Public Service Projects Fellowship (Including Donald Kennedy, Ahonen-Jover, Alex Tung Memorial) Summer 2024 - Round 1
Donald Kennedy Public Service Projects Fellows work to alleviate some of society’s most pressing concerns across the globe. Projects vary in size and scope, work with diverse constituencies, and address a wide range of issues. Fellows may work in any field of interest. Students are encouraged to think about how their academic background and prior experiences might be useful to organizations and communities trying to develop better ways of addressing challenges they face.
A “project” is defined as 1) student designed in consultation with a community partner, 2) student implemented, 3) provides a tangible deliverable to the community, and 4) is sustainable beyond the summer. In addition to the fellowship stipend, students working on projects may be awarded up to an additional $1000 for project-related expenses. Click here to see a list of project-related expenses that may be covered. Please check the relevant box on the fellowship application if you will be applying for project-based funding.
Public Service Projects Fellows spend the summer working full-time with a supervisor/mentor in a domestic U.S. community organization of their choice. For opportunities during the Fall, Winter, or Spring quarters, please see the Jane Stanford Fellowship. For international opportunities, please see the International Public Service Fellowship (and check the box on the application indicating you will be applying for project-based funding).
Applicants propose their own placements with organizations with which they have corresponded before the application deadline and effectively demonstrate that their intended partner organizations have the need, interest and capacity to work with a fellow and to support the proposed project/work plans. Students can submit an application after they have received and accepted an offer from a host organization, and the host organization must then complete the Community Partner Questionnaire (via the fellowship application) by the application deadline. The Haas Center has many Resources for Fellowship Applicants, including our list of Cardinal Quarter Connections of host organizations seeking to work with Stanford undergraduate students, and our Meet the Undergraduate Fellows page with information on previous fellows' community partners and projects.
Please review the program policies in their entirety before applying. The Round 1 application deadline is February 13, 2024 and the Round 2 application deadline will be April 9, 2024 (Round 2 application will open after the Round 1 deadline). We strongly encourage students to apply to Round 1. The funding available for Round 2 is more limited and many fellowship spots may be filled through Round 1.
Each Fellow receives a base stipend of $6,500 to support travel and living expenses during the fellowship. Financial aid and supplemental funding are available to students who qualify. Additional funding up to $1,000 for project expenses is available to each fellow.
In addition to the Donald Kennedy Public Service Projects Fellowships, two additional project-based fellowships are offered:
The Ahonen-Jover Cardinal Quarter Fellowship for Innovation in Technology and Human Rights supports one student annually to design and propose an innovative project for advancing human rights in the United States or abroad in collaboration with a host organization and faculty mentor. Successful applicants will have a vision and entrepreneurial spirit and wish to create new strategies to advance human rights worldwide. Priority will be given to projects aimed at achieving equal rights for LGBTQ people and related sexual minorities, however, innovation in human rights is the first priority. For additional LGBTQ-related fellowship opportunities, see the Stanford Pride Fellowship.
Through the Alexander Tung Memorial Fellowship, students can explore the use of science and technology for the benefit of society at large. In particular, the awardees will use science and technology for social entrepreneurship, for youth education, and/or as a solution to a social problem through field service work with a partner placement organization, or a community-based research project. In the research modality, the fellow will work with a faculty advisor on a project that involves application or development of technology as a vehicle for social entrepreneurship.
The Haas Center for Public Service inaugurated the Donald Kennedy Summer Fellowship Program in 1984 to honor former Stanford President Donald Kennedy’s commitment to public service.
The Ahonen-Jover Cardinal Quarter Fellowship for Innovation in Human Rights began in 2019. The donors believe we can visualize a world without prejudice, in which the dignity of each human being is respected.
The Alexander Tung Memorial Fellowship was created in 2012 to honor the life and work of Alex Tung (BS '00, MS '02, and PhD '10 in Electrical Engineering).
Eligibility
Eligibility:
For complete eligibility requirements, please review our program policies in its entirety.
Undergraduates from all academic disciplines are encouraged to apply, and applicants may vary in academic interests, public service involvement, and experience. Priority will be given to students who have completed fewer than two previous Cardinal Quarter opportunities. Graduating seniors may have lower priority. Students who have begun their coterm programs (i.e., students who are paying for graduate tuition) are not eligible to apply.
Students are welcome to propose placements with a variety of public interest organizations, keeping in mind funding will be restricted for certain types of political, research, Stanford-based, for-profit, and faith-based organizations. Please review the “Host Organization Eligibility” section of our program policies for more information.
Requirements:
Selected Haas Center Cardinal Quarter Fellows are expected to begin their fellowship following the completion of spring quarter classes and no later than July 8, 2024. All fellows are required to work with their community partners 35-40 hours/week for nine consecutive weeks. Fellows are expected to work on-site at their host organizations at least on a hybrid schedule, but some fully virtual experiences may be allowed on a case-by-case basis. Fellows must have a designated full-time professional staff member on-site as their supervisor/mentor. Please review the complete program policies for additional requirements. Other commitments include the following:
Spring Quarter
- Complete and online program orientation
- Complete the Engaging in Ethical and Effective Service in-person workshop or worksheet.
- Identify and meet with an academic mentor at least once.
- Design a personal learning plan and share the learning plan with the site supervisor and academic mentor.
- Complete all required pre-orientation forms.
Summer Quarter
- Submit a brief preliminary report
- Submit a final report, complete a program evaluation, and correspond with fellowship donor(s) as requested by fellowships program staff.
Fall Quarter
- Meet with academic mentor at least once.
- For project-based fellows, apply to present at the Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Public Service (SURPS).
- Participate in outreach activities to share the experience and help publicize the program.
Selection Process:
For those who seek assistance, advising is available through the Haas Center to help students develop their applications and/or to identify potential partner organizations. Please reach out to a Cardinal Quarter Peer Advisor or email cardinalquarter@stanford.edu for an advising appointment with program staff.
Students are strongly encouraged to discuss ideas for placements with program staff well before the application deadline to identify appropriate/relevant opportunities and prepare effective application materials. Developing a suitable fellowship placement takes time, so it is important to start the application process early and consult with professors, advisors, and community partners regularly.
This fellowship is intended for individuals whose application, references, and interview demonstrate
- an integration of the fellowship experience with the applicant’s academic, personal and/or career goals
- prior demonstrated interest or involvement in the subject area, including related coursework
- a compelling match between applicant’s skills and interests and an organization’s work and needs
- strong potential for the fellowship experience to deepen a candidate’s understanding of an identified community issue or challenge
Complete applications are screened, finalists interviewed, and fellows selected by a committee with the intention to award fellowships within six weeks of the application deadline. Applicants should respond promptly (within 48 hours) via email to a fellowship offer, or the offer will be rescinded. Once an applicant accepts a fellowship offer, the student should promptly notify all other Stanford and non-Stanford programs to which they have applied that they have accepted another offer and to withdraw their candidacy.
