Summer Grants

Each year several summer grants are awarded to students who are taking unpaid or low-paying summer public interest and public sector jobs. Funding for these grants comes from several sources.

In 2009, over $181,000 was awarded to students from law school and student raised funds. 81 first and second year students received funding; 38 of those students received $3,000 or more. Grant recipients worked in nonprofit organizations, legal aid offices, state and federal government agencies, public defender offices, and district attorneys offices across ten states and even internationally.  Please view the more detailed summary of the 2009 Summer Grant Funding.

2010 Summer Grant Timeline

Early Decision Grant Process

The School of Law will be awarding a limited number of public interest summer grants to 2Ls in the fall.  Applications will be available on October 7 and will be due on November 12, 2009. Please note: 2Ls wil be eligible to apply for public interest summer grants in the spring of 2010 as well.

Please see Sylvia Novinsky with any questions.

  • Early Decision Summer Grant Information Session: October 7 
  • Early Decision Summer Grant Applications Due (2Ls only): November 12
  • Spring Application Deadline: March 25, 2010
  • Grant Recipients Notified: April 6, 2010
  • Public Interest/Pro Bono Celebration: April 13, 2010

Applications will be available online in October 2009.  To view and complete the Summer Grant Application visit My Carolina Law, click on the "Student Life" tab at the top of the page, and select the Summer Grant Application link.

Be sure to check out 10 Tips for Writing a Strong Grant Application.

Available Grants

The following grants were available in Summer 2009

  • C-PILO (Carolina Public Interest Law Association)
  • IOLTA (Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts)
    • UNC School of Law applies for funds each year from the North Carolina IOLTA program to fund summer jobs for students. Three (3) $3000 grants were available in 2009. Only certain pre-approved placements qualify for IOLTA funding.
  • Ilene Nelson Internship for Child Advocacy
  • Steven Whitesell Memorial Fund Grant (preference given to a student in the City and Regional Planning program)
  • Hank Tersegno Public Interest Summer Grant (preference given to a student whose work focuses on civil liberties, civil rights, discrimination, housing, women's rights and worker's rights)
  • Sandra Johnson Public Interest Summer Grant
  • Class of 2001 Public Interest Summer Grant
  • Gene R. Nichol Public Interest Law Fund
  • The Dan Pollitt Fellowship (preference given to a student who works with an organization promoting civil liberties)
  • William E. Underwood, Jr., Public Interest Fellowship (preference given to a student working with the Council for Children's Rights)
  • UNC Law Summer Public Interest Grant (anonymous donor)
  • Gibson Desaulniers Smith Public Interest Award
  • The Elias Novinsky Grant (preference given to a student working on immigrant advocacy issues
  • Various student organizations also award partial grants. In 2009, the following organizations awarded grants:
    • Domestic Violence Advocacy Program
    • Environmental Law Project
    • Hispanic/Latino Law Student Association
    • Immigration Law Association
    • ACLU

Other Summer Funding Sources

There are several other summer funding sources available.