Sand Hill Philanthropy Fellowship Summer 2025
Through the Sand Hill Philanthropy Fellowships, a Cardinal Quarter opportunity, Stanford undergraduate students can spend the summer working in full time positions with Bay Area grantmaking foundations that are prearranged by the Haas Center.
The Sand Hill Foundation Fellowship in Philanthropy was created in spring 2000 to honor the memory of Tom Ford, a member of the Haas Center’s National Advisory Board and a former Stanford University Trustee. Throughout his life, Ford strongly believed in sharing with the community and in the immense potential of young people. With the generous support of Susan Ford Dorsey's Sand Hill Foundation, the Sand Hill Foundation Fellowship is modeled after this philosophy. The goal of the program is to bring more young people into philanthropic work by providing students with intensive summer experiences.
Philanthropy Fellows learn about the grant making process. Prearranged summer fellowship positions are available with a number of Bay Area foundations, including:
- Autodesk Foundation (2 positions)
- Fast Forward (1 position)
- Latino Community Foundation (1 position)
- San Francisco Foundation (3 positions)
- Women's Foundation California (1 position)
Position descriptions can be viewed here.
Each Philanthropy Fellow receives a base stipend of $7000 to cover most of the essential costs associated with an unpaid service experience. Financial aid and supplemental funding are available to students who qualify.
Eligibility:
For complete eligibility requirements, please review our program policies in its entirety.
Applicants must be:
- enrolled at Stanford for the winter and spring quarters of this academic year (2024-25);
- be in good academic standing and not on suspension; and
- enrolled as a first-year, sophomore, or junior (from all academic disciplines), or a senior who will be returning for a co-term program during the following academic year
Graduating seniors are only eligible for Round 2 opportunities if funding is available after the February deadline, and the Round 2 deadline may be in early April. Students who have begun their coterm programs are not eligible to apply. Priority will be given to students who have completed fewer than two previous Cardinal Quarter opportunities.
Requirements:
Selected fellows are expected to begin their fellowship following the completion of spring quarter classes and no later than July 7, 2025. All fellows are required to work with their community partners 35-40 hours/week for nine consecutive weeks. Fellows are expected to work on-site at their host organizations at least on a hybrid schedule, but some fully virtual experiences may be allowed on a case-by-case basis. Fellows must have a designated full-time professional staff member on-site as their supervisor/mentor. Please review the complete program policies for additional requirements. Other commitments include the following:
Spring Quarter
- Complete and online program orientation
- Complete the Engaging in Ethical and Effective Service in-person workshop or worksheet.
- Identify and meet with an on-campus mentor at least once.
- Design a personal learning plan and share the learning plan with the site supervisor and on-campus mentor.
- Complete all required pre-orientation forms.
Summer
- Submit a brief preliminary report
- Submit a final report, complete a program evaluation, and correspond with fellowship donor(s) as requested by fellowships program staff.
Fall Quarter
- Meet with on-campus mentor at least once.
- Participate in outreach activities to share the experience and help publicize the program.
Selection Process:
For those who seek assistance, advising is available at the Haas Center to help students develop their applications.
This fellowship is intended for individuals whose application, references, and interview demonstrate
- an integration of the fellowship experience with applicant’s academic, personal and/or career goals
- prior demonstrated interest or involvement in the subject area, including related coursework
- a compelling match between applicant’s skills and interests and an organization’s work and needs
- strong potential for the fellowship experience to deepen a candidate’s understanding of an identified community issue or challenge
Complete applications are screened, finalists interviewed, and fellows selected by the host organizations staff with the intention to award fellowships prior to spring break. Applicants should respond promptly (within 48 hours) via email to a fellowship offer, or the offer will be rescinded. Once an applicant accepts a fellowship offer, the student should promptly notify all other Stanford and non-Stanford programs to which they have applied that they have accepted another offer and to withdraw their candidacy.
