Funding Opportunities

Funding Opportunities

The Career Center offers several funding opportunities for off-campus internships, including:

  • The Internship Assistance Fund Scholarship (opportunity for students who otherwise wouldn’t be able to complete an internship to receive funding towards their unpaid or underpaid off-campus internships)
  • SECU Public Fellows Internship Program (offered each summer; students accepted to the program complete a paid, full-time internship at a non-profit or government agency while completing a 3 credit connected course)
  • The Walker Family Fund for Paid Internships Award (supports a first-gen student pursuing an unpaid internship)

Details regarding each funding opportunity can be found below. Note: Students can receive one of the three outlined opportunities during their time at UNC Asheville.

The Internship Assistance Fund Scholarship

Students who have completed their first semester at or transferred to UNC Asheville and have secured an unpaid or underpaid off-campus internship where they’ll be completing a minimum of 75 hours are eligible to apply for this scholarship. The goal for this funding is to make it possible for students to complete an internship who otherwise wouldn’t be able to due to financial constraints. Funding cannot be requested after the internship is completed.

To apply for the Internship Assistance Fund, click here.

To see the rubric being used to review applications, click here.

Summer 2023 Application Timeline

  • Application opens on Monday, March 13, 2023
  • Application closes on Sunday, April 23, 2023 at 11:59PM
  • Funding disbursed in early May

Application Requirements & Rubric

Each application will be reviewed based on a rubric. Please be prepared to provide the following in your application:

  • Internship Offer Letter
    • This can be a formal letter or email communication that confirms you were offered and accepted a summer internship opportunity.
  • Resume
  • Personal Statement
    • In the personal statement, please address the following:
      • Discuss how receiving this grant will impact your ability to participate in an internship
      • Outline how the type of internship you’re planning to complete connects to your career goals and professional development
    • Minimum 1-page, size 12 font, double spaced
  • Budget Sheet & Funding Needs Proposal 
    • Fill out Budget Sheet Template to include estimated amount to be spent this summer for cost-of-living expenses
    • Using the Budget Sheet for reference, write a funding needs proposal that includes a) what funding amount you are requesting and b) how the funding will be used

Requirements of Accepting an IAF Scholarship

IAF scholarship recipients must submit:

 

The SECU Public Fellows Internship Program

The SECU Public Fellows Internship Program is funded through a grant from the SECU Foundation. UNC Asheville is proud to administer the SECU Public Fellows Internships for the fourth year during Summer 2023 with the continued goal of utilizing our students’ liberal arts and sciences education to benefit high-quality nonprofit and government organizations that are focused on improving life in rural North Carolina for a diverse array of residents. Students accepted to the program complete a 3-credit hour interdisciplinary internship course, IST 325, while interning full-time at a nonprofit or government organization earning $16.50/hour.

To be eligible to apply, students must meet the following criteria:

  • Current UNC Asheville student with a minimum of sophomore standing at the start of the internship
  • Resident of North Carolina
  • Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5

Learn more about our Summer 2022 SECU Public Fellows!

 

The Walker Family Fund for Paid Internships

The Walker Family Fund for Paid Internships is a donor-driven opportunity thanks to Sam and Joanne Walker. The fund was specifically developed to support first-generation college students looking to complete an unpaid internship. Applications will be reviewed by the Career Center in collaboration with Student Transitions and Family Programs. Students do not need to have an internship secured for the following spring semester in order to apply. The Career Center will help the award recipient with the internship search.

The Spring 2023 application has closed.