Harvard Clubs Summer Community Service Fellowship

The Harvard Clubs Summer Community Service Fellowship (SCSF) Program enables Harvard undergraduates to perform public service in one of several communities across the country. SCSF is coordinated through the joint efforts of CPIC and the Harvard Alumni Association (HAA).

Local Clubs commit to funding a summer intern and raise money from area alumni/ae. Typically, students locate and arrange an unpaid internship with a local nonprofit organization and then apply to the Local Club/SIG for the fellowship. Participating Harvard Clubs and SIGs are encouraged to make recommendations to a selection committee representing Harvard University, the HAA, CPIC and hosting Clubs and SIGs which will make fellowship award selections.

Each fellowship carries a stipend of approximately $3,500-4,500, and fellows are expected to devote approximately 10-12 weeks of full-time involvement to their public service project. Housing and living arrangements are typically the responsibility of the recipient, as are any costs incurred over the stipend amount. Please refer to the asterisk next to each Club on the application for the specific conditions of that fellowship.

Applications for the 2010 Harvard Clubs Summer Community Service Fellowship Program will be available in February.

Public Service

In the administration of fellowships at Harvard, public service is defined as work that

helps people meet their need for food, shelter, and health;
improves educational and employment opportunities;
educates people about their legal and/or civil rights;
protects the environment or wildlife; and/or
supports social issues affecting the general welfare.

Work must ordinarily be done for an organization that is nonprofit, non-denominational, and non-partisan, and there is a preference for work in direct service to individuals.

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Identifying an Organization

Students have great flexibility in locating an organization with which to work. Two very helpful websites for locating organizations and/or specific positions are: www.idealist.org and www.guidestar.org. Students should also talk with their House Public Service tutors, Gail Gilmore at OCS (ggilmore@fas.harvard.edu), or staff at the Center for Public Interest Careers at Phillips Brooks House. Please contact Diana Wan at dianawan@fas.harvard.edu if you have questions about a particular organization.

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Participating Clubs

The following Harvard Clubs and Shared Interest Groups (SIGs) will be participating in the 2009 SCSF Program (click links to access a Club's Web site; check application for Club-specific information:)

• Boston
• Chicago
• Long Island
• Minnesota
• Montana
• Naples, Florida
• Nashville
• New Jersey
• New York City
• Princeton
• Quebec
• Research Triangle (N. Carolina)
• Rhode Island
• Rochester
• Seattle
• Southern California
• Southern Connecticut
• St. Louis
• Washington, DC
• Western New York
• Harvard Arab Alumni Association
• Harvard Black Alumni Society

Eligibility

Freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and first-semester seniors planning to return to Harvard in the Fall of 2009 are eligible. Applicants should have a demonstrated interest in and commitment to public service. They must also be in good academic and disciplinary standing. Familiarity with the host Club's community will be valuable, though actual residency in that community is not necessarily required.

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Selection Criteria

Fellowship award recipients will be selected by a committee representing Harvard University, the HAA, CPIC and participating Clubs and SIGs. Host Clubs and SIGs are encouraged to make recommendations to the award selection committee on the basis of quality, clarity and feasibility of student proposals and previous public service involvement. Preference may be given to those projects which most effectively address a demonstrated need in the hosting community.

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Additional Information

For additional information or questions about this program, please contact the Center for Public Interest Careers at 617-496-5788 or dianawan@fas.harvard.edu.

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