Application Deadline

Applications for 2009 funding will be due January 14, 2009 at 5pm.  We are currently accepting applications.  

Award

Maximum of $5,880 for a 14-week internship (5 student proposals were selected and submitted to the Edna Bailey Sussman Fund in 2008). There is a high likelihood for proposals submitted to the Edna Bailey Sussman Fund of being supported, but no absolute guarantee.

Purpose

The Edna Bailey Sussman Fund is a trust fund established under the will of the late Margaret L. Sussman of New York City. This fund was established to make awards for environmental internships to students focusing their studies in environmental subjects. The purpose of the fund is to enable graduate students to accept non-paying internship positions in environmental fields. SNRE is one of 8 universities that receive funding from the Edna Bailey Sussman Fund for internships. SNRE will only submit proposals on behalf of students currently enrolled in SNRE and who are in good academic standing. SNRE agrees to accept money from the Edna Bailey Sussman Fund to be given to interns as a stipend. Students submit their proposals to the SNRE Office of Academic Programs (1520 Dana). After an initial review of the applications by SNRE Staff, finalists are selected and submitted to the Edna Bailey Sussman Fund Trustees. The Trustees of the Edna Bailey Sussman Fund determine which proposals are accepted and the extent to which they are funded.

In recent years, funding priorities for the Edna Bailey Sussman Fund included internships with a focus on climate, global warming, brownfields, and urban projects. Internships involving the preservation of wildlife and the control of pollution have also been considered. Internships that focus on food justice are not eligible for funding. This year, the Edna Bailey Sussman Fund Trustees have not established any specific environmental focus areas.

Eligibility

• Currently enrolled SNRE graduate students who will be continuing their education beyond Winter Term of 2009 (i.e. you will be continuing your master's or doctoral program into the 2009-2010 academic year or will be starting a Ph.D. program at SNRE in the fall after completing your master's degree)
• Must be in good academic standing (cumulative GPA must be at least 5.0)
• Internship should offer opportunities for 'real world, hands on' experience
• No funding is provided for international internships. Internships must occur inside the U.S. or its territories and the primary focus of the internship must be on an area or with a population in the U.S.
• No funding is provided for internships that involve any kind of advocacy or lobbying (although the host organization itself can be involved in lobbying)
• Internships with private sector sponsors may be submitted but are rarely funded
• Internships cannot take place on the UM campus or with a UM professor
• Internships that would have otherwise been funded in full by the host organization are not eligible

Application Requirements

• Cover sheet —download our cover sheet template [Word doc]
• Application (500-word maximum; 12-point font). Be concise and to the point. It should be written in layman’s language, no jargon, be original, and should be understandable by non-experts. —download our proposal template [Word doc]
• Current, up-to-date, one page resume (single-sided)
• Undergraduate & graduate transcripts (OAP will provide)
• Letter of support from hosting organization (on letterhead)
  • Name of supervisor.
  • Description of what you will be doing (what goals you will accomplish).
  • Description of how the internship will be supervised.
  • A description of how the intern, the organization, and the environment will benefit from the intern’s work.
  • Exact start and end dates.
  • Indicates the amount and type of compensation (if any) student will receive – if no compensation will be given, be sure to specifically mention that it will be unpaid.
  • For an outline of a letter of support, click here

• Letter of support from a faculty member
  • Description of what you will be doing.
  • Description of why the work is important.
  • Validation of your qualifications to do the work described.
  • Identify who you will be working with.

• Organization Supporting Documentation (if possible – not required) limit one page front and back, including:
  • Organization's mission.
  • Date the organization was founded.
  • Number of full-time employees.
  • Number of full-time employees who are professionals.
  • Annual budget.
  • Please include this information if the organization is not well-known.

Submit a copy of the complete application and supporting materials via email (Microsoft documents are preferred) AND drop off a hard copy by January 14, 2009 at 5pm to:

Kim LeClair
kleclair@umich.edu
Office of Academic Programs (OAP)
1520 Dana Building
440 Church Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1041

Use our checklist to be sure that you've completed all these requirements for your application.

To have a printout of these application instructions, click here.

Other Notes

Internship hosts are responsible for helping interns clearly define the duties expected of them, provide a professional setting for their interns, provide appropriate supervision, and are responsible for submitting an evaluation of the student to SNRE upon the conclusion of the internship. Internship hosts typically do not provide funding for interns. However, if an organization or agency has a paid internship position already figured in their budget, Sussman Fund support cannot go toward that internship.

If you are selected to receive Sussman funding, you must submit a thank you letter. Instructions for what to include in the thank you letter will be provided to those that receive this prestigious award. Kim LeClair will collect the thank you letters and send them on to the Sussman Fund.

At the conclusion of the internship, you will be required to submit a 2-3 page report covering the various aspects of your internship. This report should be suitable for inclusion in an SNRE newsletter, SNRE Internship Website, and for review by the Edna Bailey Sussman Trustees. This report should include the name of the organization where you worked, an overview of the work/research that you did, and a brief explanation of how the internship aided you in your professional development. Complete details for this report will be sent to you when you are notified of receipt of the award.

Preference for the Edna Bailey Sussman Trust will be given to students who would otherwise not receive funding for their professional development internship experience.

Please come into OAP (1520 Dana) to see examples of past student Edna Bailey Sussman Trust funding applications.

If you are selected for the Edna Bailey Sussman Fund, your internship host will be notified of your expected start and end dates, the number of work hours you specified, and the amount of your internship stipend.  The internship host is under no obligation to provide any additional funding for the work dates/times that you specified in your proposal.  You will also be carbon copied on this email.  If the internship host decides to supplement your internship stipend, that is between you and the internship host.

Limitations for students applying for multiple SNRE internship funding opportunities: Students can apply for multiple SNRE internship funding opportunities: Please note that students can apply for the Marshall Weinberg Fellowship Funding and the Edna Bailey Sussman Trust Funding through SNRE. If you are selected for both Sussman and Weinberg funding, you will only be allowed to accept one of the funding awards. The students who are selected for both awards will be notified of at the end of April or early May on which award they will receive. If you have any questions about this, please contact Kim LeClair.

Please note that if you are selected for the Edna Bailey Sussman Fund, you must use the funding for the internship that you specified in your application. If you choose to complete a different internship or do not complete your internship, you must decline/return the Edna Bailey Sussman funding.

Important Dates for 2009

January 14, 2009 -- Complete applications due to Kim LeClair (kleclair@umich.edu) and a hard copy to be dropped off at the Office of Academic Programs (1520 Dana). Microsoft Word documents are preferred.

Mid February 2009 -- Students are notified via email whether or not their proposal will be forwarded to Sussman Fund for review.

April 2009 -- Students will be notified of the Sussman Fund's decision. SNRE has requested notification by the end of Winter Term, but in past years the timing of the decision has not always been consistent.

For Assistance

Contact Kim LeClair if you need any assistance.

Kim LeClair
kleclair@umich.edu
734.764.1402