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Top-Off Grant for Summer Internships 2022


A dedicated pool of limited funding is available for students to supplement their paid summer internships.
 
The goal of the fund is to help students close the gap between their base stipend and the costs that are required to move forward with the opportunity. These grants fund expenses that would otherwise prevent students from taking the opportunity – they are not intended to provide an hourly wage or cover all costs during the internship period. Students who need additional funding to make their internship viable are encouraged to apply.
 
Given that there is limited funding, and to ensure that as many students as possible can move forward with their internships, Career Advancement asks applicants to help their peers by only requesting funding for essential costs. In the application, students will have the opportunity to explain their financial need and demonstrate why these additional funds are required. 

Internships in all industries and locations are eligible for top-off funds, and the internship does not have to be a University-sponsored opportunity. All top-off grant recipients will be included in the Jeff Metcalf Internship Program. 

Please note: No late or incomplete applications will be accepted. The decisions regarding acceptance and funding amounts made by the reviewing committee are definitive and cannot be appealed.

If you have already acquired funding through the University for this role and/or have applied for funding through other sources, please disclose this in your application as we make every effort to provide equitable access for students. This includes any research scholarships, fellowships, and/or grants offered through Career Advancement, the College Center for Research and Fellowships (CCRF) and the Institute of Politics (IOP).




Eligibility

 
The proposed professional experience must meet the following
  1. Occurs during summer 2022. According to your class schedule and commitments, summer experiences may start/finish earlier or later. Please refer to the Undergraduate Student Recruiting Guidelines. Funding cannot be applied retroactively.
  2. Internship must already be funded. If the position is not funded, please apply for the Metcalf Grant.
  3. Is located in the U.S. or abroad, either on-site or remotely. Students with an on-site internship outside the U.S. must successfully petition the University in order to receive funding.
  4. Provides a direct supervisor who serves as a mentor throughout the internship. Independent research projects or freelance experiences are not eligible.
  5. Is NOT requiring a fee or deposit for participation. The grant only funds internships that students arrange directly with employers.
  6. Is NOT with 1) an organization on the State Department list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations or otherwise sanctioned or monitored by the U.S. Government; 2) an organization formed for the purpose of supporting a candidate for political office. Because the University is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization under the tax code, it is prohibited from participating in political campaign activities. All other organizations are eligible for funding under this grant, including government agencies and for-profit organizations.

Important Considerations for Internships Abroad
Current University guidelines restrict international travel. If a student is awarded a Top-off stipend for an on-site internship outside the U.S., they must successfully petition the University for an exemption to this policy in order to receive funding.
 
Travel to countries with U.S. Department of State Travel Advisory Level 3 & 4 must be approved by the Study Abroad Risk and Security Assessment Committee (SARSAC) and be approved by the Pandemic Travel Review Committee (PTRC) when the Level 3 or 4 is due to COVID-19. As part of the petition process, students will be asked to specify if they will require a work permit to complete their internship and will need to submit a budget worksheet indicating that any Metcalf stipend they receive will not be used to travel to the site of an internship outside the U.S. 
 
For questions regarding the petition process, please contact Chiara Montanari at chiaram@uchicago.edu. 
 
For country-specific information, reference:
 
For International Students Only
International students who plan to graduate during the 2021-2022 academic year will need to apply and obtain OPT in order to work in a job or internship in the U.S. that starts or extends past their graduation date. Please note that it may take up to 5 months for students to receive their OPT. Career Advancement highly encourages you to connect with your employer and discuss your internship start and end date as the OPT process may impact your timeline. For further questions on OPT work authorization please reach out to OIA.




Timeline

 
To give students maximum flexibility, applications will be accepted throughout the 2021-2022 academic year and will consist of two grant cycles.
 
Cycle One
  • Application opens: November 2021
  • Application closes: March 30, 2022
  • Decisions released: April 11, 2022
 
Cycle Two
  • Applications open: April 11
  • Applications close: May 2
  • Decisions released: May 16
 
Cycle Three
  • Applications open: May 9
  • Applications close: May 30
  • Decisions released: June 10




Application

 
Step 1: Upload resume to this Handshake posting
Step 2: Upload the attached budget form to this Handshake posting
Step 3: Upload your offer letter to this Handshake posting
Step 4: (For on-site international internships):  All students with on-site international internships are required to review and submit the Student Responsibilities and Available Resources document. This outline provides a basic overview of additional resources and considerations for students who could be traveling internationally for their position.

Please note that students will need an An offer letter and access to a direct supervisor to be eligible for Top-off funding.

The application form requires you to upload an offer letter or email from your employer. The letter/email MUST include all the following information:
  • Supervisor name and contact information (email must be a company domain)
  • Physical location of the office and if your internship will be remote
  • Number of work hours per week
  • Total number of work hours for the quarter(s)
  • Start and end date
  • Funding amount
  • Offer letters should be on company letterhead
  • Emails should be sent from a company email address with the employer’s domain