January Term Internship Funding

Piper Center Internship Grant Award

All students who complete an unpaid internship, meet the requirements listed below and apply by the deadline (November 19th or December 10th) will receive a minimum award of $900 and may be eligible for additional funding based on eligible expenses associated with the internship.

• The internship must require a minimum of 120 hours over a minimum of 4 weeks; with a majority of the hours taking place in January
• Sophomore, Juniors and Seniors are eligible to apply
• Students are eligible to receive only one Piper Center Internship Grant Award during their St. Olaf career
  *Previous awards of $500 or less do not count toward the one award maximum.
• Students are not eligible to take a regular academic Interim course and receive funding — the only J-Term courses that students who receive funding are allowed to take are the Internship & Reflection Seminar (ID 295 or KINES 295) or a traditional academic internship (294/394). See here for more information about academic internship options and policies.

*Compensation received from the employer will be subtracted from the award amount
*These guidelines will used to determine amounts of awards, regardless of expenses incurred. Students completing remote internships are eligible.
*Depending on demand and available funding, students may receive slightly less or more than the award estimates.
*’Funding to students could be subject to income tax withholding per IRS and Minnesota state guidelines.

Johnson Family Opportunity Fund (JFOF) Award

• To be eligible for the JFOF Award, students must have a level of high financial need that meets specific criteria to be eligible for the Johnson Family Opportunity Fund Award. 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, please contact to Financial Aid at finaid@stolaf.edu.
• To be eligible for “full funding” for a J-Term internship (expenses up to $4000 with a minimum award of $1200):
  • The internship must require a minimum of 120 hours over a minimum of 4 weeks; with a majority of the hours taking place in January
  • Students are not eligible to register for a “regular” academic Interim course. The only J-Term course that students who receive funding are allowed to take is the Internship & Reflection Seminar (ID 295) or a traditional academic internship (if it is not possible to participate in the internship seminar). More details can be found on the academic internship website.
• To be eligible for “partial funding” for a J-Term internship (expenses of up to $700, minimum award of $350):
  • The internship must require a minimum of 60 hours over a minimum of 3 weeks, with a majority of the hours taking place over January.
• Eligible students who are seeking funding for graduate school expenses or other short-term experiences (less than 3 weeks and 60 hours) should apply for funding through the process outlined here
• Eligible students may receive a maximum total of $5,000 in JFOF funding during their time at St. Olaf, including both funding for Internships & Career-enhancing Experiences and Graduate/Professional School-related funding.

Award Levels for the Johnson Family Opportunity Fund

JFOF eligible students who meet the requirements and apply by the deadline (November 19th or December 10th) will receive a minimum award of $1200 and may be eligible for additional funding based on eligible expenses associated with the internship. 

*Compensation received from the employer will be subtracted from the award amount
*Award levels represent the maximum award for each experience and the maximum total for multiple experiences that take place during the same semester
*These guidelines will used to determine amounts of awards, regardless of expenses incurred. Students completing remote internships are eligible. Depending on demand and available funding, students may receive slightly less or more than the award estimates.
*’Funding to students could be subject to income tax withholding per IRS and Minnesota state guidelines.

First Deadline: November 19th
Recipients notified: By November 29th

Second Deadline: December 10th
Recipients notified: By December 19th
*Students may not receive payment until early January

Required Virtual Internship Orientation: See here for more information.

• Students who are completing internships or research on campus or who are employed by St. Olaf are not eligible for funding
• Students who will be participating in St. Olaf Internship Program (e.g., Svoboda Legal Scholars, Health Scholars, Social Impact Scholars, Entrepreneurial Scholars, etc.) are not eligible to receive an award for another internship experience that takes place within the same term.
• Students who choose to register for academic internship credit must follow Academic Internship Options and Policies
• International students receiving funding could be subject to income tax withholding per the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the state of Minnesota.

When you apply for funding, you will be asked electronically to upload files that are required for your application, including documentation of your opportunity, your resume and budget worksheets (JFOF and PACON Awards only). 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 (unpaid or underpaid internship, research experience, or similar career enhancing experience that requires a minimum of 4 weeks and 120 hours). Utilize the Piper Center for assistance.

STEP 2 – Secure written confirmation (letter or email in electronic format as a PDF) of your experience from your internship or research site.  The written confirmation must include the following:

• be addressed to the intern and include the site supervisor’s name and title;
• include a brief summary of your role/responsibilities (bullet points are sufficient);
• include confirmation of start and end dates and time commitment;
• appear on the letterhead of the employer/supervisor or be sent directly from your employer’s/supervisor’s work email.

STEP 3 – Prepare your Resume and save it electronically as a PDF.
If you need assistance starting or updating a resume, you can access Piper Center Resume Resources and/or schedule an appointment with a career coach.

STEP 4 – Complete the Payment Authorization Form (this form authorizes payment by Direct Deposit)

• Complete the Payment Authorization Form (see here for an example)
• Save as a PDF using your first and last name with “DD” (i.e., AlexSmithDD)
• Upload to the secure document exchange after signing in with your St. Olaf email

STEP 5 – Complete a W-9  (only required if you are a U.S. citizen or U.S. resident alien)

• Note that W-9 is not the form you completed for student employment
• Complete a W-9 form  — for a signature, please either use an electronic signature or print and sign (see here for an example)
• Save as a PDF
• Upload to the secure document exchange after signing in with your St. Olaf email

STEP 6 – Complete a Budget Worksheet  (*budget sheets will be added by the start of the semester)
Use the worksheet that corresponds to the award you are applying for.

• Internship Funding Budget Worksheet (Word Doc)
• PACON Grant Award Budget Worksheet (needs to be updated)

STEP 7 – COMPLETE & SUBMIT YOUR ONLINE APPLICATION

Complete the ONLINE APPLICATION by 11:00 pm on the application deadline.

As part of the online application, you will need to submit the following documents electronically (saved as PDFs)

• Confirmation Letter or Email
• 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.
Funding will not be awarded until mid-January.

For Award Recipients – Final Steps

Complete an online form that indicates that you would like to accept the award (you will receive a link to the form with your award notification)

Attend One of Two Virtual Internship Orientation Sessions

All award recipients are expected to do the following:

• Watch the virtual internship orientation
• Complete the internship or experience as described in the application. Recipients who do not complete the internship as described in their application may be required to pay back part or all of the award.
• Complete a post-internship survey
• Write a thank you note to the donor who provided funding for your internship
• Give permission for your internship site, title, location and dates to be included in the searchable St. Olaf Internship database.

If after reviewing the information on this website you still have additional questions, please reach out to Marietta Ruppe  <ruppe2> if you have questions about applying for the Johnson Family Opportunity Fund and Nate Jacobi <jacobi> if you have questions about applying for the Piper Center Grant Award.