Career-enhancing Experiences (short-term)

    *Note that there is less funding available in 2024-25, so some of the policies have changed from previous years. Students will likely only receive partial funding for most experiences and it is possible that we may run out of funds before the end of the year.

    The Johnson Family Opportunity Fund was established through the generous support of the Johnson family and is intended to provide greater access to resources, experiences, and opportunities to help students navigate the path from college to career, and to decrease the barriers caused by a lack of financial support.

    Johnson Family Opportunity Fund Deadlines (2024-2025 Academic Year)
    FALL 2024 APPLICATION DEADLINES
    • October 18, 2024
    • December 6, 2024
    SPRING 2025 APPLICATION DEADLINES
    • February 14, 2025
    • April 4, 2025
    • May 15, 2025

    No Late Applications Will be Considered for JFOF Funding for Graduate/Professional School-Related Expenses and Short-term Career Enhancing Experiences.

    Funding decisions will be determined and shared with applicants within 2 weeks of the application due date.

    Student Eligibility to apply for the Johnson Family Opportunity Fund
    • Financial Need Eligibility – Low-income students meeting specific criteria are eligible to apply. If you do not meet eligibility guidelines, your application will not be considered for funding. Domestic students with an Expected Family Contribution of $10,000 or less and “high need” international students are eligible to apply. If you are uncertain about your eligibility or believe you may have extenuating circumstances that may affect your eligibility, please reach out to Financial Aid at finaid@stolaf.edu or visit the Financial Aid office in Tomson 120.
    • Class Year – Students must be a sophomore, junior, or senior during the grant period. Experiences occurring during sophomore year will be considered; experiences occurring after graduation will not be funded.
    • Funding Limit/Maximum – Eligible students may apply for funding for multiple opportunities. Students may receive a maximum of $5,000 in funding (total) during their time at St. Olaf, including both Graduate/Professional School-related funding and funding for Internships & Career-enhancing Experiences. Please note that there is no guarantee of funding to any applicant, and the expenses included above may or may not be funded when included in a Johnson Family Opportunity Fund application.
    • First generation college students are particularly encouraged to apply and will be prioritized when determining funding levels.
    Eligible Opportunities and Maximum Awards

    Experiences must take place before graduation to be eligible for funding

    • Spring or Fall Semester Internships or similar off-campus opportunities (unpaid/underpaid) — apply through the process outlined below.
      • Students who complete an unpaid internship during the fall or spring semester that requires at least 55 hours are eligible to apply for funding
      • Students are eligible to apply for funding to cover transportation costs (but not expenses related to food and housing). Maximum award: $500
      • Students completing virtual internships are eligible to apply but will only receive minimal funding (~$100-300)
    • Mileage related to student teaching, nursing practicum experiences, social work practicum, and similar experiences. Check first with the academic department. Students are only eligible to apply for funding that is not covered by the department. Maximum award: $400
    • Training, skill development, certifications, etc. May be eligible for funding if the experience is aligned with career interests. All exams and expenses must take place prior to graduation. Students who are selected for funding will likely receive 50-80% of anticipated need. Maximum award: $700
    • Interview Expenses – expenses related to job or internship interviews.
    • Self-designed shadowing, networking, or other experiences related to career-exploration – Unique requests are often considered eligible for partial funding. Students seeking support for licensure or other unique requests should reach out to Marietta Ruppe <ruppe2> and Nate Jacobi <jacobi> before applying to determine eligility.

    Students are not eligible to receive funding for the following experiences:

    Students are generally not allowed to receive funds to support internships, research experiences, or other travel to countries with State Department travel warnings (Level 3 or Level 4), unless the experience will take place in the student’s home country.

    Please note that funding is awarded competitively, based on the strength of the application. There is no guarantee of funding to any applicant, and the expenses included in the budget form may or may not be funded when included in a Johnson Family Opportunity Fund application.

    Selection Process

    The Johnson Family Opportunity Fund is competitively awarded to students who meet all eligibility guidelines. A Selection Committee funds applicants based on the strength of the application and the quality of the experience. Applications are reviewed based on the selection criteria included in the Career-enhancing Experiences Rubric. Submitting an application does not guarantee funding, and students who are selected often receive partial funding to support their proposed opportunity.

    Applicants must review all of the information provided below in detail and must follow all steps in the application process in order to submit a strong application for funding.

    Application Process and Required Documents
    When you apply for funding, you will be asked to link to your JFOF Short-term Career Enhancing Experiences Budget Form (linked below). You will also be asked to electronically upload files that are required for your application, including documentation of your opportunity, documentation related to expenses (receipts), and your resume. Each of these documents must be saved electronically in PDF format, and each document must be uploaded directly when you submit your application for funding.

    BEFORE YOU APPLY – Prepare your application materials

    STEP 1 – Secure a qualified opportunity (career exploration experience, job interview, etc.). Utilize the Piper Center for assistance.

    STEP 2 – Document your opportunity. Save all documents electronically by scanning or by saving as a PDF.

    For students completing other experiences (career exploration, job interview, etc.) 

    • Secure documentation (letter or email saved as a PDF) that states that you have been selected for the experience.

    STEP 3 – Document your expenses. Save all documents electronically by scanning or by saving as a PDF.

    • Document expenses related to your opportunity, including receipts or estimated costs for transportation, housing, and other expenses included in your request for funding.
    • Expenses related to Air Travel – If your budget includes expenses for air travel, you must include documentation. Please upload a receipt (if the ticket has been purchased already) or an estimated expense for your flight, based on the best price available at the time you are submitting your application. This documentation must be saved as a PDF and uploaded with your application.

    STEP 4 – Complete the JFOF Short-term Career Enhancing Experiences Budget Form, copy the URL and link it to your application. Students must complete the Budget Worksheet before completing the Online Application.

    STEP 5 – Prepare your Resume and save it electronically as a PDF.
    If you need assistance starting or updating a resume, please stop by the Piper Center to meet with a Peer Advisor and use the Piper Center Resume Resources.

    COMPLETE & SUBMIT YOUR ONLINE APPLICATION

    Complete this Online Application by 11:59 pm on the application deadline.

    As part of the online application, you will submit the following documents electronically (see details above):

    • Link to your completed JFOF Short-term Career Enhancing Experiences Budget Form
    • Confirmation Letter or Email
    • Documentation of expenses (details above)
    • Resume
    After You Apply

    Await Notification from the Piper Center
    Within two weeks of the application deadline, all applicants will be notified via email whether or not they have been awarded funding.

    For Award Recipients – Final Steps

    Submit Payment Documents (only those that are selected for an award)
    Students who are awarded funding will receive several documents that need to be signed and returned to the Piper Center in order to receive payment.

    Application Assistance

    Students are encouraged to meet with Marietta Ruppe or Nate Jacobi with questions they have about the Johnson Family Opportunity Fund that are not answered on the website.

    Schedule an Appointment through Handshake
    Use this link and select “Johnson Family Opportunity Fund Questions” as the Appointment Category and then follow the prompts.

    In-person Drop-in Appointments in the Piper Center (Tomson 270)

    • Monday from 2:30 – 4:30 p.m. (Marietta)
    • Wednesday from 3-5:00 p.m. (Nate)

    Email
    Email both Marietta <ruppe2> and Nate <jacobi>

    Find an Internship, Research or other Career Enhancing Opportunity
    In order to apply for funding, you must have already secured an opportunity. Here’s how to get started: