General Information

To see the pre-arranged sig fellowships please click here.

The stipends application is now live and can be found here.

*Note: applying for a stipend does not require opening a fellowships application*

For five decades, SIG has supported over 6,000 students to pursue summer public policy experiences. Last year, SIG awarded 39 fellowships to support Stanford students worldwide. However, the supply of SIG fellowships does not meet the demand of students who have secured public policy internships but lack funding. In addition, many students have policy interests not covered by existing SIG Fellowships. In a Winter 2011 survey of 500 Stanford undergraduate students, 40% of respondents said that if they had been offered stipends for public service and policy internships, their plans last summer would have been different. We want to help make more of these plans possible. This is the origin of the new SIG Stipends program.

Below is general information about SIG Stipends. Applicants are encouraged to read through all the material carefully.

Why Stipends?

The new Stanford in Government (SIG) Stipend program offers Stanford students an unprecedented opportunity supporting unpaid summer internships in the public policy domain, allowing students who would not pursue these internships without the Stipends to take them. Stipends will provide public policy exposure for:

• Science, technology, and engineering students who may not be exposed to the policy implications of their academic interests and would not qualify for SIG, Haas Center or other fellowships based on previous experiences;
• Students receiving financial aid from Stanford, who would otherwise forego an unpaid internship in public policy due to the need to earn money during the summer.

What are the Stipends?

SIG will offer up to ten (10) stipends in the summer of 2012. The stipends will go to students who secure their own public policy internships – do it yourself. The students awarded the stipends will receive a base stipend of $4000 (plus financial aid support for a total of up to $6100) to cover living costs and summer earnings expected under the terms of students’ financial aid packages. We hope to be meet the demand for

All potential applicants are encouraged to make use of SIG guidance and resources here in order to find a summer internship.

The ten participants will be selected based on answers to a series of short answer questions and their adherence to selection criteria. Due to the nature of funding for the SIG Stipends pilot year, priority in 2012 will be given to international internships, environmental internships based in Sacramento and focused on state policy, followed by a limited number of other local, state, and federal level internships.

All returning students who have secured a public policy internship are encouraged to apply, but we primarily look for candidates who meet the following points. Applicants need not fulfill all of these to receive a SIG Stipend.

-First and second year students

-Students with financial need

-Non-first year students who have not previously participated in a public policy internship

-Students from majors that do not typically engage in the fields of policy and politics (not Public Policy, Political Science, International Relations, Economics, or Area Studies (eg. East Asian Studies)

These points are just general preferences. However, with only ten stipends available the first summer, it is possible that all of the stipends will be awarded based on the preferred points. By the end of 2013, the year of SIG’s 50th anniversary, our goal is to develop a sustainable source of revenue to support at least 40 stipends.

The rationale for these priorities is to reach students early in their Stanford studies at a time when the experience with public policy might have its greatest impact and to reach students majoring in programs that are not inherently focused on public policy. SIG knows that public policy questions arise in every field of study at Stanford. The SIG Stipends give an incentive and opportunity to students to pursue any and all areas of public policy.

Impact of the Stipends

In the short term, the public service and government institutions involved will benefit from the efforts and youthful perspectives of Stanford students with new technical skills and evolving expertise.

In the long term, generations of capable students exposed to public policy and politics as undergraduates will have a significant impact on the nation and the world as a whole, no matter which sector they choose to enter in a future career.

50^th Anniversary and Stipends Advisory Board

SIG is recruiting students and alumni to support this new program. By being a part of the board, you will help SIG define the details of the stipends as the program grows. Your help will also be instrumental as we seek guidance to organize Bay Area and Washington DC receptions leading up to the SIG 50^th anniversary.

Contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information and to become involved in our 50^th Anniversary and Stipends Advisory Board.

Application Details

Internships must adhere to the following parameters:

1. Internships must be unpaid
2. Internships must be full-time
3. Internships must be at least 9 weeks long. Longer internships may be taken at the applicant’s discretion, but the Stipends are meant to support a 9-week internship
4. Internships may be located in any country as long as there is not a U.S. State Department travel warning for that country. Check http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_1764.html before applying.
5. Internships must be in one of the following bodies:
   • a governmental organization,
   • a think-tank
   • a non-profit organization,
   • a media organization that relates to public policy or politics,
6. Internships must be work directly related to one of the following:
   • government functions,
   • current US and international politics,
   • research related to politics, public policy and government,
   • implementation and development of policy options,
7. Internships must NOT be in political campaigns or partisan organizations
8. Internships may focus on social service policy but must NOT be any of the following direct social services such as:
   • health care, child care, and other medical services that are not related to government, politics, policy development or implementation,
   • literacy training, tutoring, counseling, support for students with disabilities and other educational services that are not related to government, politics,  policy development or implementation,
   • transportation, public safety, crime prevention, and other community improvement services and projects that are not related to government, politics, policy development or implementation,
   • recreational services that are not related to government, politics, policy development or implementation;

Applicants will need to meet the following basic criteria:

1. returning student,
2. have secured a public policy and politics internship as defined in Part I above,
3. demonstrate strong interest and willingness to work in public policy and politics
4. have not had extensive experience in the sector,
5. demonstrate good understanding of the tasks they would do with the stipend and present at least a general plan for the internship period,
6. show interest in pursuing careers in the field of public policy or politics in the short/long term,
7. not receive other form of fellowship from the University regarding the same project/ internship

The following restrictions apply:

1. No preference should be given to SIG officers and directors.
2. If the applicant failed to disclose any information that would have disqualified them from the selection process, his/her stipend will be rescinded based on the decision of the selection committee and the Haas Center.

Application

Application will consist of: 1) a series of short answer questions, 2) a detailed budget plan, 3) health insurance documentation, 4) internship questionnaire 5) a list of courses, if applicable.

Apply here for the summer 2012 Stipends

Stipend Details

1. The stipend allocates the following amount of funds:
   • Base : 4000USD
   • SIG will award flight/housing supplements and financial aid for a total maximum stipend of $6100 based on demonstrated need.
2. Application Timeline:
   • Announcement of finalized stipend program: December 2012
   • Application Deadline of all necessary documents: Early February and early April (February 2 and April 1)
   • Selection Results: February 18^th and April 20^th 2012

Duties of Stipend Recipients

1. Attend SIG Orientation, and complete all forms and paperwork required by the University.
2. Submit the M.O.U document provided by the Haas Center and signed and completed by the internship placement organization.
3. Complete an internship report and stewardship letter for donors.
4. Participate in one Stipend Program outreach session in the 2012-2013 academic year, where they will speak about their summer experiences.
5. All international stipend recipients are required to participate in an international preparation workshop on Saturday, April 21. Applicants to the second deadline: please note that this is the day after recipients are acknowledged.

Resources

We will be hosting a workshop in mid January throughout winter quarter to answer any questions applicants may have regarding the Stipend Program and applying for internships in public policy.

Applicants are encouraged to make use of the databases and resources here.

In the weeks leading up to the internship, a weekend workshop will help prepare the ten students for participation in an internship setting. A post-internship briefing will address the question of the intersection of students’ field of study and public policy or politics.

Please contact Lina Hidalgo ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) with any questions.