Summer Grants & Loans
OVERVIEW
UC Hastings College of the Law has a proud tradition of developing talented public interest and government lawyers. It is important that UC Hastings continue its tradition of extending necessary financial resources to law students who wish to work at unpaid government and public interest positions during their summers in law school.
The HPILF Summer Grant Program offers up to $4,000 in grants, funded by multiple sources, via a common application process. In accordance with HPILF’s purposes and objectives, grants are awarded to students who are both devoted to public interest/public sector law while in school, and who show promise as future advocates for justice.
Thank you very much for your interest in the HPILF Summer Grant Program. You may direct any questions to Erin Zatlin at erinzatin@uchastings.edu.
ELIGIBILITY
To be eligible to apply for an HPILF Summer Grant, you must meet the following criteria
APPLICATION: https://uchastings.academicworks.com/users/sign_in
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS: Read the instructions on the application very carefully! Fill out your Profile Information and then click “Save and Edit.” The HPILF Application will then appear on the left side of the screen. Make sure that you do not press FINISH AND SUBMIT until you are done with the “HPILF Summer Grant Program” Tab on the left side of the application.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Please click here for a list of frequently asked questions for 2018.
UC Hastings College of the Law has a proud tradition of developing talented public interest and government lawyers. It is important that UC Hastings continue its tradition of extending necessary financial resources to law students who wish to work at unpaid government and public interest positions during their summers in law school.
The HPILF Summer Grant Program offers up to $4,000 in grants, funded by multiple sources, via a common application process. In accordance with HPILF’s purposes and objectives, grants are awarded to students who are both devoted to public interest/public sector law while in school, and who show promise as future advocates for justice.
Thank you very much for your interest in the HPILF Summer Grant Program. You may direct any questions to Erin Zatlin at erinzatin@uchastings.edu.
ELIGIBILITY
To be eligible to apply for an HPILF Summer Grant, you must meet the following criteria
- Be a UC Hastings first-year or second-year student;
- Be eligible for need-based financial aid;
- Have secured summer employment with a qualifying public interest or public sector organization;
- Have some form of attorney supervision;
- Work full-time for at least 8 weeks (but may combine part-time internships);
- Complete employer verification information with your HPILF Application
- If you receive the grant, you must agree to Volunteer ten (10) hours of volunteer time for HPILF during the 2018-2019 school year; or secure two (2) donations for the 2019 HPILF Gala of at least $50 each; or a combination of five (5) hours and one (1) donation.
APPLICATION: https://uchastings.academicworks.com/users/sign_in
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS: Read the instructions on the application very carefully! Fill out your Profile Information and then click “Save and Edit.” The HPILF Application will then appear on the left side of the screen. Make sure that you do not press FINISH AND SUBMIT until you are done with the “HPILF Summer Grant Program” Tab on the left side of the application.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Please click here for a list of frequently asked questions for 2018.
- How do I apply?
- Applicants will submit their applications through Academic works https://uchastings.academicworks.com/users/sign_in
- Applicants can only use their UC Hastings email address to apply
- The application period is March 1 through Sunday March 15th, 2018
- Late applications will not be accepted
- When will I know if I received a grant? When will the funds be disbursed?
- TIMELINE:
- March 15, 2018: HPILF Grant Applications are due online by 12pm.
- April 2018: First round of HPILF Grant Recipients will be announced*
- April-May 2018: Additional Grant Recipients may be announced if more grant money becomes available.
- TIMELINE:
- What is a qualifying organization?
- In determining which organizations qualify an applicant for funding, HPILF broadly defines the terms “public interest” and “public sector.” Students working with 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations, government agencies, and advocacy or policy groups are all eligible as long as the work has a legal component. While HPILF strives to award grants to students doing a diverse range of work, it is important to remember that “public interest” and “public sector” mean much more than “unpaid.” Accordingly, applicants must articulate how their summer work will serve a community or area in need. Generally, judicial externships are excluded from eligibility. However, certain positions may be considered eligible if it can be shown that the position the student is applying for falls outside the traditional externship role into that of a public interest or public sector position. This is a case-by-case evaluation.
- Who is on the selection committee and what are they looking for?
- A committee composed of UC Hastings faculty, alumni, staff with public interest backgrounds, and public interest/public sector attorneys will evaluate applications for the HPILF Summer Grant. HPILF leadership is not involved in the selection of applicants. They are only responsible for facilitating the process. The review process is merit-based. The highest scores are given to applicants who best demonstrate how their summer jobs, when viewed in relation to their past work and future goals, are part of an overall public service career trajectory. When reviewing students’ applications, the committee considers whether applicants demonstrate the following attributes:
- Strong past, present, and future commitment to public interest/public sector law;
- Ability to contribute to the communities with/for whom they are working; and
- Potential for development and growth as advocates through their summer work.
- A committee composed of UC Hastings faculty, alumni, staff with public interest backgrounds, and public interest/public sector attorneys will evaluate applications for the HPILF Summer Grant. HPILF leadership is not involved in the selection of applicants. They are only responsible for facilitating the process. The review process is merit-based. The highest scores are given to applicants who best demonstrate how their summer jobs, when viewed in relation to their past work and future goals, are part of an overall public service career trajectory. When reviewing students’ applications, the committee considers whether applicants demonstrate the following attributes:
- What qualifies as “attorney supervision”?
- If a supervising attorney is not available through the applicant’s employer, the applicant must find a professor or other attorney who is willing to provide supervision throughout the summer.
- What if I’m already receiving funding from another source?
- If you receive an HPILF grant, you cannot receive more than $5000 in summer funds from outside sources. For example, if you receive $3000 summer grant from a bar association then you will not receive more than $2000 through the HPILF grant process. This does not include wages earned through other employment. If applicants secure other sources of project-related funding (such as work-study, grants outside of HPILF, fellowships, or family contributions), they MUST report such funding to HPILF as soon as possible by emailing their name and the amount they have accepted from other sources to erinzatlin@uchastings.edu. This WILL NOT have any negative effect on your chances of receiving an HPILF grant. However, if grant money awarded by HPILF puts the recipient over the $5,000 cap, the recipient will be expected to return the excess funds.
- HPILF Summer Grant Certification
- By signing the certification, you indicate that you are working this summer for an eligible government agency or non-profit organization, and that you will be working full time for at least 8 weeks (but can also combine part-time positions).
- Who do I contact if I have questions about the HPILF grant?
- Please direct all your questions about qualifications to HPILF erinzatlin@uchastings.edu. For administrative questions please contact the Career Office abdullah@uchastings.edu. The financial aid office is not part of the grant application process, please only contact them about your financial aid questions.
- If I receive an HPILF grant, will my financial aid award be impacted over the summer?
- If you receive an HPILF grant and sign up for summer classes, your living expense will be offset by the amount of your grant. However, the tuition amount for your classes will not be impacted.
