The Philanthropy Fellows Program

• An exclusive partnership with the Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers (WRAG) linking Maryland students to paid internship opportunities with local foundations and corporate grantmakers.

• Apply Now!  November 22^nd  application deadline for Spring semester fellowships with the Greater Washington region’s leading foundations.

  •  Graduate students, click here to apply.

  • Undergraduate students may apply here.

Program Overview

The Philanthropy Fellows program is an internship pipeline and professional development program linking graduate and undergraduate students from the University of Maryland’s Program on Philanthropy & Nonprofit Management to paid semester– or year–long fellowship opportunities with Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers’(WRAG) members. WRAG promotes and supports effective, strategic, and efficient charitable investment in the Greater Washington region and includes over one hundred of the most prominent foundations and corporate grantmakers in this region. 

Fellows selected this fall are currently working with a range of community, corporate, family, independent and other grantmaking organizations including the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region, Kaiser Permanente, Deloitte Services LP, DC's Office of Partnerships & Grant Services, The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation among others. There are exciting new opportunities for students that will commence this Spring with area organizations including the AARP Foundation, the Washington Area Women’s Foundation, Fight for Children, the Montgomery County Community Foundation and the Arabella Advisors and New Ventures Fund.  

The program is designed to provide future leaders with the opportunity to gain professional experience, develop skills, build a professional network, and learn about local community needs through substantive work experiences with the area’s leading foundations and grantmaking bodies while earning income to support academic and living expenses.

Fellowships range from 10- to 20-hours per week.  Both graduate and undergraduate Philanthropy Fellows will be awarded a travel stipend, while graduate student Fellows will earn $10-$15 an hour. All internship host sites have also committed to:

• Creating interesting and substantive work opportunities

• Developing and documenting shared goals/objectives with fellows

• Encouraging fellows’ networking and community exposure and supporting their fellow’s participation in the program’s professional development workshops, networking opportunities and service projects.  WRAG will convene all Fellows at monthly skills building and leadership development opportunities, community service projects, and networking events.

Fellows Applications—Apply by Nov. 22^nd for Spring Internships

Graduate Students

You are eligible to apply to Philanthropy Fellows opportunities if you have taken or plan to enroll in a Nonprofit Management Program course this Spring. The Nonprofit Management & Leadership Spring Courses include Nonprofit Management and Leadership (PUAF 798Y), Strategic Philanthropy (PUAFXX-not yet posted on testudo) and Social Entrepreneurship (BUMO 758D - offered at the business school and cross-listed with MSPP)

Attention Professor Drezner Students: Students who have taken Prof. Drezner’s Philanthropy and Fundraising in Higher Education course are also eligible to apply.

To apply:

• Review the internship profiles by clicking on the Fellowship Host Site links below. 

• If you meet the qualifications indicated in the internship profile, draft and submit the application materials indicated in each profile (may include resume, cover letter, writing sample or other related materials) as attachments to philanthropy.fellows@gmail.com by midnight on Tuesday, November 22^nd. Applicants should email separate applications for each position of interest and indicate the name of the organization to which he/she is applying in the subject line.  Applicants ARE NOT permitted to contact the organization to which he/she is applying directly.

  • For internship opportunities that require writing samples as part of the application process, consider the following general guidance:
    • Foremost, this is an opportunity to showcase your ability to organize and convey your thoughts.  Allow this to guide your selection of a sample.
    • If you have examples of "professional/office" writing this may be particularly applicable, especially if it is related to the nonprofit sector.  Do not, however, allow this to discourage you from applying.  Employers are fully aware that you are students, and thus expect that many of your submissions may be academic papers.  This will not detract from your application.
    • Employers will have limited time to review applications, so we suggest that a 2-5 page sample would be ideal, with a 10 page sample being the maximum length.  If you have a longer paper that you would like to submit, we suggest noting to the employer to read a 5-10 page subsection.

• Please note the dates and times when your organizations of interest will be holding interviews for the position. Please do your best to be available during those times. 

Fellowship Opportunities

• AARP: There are two fellowship opportunities available at AARP. AARP seeks a Philanthropy Fellow to focus on program development and work closely with the Foundation Isolation Impact Area team to develop and launch new initiatives. The internship will be a commitment of between 10-20 hours/week for the spring semester. AARP will be interviewing finalists for this position Dec. 7^th (1pm-5pm), Dec. 12^th  (10am-5pm), and Dec. 13^th  (10am-5pm).

