These fellowships provide stipends that can supplement CSF or HRIP funding or, in some cases, can fund summer work that is not eligible for CSF or HRIP funding.
Catalyst Public Service Fellowships (1Ls only)
The Catalyst Public Service Fellowship Program was created to encourage and enable first year law students who would not otherwise be able to do so, gain practical legal experience in the public sector. The selected fellows will receive a $2,500 stipend in addition to their CSF earnings. To qualify, students must obtain an unpaid summer internship with a qualifying public service provider in New York State. Visit the Summer Funding page on CLS Connect for more information.
Center for Japanese Legal Studies Morrison & Foerster Public Interest Fellowship (1Ls and 2Ls)
This fellowship is open to first- and second-year law students (and, in exceptional circumstances, well-qualified LL.M. students) who demonstrate an interest in public interest law and want to work in Japan for the summer. It provides a stipend of up to $15,000 to cover airfare, living, and other expenses for the summer. Recipients of the fellowship are ineligible to receive HRIP funding.
John R. Oldham ’83 Fellowship (1Ls and 2Ls)
Administered through the Center for Chinese Legal Studies, this fellowship is available to first- and second-year law students to support summer public interest (including government) work or academic research in greater China.
Weatherhead East Asian Institute Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship (1Ls and 2Ls)
This fellowship funds research, language acquisition, and unpaid internships during the summer and academic year to selected Columbia students committed to professional and academic engagement with East and Southeast Asia.
Justice John Paul Stevens Public Interest Fellowship (1Ls Only)
This fellowship—part of a nationwide program to honor Justice Stevens’ lifelong dedication to improving the justice system—was established in 2011 by the John Paul Stevens Foundation to enable law students to work in public interest summer law positions. The fellowship provides a stipend of $2,500 to two law students for 10 weeks of work in an unpaid internship for either a nonprofit organization or a governmental entity. Students working as judicial interns are not eligible. Visit the Summer Funding page on CLS Connect for more information.
Venable, LLP Public Interest Fellowship (1Ls only)
Due to the generous support of the law firm Venable, LLP and under the leadership of Michael W. Bingley, Director of the Venable Foundation, Columbia Law School offers one (1) funded public interest fellowship for a first-year law student who demonstrates a commitment to public interest, is registered for the Columbia Summer Funding Program, and has secured a placement in one of the communities in which Venable, LLP has an office; New York City, Baltimore, Washington, DC, Tysons Corner, VA, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Visit the Summer Funding page on CLS Connect for more information.
Tamer Fund for Social Ventures
The Tamer Fund for Social Ventures provides seed grants of up to $25,000 to nonprofit, for-profit, and hybrid early-stage social and environmental ventures. Social or environmental ventures are defined as those working to solve a social or environmental problem. In general, social and environmental for-profit ventures produce products and/or services that either focus on addressing the needs of low-income communities or customers with an explicit purpose of increasing the welfare of these groups, alleviate a market failure and create significant public goods or benefits that are not wholly captured in the price charged by the business, or have attracted funding for the business by investors or grant makers who are seeking measurable social or environmental impacts. Ventures must be led by Columbia University students, alumni, faculty or researchers, or be advised and have significant involvement by Columbia University faculty or researchers. To be eligible for the Tamer Fund for Social Ventures, ventures must not have closed their seed funding round at the time of application. Current students may not enroll in the Investing in Social Ventures course in the same semester in which they apply to the Fund for their venture. Preference will be given to ventures that have the potential to be financially self-sustaining in the longer term. This preference includes nonprofits that can be sustained by generating revenues via fee-for-service models, for example. Visit the website for additional details.
Goldstein, Borgen, Dardarian & Ho Summer Associate Program (2Ls Only)
Plaintiffs’ civil rights and environmental justice law firm Goldstein, Borgen, Dardarian & Ho, based in Oakland, California, offers a summer associate program. The firm also has a postgraduate fellowship. Associates are usually selected in November.
Faculty research assistant positions fund students working closely with Columbia’s faculty on various projects. Past projects have included a landmark death penalty study, preparation for a meeting of the U.N. Human Rights Committee, and a book on the rights of crime victims. Check Symplicity for openings.
Other summer fellowships are listed on PSJD in the Funding Sources section and on Symplicity. For any additional questions or concerns regarding summer funding opportunities, please contact [email protected].