APPLICATION FOR SUMMER 2016
BILL F. SMITH (’98) MEMORIAL LGBTQIA RIGHTS/DISABILITY RIGHTS
PUBLIC INTEREST FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

I. MISSION STATEMENT
The Lambda Law Students Association (Lambda) is a student-run affinity group representing the interests of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual community at King Hall. Lambda's mission is community, education and activism. To that end, Lambda sponsors events that raise awareness of LGBTQIA legal issues on campus and in the community. The group also provides a welcoming space for LGBTQIA students at King Hall through academic and professional support programs and a variety of social opportunities. Lambda strives to attract and retain LGBTQIA law students.

II. SUMMER PUBLIC INTEREST FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

Bill F. Smith (’98) was a Lambda alumnus who was active in LGBTQIA and disability rights law. To honor Bill’s memory, this fellowship program consists of one grant awarded to eligible first and second year law students for otherwise unpaidsummer legal work in the LGBTQIA and/or disability rights arena.

III. ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible to apply for a grant, you must:

1)Be a member of the Lambda Law Students Association, evidenced by attendance and/or participation at Lambda events.

2)Secure a position with a qualifying public interest organization as described in Section IV below.

IV. SPONSORING ORGANIZATIONS

To apply for a grant, you must find a job on your own with a qualifying organization. Applicants may work for any public interest 501(c)(3) organization or relevant government entity. The work done at the governmental agency or department must be similar to the work that would be done by a qualifying nonprofit organization.

Lambda’s selection process mirrors the King Hall Legal Foundation’s (KHLF) process; any KHLF eligible organization is eligible for the Bill Smith Grant subject to Section III above. In past years, KHLF and/or Lambda has funded grants for the following organizations:

ACLU’s National Immigrants’ Rights Project, San Francisco

Alliance for Children’s Rights, Los Angeles

Asian American Legal Defense & Education Fund

Bay Area Legal Aid

California Rural Legal Assistance

Center for Justice and International Law

Disability Rights California

East Bay Community Law Center

Human Rights Watch, New York, NY

Legal Services for Prisoners with Children

Legal Services of Northern California (LSNC)

National Health Law Program

National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR)

Northern California Lawyers for Civil Justice, Sacramento

San Francisco Human Rights Commission

Transgender Law Center, Oakland, CA

Women’s Legal Defense Fund, Washington, D.C.

V. HOURS AND PAY

  • Amount: The grant is $500.
  • Work Study: Work study is a state and/or federally funded program where the employer and the government split the applicant’s salary. Lambda does not consider work study eligibility when designating the Bill Smith Grant and does not handle any procedures or questions related to work-study.
  • Hours:You must be employed full-time (approximately 40 hours a week) at your host organization to be eligible for the grant. Part-time employment with a host organization will not be considered.
  • Other Funding: Applicants must disclose all sources of funding for their summer work, pending and secured.
  • We encourage applicants to seek further funding for their summer projects. Total funding (including the Bill Smith Grant) exceeding $6,000 may result in a reduction of the Bill Smith Grant amount awarded.

VI. SELECTION PROCESS

Each applicant’s proposal is evaluated anonymously by a selection committee composed of at least three Lambda Board Members. The Bill Smith Grant selection committee is modeled after KHLF. The KHLF Board of Directors has developed the selection criteria below.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to shape their proposals around a specific summer project or projects with the sponsoring organization. Lambda has found that well-defined projects yield a more satisfying, meaningful work experience and often leave a lasting, favorable impact on the population being served. Such projects will be favored in the selection process.

The application’s organization, specificity, and clarity of the proposal are taken into account in the evaluation process. The process also considers the applicant’s ability to successfully meet the requirements of the specific project, as demonstrated by knowledge and commitment to the issues in the project or to public interest work in general, as well as a showing of any specific skills needed to complete the project. If you would like a sample grant proposal or further grant writing tips, please contact Abby Mulvihill ().

Criteria (6) Considered Include:

  1. How closely the project addresses LGBTQIA and/or disability rights issues that were integral to Bill Smith’s life and law practice. Factors include:
  2. Demographics of the target population the project will serve;
  3. Immediacy of the problems and issues addressed by the project;
  4. Connection between the project and a disadvantaged or underrepresented interest;
  5. Importance of the policies the project seeks to address.
  6. Extent to which the unfulfilled legal need will be met by the proposal. Factors to consider include:
  7. Objectives and goals of the project;
  8. Specific ways in which the project will work to meet this unfulfilled legal need;
  9. Whether this project enhances, competes with or duplicates similar projects in the community;
  10. The impact or harm if the project goes unfunded.
  11. Sponsoring organization. Factors to consider include:
  12. Ability to provide supervision and a suitable work environment;
  13. Organization’s role in serving the population or addressing the issue;
  14. For government agency work, the degree to which the governmental body provides critical services that are not currently served by a private nonprofit organization.
  15. Any experience necessary for the applicant to successfully complete the project including:
  16. Knowledge or experience with the specific issues addressed in the project;
  17. General public interest experience that would bolster the success of the project;
  18. Language, technical or other skills necessary for the success of the project.
  19. Proposal’s organization, clarity, thoroughness and ability to distinguish itself from similar projects.
  20. Any other factors the grant committee deems necessary to evaluate the project.

