, Pitzer, and Scripps Colleges. Awards will support student internships in the sciences, which can include placement in a student/faculty science-focused research project in coordination with the proper academic staff. Eligible students must be a current sophomore or junior (i.e., rising junior or senior for fall 2023) Awards will be given to at least one student annually and be determined by the Office of Career Services. Funding for summer 2023 is $4,500. Applications open in January/February. The application deadline is February 24, 2023, at 11:59 pm. For more information, contact Teresa Roberts at [email protected].
Additional Pitzer College Funding Sources
Please view the following website for additional funding opportunities for Pitzer students. https://www.pitzer.edu/student-life/pitzer-college-sagehen-support-center/
For More Information
Contact Teresa Roberts, Associate Director, Career Services