• AARP: AARP also seeks a Philanthropy Fellow to work closely with foundation staff to provide support for grantmaking activities. The internship will be a commitment of between 10-20 hours/week for the spring semester. AARP will be interviewing finalists for this position Dec. 7th (11am-4pm), Dec. 8th (11am-4pm), and Dec. 9th (11am-4pm).

• Washington Area Women’s Foundation:The chosen fellow will earn a 10-20 hour internship for the Spring semester. The fellow will work closely with staff to provide support for the organization’s research and education activities. The Washington Area Women’s Foundation will be interviewing finalists for this position Dec. 7^th  (1pm-5pm), Dec. 12^th  (10am-5pm), and Dec. 13^th  (3pm-5pm).

Undergraduate Students

• College Park Scholars and Honors Students are eligible to apply to Philanthropy Fellows opportunities if you have taken or have enrolled for the Spring 2011 Semester in “The Art & Science of Philanthropy” course or “Leading and Investing in Social Change: Redefining and Experimenting with Philanthropy” course.

• Student members of Terp Changemakers, Social Innovation Fellows, and students who have taken “Social Enterprise – Changing the World through Innovation and Transformative Action” course are also eligible to apply.

To apply:

• Review the internship profiles by clicking on the Fellowship Host Site links below. 

• If you meet the qualifications indicated in the internship profile, select your top three choices and:

  • Draft a cover letter to Professor Robert Grimm that addresses your interest and qualifications for the three choices, as well as other personal accomplishments or qualities that make you a good candidate for the position. Please DO NOT contact the organization where you would like to serve as a fellow directly.

  • Also draft other application materials indicated in the relevant profiles (may include resume, writing sample or other related materials).

    • For internship opportunities that require writing samples as part of the application process, consider the following general guidance:
      • Foremost, this is an opportunity to showcase your ability to organize and convey your thoughts.  Allow this to guide your selection of a sample.
      • If you have examples of "professional/office" writing this may be particularly applicable, especially if it is related to the nonprofit sector.  Do not, however, allow this to discourage you from applying.  Employers are fully aware that you are students, and thus expect that many of your submissions may be academic papers.  This will not detract from your application.
      • Employers will have limited time to review applications, so we suggest that a 2-5 page sample would be ideal, with a 10 page sample being the maximum length.  If you have a longer paper that you would like to submit, we suggest noting to the employer to read a 5-10 page subsection.

  • Submit all materials as attachments in an email to philanthropy.fellows@gmail.com by midnight on Tuesday, November 22^nd.

     

    Please note the dates and times when your organizations of interest will be holding interviews for the position.  Please do your best to be available during those times.

     

Fellowship Opportunities

• AARP: The chosen fellow will earn a 10-20 hour/week internship for the spring semester. This fellow will work closely with foundation staff to provide support for grantmaking activities. AARP will be interviewing finalists for this position Dec. 7th (11am-4pm), Dec. 8th (11am-4pm), and Dec. 9th (11am-4pm).

• Fight for Children: The chosen fellow will earn a 15 hour/week internship for the Spring semester. This fellow will work closely with the Director of External Relations, the Director of Development, and the Marketing Manager on donor research, social media, and community outreach. Fight for Children will be interviewing finalists for the position Dec. 7^th(1pm-4pm), Dec. 8^th(1pm-5pm), Dec. 9^th(10am; 1pm-3pm), Dec. 12^th( 10am-5pm), Dec. 13^th  (10am-5pm).

• Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation: The Fellow chosen will earn a 15-20 hour per week position for the spring semester supporting the grant administration process, disability employment policy and employee volunteer program research, and communications efforts. Mitsubishi will be interviewing finalists for this position Dec. 7th (10am-5pm), Dec. 12th (10am-5pm), and Dec. 13th (10am-2pm).

• Montgomery County Community Foundation: The chosen fellow will earn a 10 hour/week internship for the Spring semester.  This fellow will work closely with Community Foundation for Montgomery County staff to support the organization’s grantmaking activities and will be responsible for assisting in the grant review of approximately 10-15 nonprofit organizations being considered for grant support through one of the Community Foundation’s funding cycles. The Montgomery County Community Foundation will be interviewing finalists for the position on Dec. 8^th (11am-4pm) and Dec. 12^th(10am – 5pm).