Media, Arts & Design Grant - AY 24-25 Internships
Careers in Media, Arts & Design sponsors grants for Unpaid Internships and Research Opportunities to support students in unpaid journalism, arts, or media internships.
Limited funding is available for academic year, unpaid internships. Funding is limited to $500 per quarter (maximum of $1,500 for the academic year) and not guaranteed.
- Off-campus, in-person experiences are prioritized.
- Priority will be given to students who have never received an academic year grant.
- No late applications will be accepted or considered.
Students can request funding for academic-year internships during any of these cycles
ACADEMIC YEAR INTERNSHIPS: 2024-2025 APPLICATION TIMELINE
To ensure students can plan ahead, applications for academic year opportunities will be due just before the start of each quarter.
Fall Quarter: Academic Year Opportunities
- Cycle Opens Monday, September 9
- Closes Friday, October 4 (Autumn Quarter, Week 1)
- Decisions Released Friday, October 11 (acceptance deadline: Monday, October 14)
Winter Quarter: Academic Year Opportunities
- Opens: Monday, December 2 (Autumn Quarter, Week 9)
- Closes: Friday, January 10 (Winter Quarter, Week 1)
- Decisions Released: Friday, January 17 (acceptance deadline: Monday, January 20)
Spring Quarter: Academic Year Opportunities
- Opens: Monday, February 24 (Winter Quarter, Week 8)
- Closes: Friday, March 21 (last day of Spring Break)
- Decisions Released: Friday, March 28 (acceptance deadline: March 31)
Grant Application Instructions
Your application must include all of the materials listed; applications missing any of the components will not be considered. Competitive applicants will begin preparation and research early and meet with a Career Advancement staff member for guidance.
Application Process Overview
Students will secure an internship or unpaid opportunity and then apply for the grant. Students will submit a total of 2 required document uploads
- Your Application Proposal (this document will have various sections see below for step by step details)
- resume
- ** a 3rd document is optional
Applications must be submitted through Handshake; applications submitted via email will not be accepted.
Step by Step Application Process: Should include the following: PLEASE READ CAREFULLY
(2 required Uploaded Documents, 3rd optional Attachment )
DOCUMENT 1 UPLOAD: RESUME
There is an absolute limit of one page; additional pages will be discarded. Make sure to use a standard font in 11 pt size at the least. If you are having trouble fitting your resume into the space allotted, see a Career Advancement adviser for advice. Please also see the Career Advancement resume handouts in the resume and interview toolkit.
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DOCUMENT 2 UPLOAD PROPOSAL/COVER LETTER
Proposal Cover page, Proposal Letter, and Documentation of Internship offer should all be combined into one document
Summary: This uploaded file should consist of your
- Proposal Cover Page
- Proposal (answers to prompted questions below)
- Documentation of Internship Offer
PROPOSAL COVER PAGE
Your proposal should begin with a cover-page that clearly lists
- your name & contact information
- major and class year
- the organization with which you’ll be working
- your position title, and your supervisor or mentor’s name and title.
- Include the quarter of when this internship will be held
- The cover page need not give any other information than this list and should NOT be in paragraph form.
PROPOSAL Letter - MAX 2 pages
This proposal will be your only opportunity to present your project to the selection committee; please include all relevant information in this document. Your proposal should be clear, well written, and thorough, but also as concise as possible. There is a two page maximum; make sure to use a standard font, at least 11pt. size and at least .5” margins. You may double or single space, but remember to be concise.
Questions to answer in your proposal:
- The nature of your internship / opportunity: Make sure to carefully describe the professional experience you wish to fund. Relevant items to discuss include the duties you will undertake, your goals for the position, etc. You are required to secure an organization and supervisor before applying. Please also be sure to include the intended start and end dates for your internship. If you have questions about how to secure an organization and a mentor, or how to proceed with this type of conversation, please contact your Career Advancement adviser.
- Why is it integral to your career development? How will this experience help you fulfill your professional goals? When you answer this question, please make sure to describe how the organization’s work aids in your professional development. Do not focus only on the organization’s mission.
- What sort of mentorship AND supervision will you have? How is your mentor able and qualified to help you? Who will supervise or evaluate your work and how/how often?
- How funding will help you to do this work: you are requesting that the College give you financial support. Please clearly address how the funding will help you do this work, and why it is necessary that you receive these funds.
- How you plan to share your experience with the University of Chicago: Describe how you plan to use your College-funded experience to benefit the University and/or members of its community.
DOCUMENTATION OF INTERNSHIP OFFER
(This should be added to the end of your proposal letter)
To apply, you must have already acquired an internship. Please submit a letter (screenshots are allowed) from your supervisor or mentor outlining your opportunity and the time-commitment it entails. If this documentation is in a language other than English, you should provide a translation. Organizations will be contacted to verify details if you are selected.
Proposal Cover page, Proposal Letter, and Documentation of Internship offer should all be combined into one document for upload
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DOCUMENT 3 UPLOAD WORK SAMPLES (OPTIONAL)
Work samples if applicable: ( clips, or links to portfolio work, artwork, photographs, MP3s, etc.)
if no work samples, simply add a document that says, "all materials attached.)
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SUBMITTING YOUR APPLICATION TO Handshake
You MUST submit all the above materials using the Handshake database. There are no exceptions to this policy.
Due to the volume of applications, you are strongly advised to submit your materials prior to the day of the deadline, and especially prior to the hour before the deadline. Career Advancement will not accept late applications.
AFTER COMPLETING YOUR INTERNSHIP
You may also be asked to present on your experience at a CIACE/JCW event, or to contribute material documentation of your experience so that they may be shared with the CIACE/JCW community. This report will be kept on file for future students who may be interested in the same organization and may be shared with the selection committee.