VII. GRANT REQUIREMENTS

  1. Proposal Requirements:
  2. A 2-4 page grant proposal describing the summer work you have planned;
  3. Personal Statement. No more than 2 pages in length describing your interest and/or commitment to: a) LGBTQIA issues and b) the issues addressed in your grant proposal as well as any training or skills needed to complete the project successfully; and
  4. Sponsoring Organization Approval.A letter from the sponsoring organization confirming its interest in and support for your project proposal. Ask the organization not to include your name on this letter, but to refer to you as “the grant applicant.”
  5. Optional: You may attach a “Statement of Financial Need” describing your financial need for a Lambda Summer Grant. If included, it must not exceed 200 words.
  6. Reporting Requirements.Grantee must be willing to communicate the impact of their summer project to Lambda in the fall semester of 2016. This function serves as an informal grant report. Grantee will also be required to attend the Bill Smith Memorial Lecture in the fall of 2016 to give a briefing of their summer experience.
  7. Grantee must adhere to a Grant Award Contract between grantee and Lambda. This contract will require the grantee to:
  8. Work the number of hours for which grantee has been funded;
  9. Submit a report documenting the project and summer work experience (final report);
  10. Disclose sources and amounts of all other funding;
  11. Be responsible for any tax consequences of their funding;
  12. Pay back grant funds if they do not conform to all requirements of the contract.

VIII. APPLICATION DEADLINE

Email applications in a single PDF file (with the cover page as the first page)to Abby Mulvihill () by 5:00 PM on Friday, April 8, 2016.

Your proposal will be assigned an anonymous number. Since the selection committee will conduct blind evaluations, DO NOT put your name on your proposal, except for the attached cover sheet. Also, ask your sponsoring organization to refer to you only as “grant applicant” in their sponsoring letter. LambdaBoard Members should NOT identify themselves as Board Members in their grant applications.

Lambda expects to notify applicants of the results the following week.

Note: Successful sample applications from previous years are available. If you would like a copy or have any questions, please contactAbby Mulvihill at

IX. FORMAT AND NUMBER OF COPIES TO SUBMIT

Applications should be in the following format:

  1. 12 point font
  2. 1-inch margins
  3. Double-spaced
  4. As a reminder, DO NOT mention your name or Lambda Board affiliation anywhere on your application, except for the Application Form. This Application Form will ONLY be reviewed by Abby Mulvihill; the remainder of your application will be kept confidential.

APPLICATION FOR SUMMER 2016
BILL F. SMITH (’98) MEMORIAL LGBTQIA RIGHTS/DISABILITY RIGHTS
PUBLIC INTEREST FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

NAME: CLASS:

ADDRESS:

EMAIL:

TELEPHONE:

SPONSORING ORGANIZATION INFORMATION

NAME:

CONTACT/SUPERVISING ATTORNEY:

TELEPHONE (INCLUDE AREA CODE):

ADDRESS:

ARE YOU AND YOUR SPONSORING ORGANIZATION ELIGIBLE FOR THE WORK-STUDY PROGRAM? YES NO ___

OTHER FUNDING (Include source, amount, and date known if pending – use an extra sheet if necessary)

PENDING: SECURED:

CERTIFICATION

By signing below, I certify that all of the information contained in this packet is accurate and true to the best of my knowledge. If I apply for additional grants and if I receive any outside funding for summer 2016, I will provide notice to the Lambda LSA, by contacting Abby Mulvihill () within 5 days of applying for the grant or notification of the award of a grant.

______

Name (Print)Signature Date

The following application materials will be reviewed by the selection committee, which will conduct a blind evaluation of the applications.

DO NOT put your name or KHLF or Lambda board affiliation on the rest of your application.

PLEASE ATTACH:

  1. A 2-4 page grant proposal describing the summer work you have planned;
  2. A personal statement no more than 2 pages in length describing your interest and/or commitment to: a) LGBTQIA issues and b) the issues addressed in your grant proposal as well as any training or skills needed to complete the project successfully; and
  3. A letter from the sponsoring organization confirming its interest in and support for your project proposal. Ask the organization not to include your name on this letter, but to refer to you as “the grant applicant.”
  4. Optional: You may attach a “Statement of Financial Need” describing your financial need for a Lambda Summer Grant. If included, it must not exceed 200 words.

Any application exceeding page limits or not following formatting guidelines will be returned for correct formatting. Any additional pages not fitting within limits will not be considered—they will be removed from your application.