Is funding available for unpaid internships?
For some students, the most career-relevant internship may be within an organization unable to pay its interns. The University of Michigan and the Ford School offer a number of opportunities through which students can secure funding to help defray the costs associated with a low paid or unpaid internship. The Ford School historically offers 15-20 internship partnerships funded through donor contributions. A Ford School Internship Partnership is a funded internship at an organization that would otherwise be unpaid. These partnerships are announced in January for the coming summer. In recent years, partnerships have been established in organizations such as Amnesty Intl in London, UNICEF in Geneva, City of Detroit Mayors Office, and the Pew Center on Global Climate Change. The Ford School is also able to assist a significant number of students in defraying some of the costs of accepting an unpaid or extremely low paying internship at an organization of the students choosing. Through the
