April 2, 2021

Stipends available for unpaid opportunities

The BEAM Fellows Stipend allows undergraduate students who secure a qualifying spring or summer unpaid internship, externship or project, to apply for up to $6,000 in funding.

By Margaret Steen

With some companies canceling paid internships due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Stanford’s BEAM Fellows Stipend program has stepped in to help make experiential learning possible. The program, which is currently accepting applications for summer 2021, provides funding for undergraduate students who secure unpaid internships, externships or short-term projects.

“The purpose is to help students gain experiential learning experiences – to test drive academic interests or take a peek at what different industries look like,” said Ashley Eberle, Assistant Dean of Career Education & Associate Director of Career Communities.

For example, students who received funding for spring quarter will be working for organizations on projects including expanding college access for low-income students in Zimbabwe and mobilizing the global bond market for climate initiatives.

One of the distinctive aspects of the program is that it funds part-time opportunities as well as full-time. This flexibility, as well as the funding the program provides, has allowed some students to reach out to organizations that weren’t advertising formal internship or externship programs and propose work in their areas of interest.

That’s what Christopher Maximos, class of 2023, did after hearing the governor of New Jersey talk in a COVID-19 briefing about the New Jersey State Office of Innovation, one of the lead actors in the state’s digital response to the pandemic. He emailed them to say he was interested in helping, and they offered him a role as an undergraduate research fellow.

Maximos worked with the office during winter quarter, updating vaccination information on the website and using analytics to gauge how effective the state’s communication has been. The BEAM Fellows award will allow him to work for the office 15 hours per week during spring quarter.

“I really appreciate BEAM’s consideration and accommodation in this time, to make sure that students can still access professional opportunities in the midst of this pandemic,” Maximos says.

The program is currently funded for spring and summer 2021, though organizers hope it will continue.

Key facts about the BEAM Fellows Stipend program

Basics:

The maximum funding is $6,000 for a 10-week full-time opportunity. Each stipend is calculated based on the number of hours and weeks the student will be working.
For spring quarter, 87.5% of applications were funded, though it is likely there will be more applicants for summer funding.
For summer 2021 funding, the priority deadline is Friday, April 9. The final deadline for summer funding is Friday, April 30.
For more information, see the BEAM Fellows page or email beamfellows@stanford.edu.

Eligibility:

Any undergraduate from any year or school is eligible.
Financial need is not a requirement to receive funding, but priority will be given to students with financial need.
Both the student and the host organization must meet certain eligibility requirements, including that the host organization must be a government-recognized company or nonprofit.

Process:

To apply for BEAM Fellows funding, a student must first secure an unpaid opportunity.
The application requires information about the opportunity, and the host organization has to verify that it meets the requirements.
The application process includes a 15-minute informal interview.
Students who receive funding are required to participate in a reflective exercise and a feedback process with a mentor at the organization where they work.