Internship Funding Eligibility

There are several conditions that must be met in order to receive CLS summer internship funding. These requirements apply to the student seeking funding, the experience, the host organization, and the internship supervisor. Please carefully review these criteria as you plan your summer and prepare your funding application.

For the internship experience:

• Students must be the “primary beneficiary” of an unpaid/low-paid internship. If located in the US, must comply with all federal labor law.
• The internship must be unpaid or, if compensation is offered, must pay less than minimum wage at the location of the internship. An internship in a location with no minimum wage will be compared to the U.S. federal minimum wage ($7.25/hour as of 2025).
• The internship must be at least six weeks long with at least 30 hours of work per week.
• The internship must be offered and accepted before the funding application is submitted.
• Generally, internships with a participation fee are not eligible for internship funding. The exception to this is summer internship programs through off-campus study partner providers such as IES Abroad, SIT Abroad, and ACM. Even then, some partner provider OCS programs may not be eligible for internship funding.

For the host organization and supervisor:

• Internships with organizations owned, operated, or managed by Grinnell College employees (faculty or staff) and/or immediate family members are ineligible for internship funding.
• Internships supervised by a Grinnell faculty/staff member, classmate, peer, family member, or friend are ineligible for internship funding.
• Organizations where a Grinnell College faculty and/or staff member holds a significant leadership role—such as president, vice president, treasurer, secretary or similar executive role—within the organization may be ineligible for internship funding pending a review of potential conflict(s) of interest(s).

For the student:

• Must be enrolled full-time at Grinnell (or in an approved off-campus study program) in both the spring semester when the application is submitted and the fall semester after the internship. Students who are on leave the semester before or after the internship or transferring to another institution after the internship are not eligible for funding..
• Must be in good conduct standing with the Division of Student Affairs. If you are not sure about your standing, contact the Dean of Students.
• Must have had at least one meeting with a CLS adviser. For first-year students, this means that your initial CLS appointment with your exploratory adviser is complete.
• Cannot be participating in a summer MAP or other concurrent experience hosted by Grinnell College. The funded internship should be your primary activity for the summer.