Summer Public Interest Funding

The Summer Public Interest Funding (SPIF) program provides funds to HLS students who choose to pursue positions in the public interest during the summer. A large portion of these positions are unpaid, which means students must find a way to support themselves in order to accept the job, be it through other employment, fellowships, or personal resources. Because HLS believes these positions provide valuable experience for students, the SPIF program was developed to make it possible for students to accept unpaid or underpaid summer public interest jobs which might otherwise be a financially exclusive option. Harvard Law School has the most comprehensive support for summer public interest work available. No law school offers more guaranteed funding for a broader range of public interest jobs.

For the summer of 2009, HLS offered the largest weekly stipend of any school that guarantees funding. Students can also use funds from fellowships, employers, or non-HLS sources, to supplement the award they receive for their SPIF position, up to a cap. Since SPIF funding is limited to a maximum number of weeks, students can earn money from a second non-SPIF summer job without reducing their SPIF eligibility. 

Operating out of Student Financial Services, the SPIF program awards stipends or Federal Work Study (FWS) to students whose summer jobs meet SPIF eligibility requirements. SPIF Stipends are funded by HLS resources including annual support approved by the Dean, gifts from donors, and money raised by the student-run Public Interest Auction.

Supplemental funding can come from a variety of sources, including internal HLS summer fellowships, external sources such as non-HLS public interest fellowships (see Chapter 8 of OPIA's Serving the Public: A Job Search Guide), as well as stipends or pay from summer employers.

As a result of Harvard Law School's consistently growing support, the number of students choosing public interest work for the summer has increased dramatically over the past five years. Almost 500 students received Summer Public Interest Funding in the summer of 2009.

If you have questions about Summer Public Interest Funding, you may email the SPIF staff or call (617) 495-0643.