Sand Hill Philanthropy Fellowships: Northern California Grantmakers - Summer 2026
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 and philanthropic organizations 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.
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.
One summer fellowship positions is available with Women's Foundation California.
Description of Organization:
Northern California Grantmakers (NCG) is a nonprofit membership organization that mobilizes philanthropy to build healthy, thriving, and just communities across Northern California. While founded by grantmakers, NCG is not itself a grantmaking institution; rather, we serve as a philanthropy-transforming organization that convenes, equips, and influences the field to drive greater collective impact.
NCG’s community includes more than 200 institutional members and over 4,000 individuals spanning philanthropy and social change—program officers, board members, donor trustees, individual donors, movement leaders, communicators, advocates, and visionaries. We believe deeply in our collective power to redistribute resources, capital, and power in ways that support transformative change.
Originating as the “Lunch Bunch” in the 1960s, NCG formalized in the 1980s and has spent over four decades gathering and mobilizing philanthropic leaders to learn together and act boldly. Racial equity is our North Star, shaping both how we operate internally and how we influence the broader field. Guided by sustained member input and leadership commitment, NCG centers intersectional racial equity in all of our priorities, recognizing that meaningful impact requires not only what we do, but how we do it.
Description of Projects:
The Fellow will engage in meaningful, hands-on projects across Northern California Grantmakers’ core programmatic and field-building efforts, with primary placement (approximately 75% of time) on the Strategic Initiatives (SI) team. In partnership with SI staff, the Fellow will co-develop a summer workplan aligned with organizational priorities and the Fellow’s interests, supporting a funder organizing portfolio that spans youth organizing, community development and housing, climate and disaster resilience, democracy and policy (including C4 work), emerging AI practice, and regional philanthropic representation.
Key responsibilities may include supporting the design and delivery of funder education programs; planning, hosting, and facilitating funder convenings and issue-based tables; conducting research and tracking local, regional, state, and federal policy issues and proposals; contributing to policy activation and advocacy strategies; strengthening philanthropic coordination in response to climate impacts and disasters; and assisting in the growth of NCG’s climate and AI funder networks. Through this work, the Fellow will gain a strong understanding of the philanthropic landscape in Northern California and direct exposure to how philanthropy organizes, aligns resources, and advances systems-level change across California.
The remaining 25% of the Fellow’s time will be spent with NCG’s Communications and Public Affairs team, advancing clear, action-oriented narratives and calls to action for the philanthropic field. The Fellow will also have the opportunity to participate in executive-level meetings and gain insight into organizational operations, leadership, and strategy, developing a holistic understanding of how a complex membership organization adapts amid evolving economic and political conditions.
Desired Skills, Experiences, and Qualities:
NCG seeks a Fellow who brings a strong commitment to racial, economic, and social justice and a demonstrated interest in philanthropy as a lever for systems change. Ideal candidates will have experience or exposure to community-based work, public policy, organizing, advocacy, philanthropy, or related social impact fields, with curiosity about how funders can align resources and power in service of communities.
The Fellow should possess strong research, writing, analytical, and synthesis skills, with the ability to translate complex issues such as climate resilience, housing, democracy, or emerging technologies into clear, accessible, and action-oriented materials for diverse philanthropic audiences. Experience supporting convenings, facilitation, or coalition-based work is highly valued, as is comfort working across multiple projects and teams in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.
We are looking for someone who is organized, proactive, and able to manage competing priorities with guidance and support. The Fellow should be a thoughtful communicator, comfortable engaging with funders, movement partners, and internal stakeholders, and open to learning across differences. Qualities such as intellectual curiosity, adaptability, humility, and a willingness to ask questions and experiment are essential. Familiarity with Northern California’s social, political, and philanthropic landscape is a plus, but not required.
Work Arrangement and Start Date:
Hybrid work arrangement out of NCG's office in San Francisco. NCG staff are in the office on average two days a week with everyone in office on Wednesdays. We also hope that the Fellow, once identified, would be able to join us in person for our Annual Conference in April.
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 (2025-26);
- 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 6, 2026. All fellows are required to work with their community partners 35-40 hours/week for nine consecutive weeks.
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 Quarter
- 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 through the Haas Center to help students develop their applications. Please reach out to a Cardinal Quarter Peer Advisor or email cardinalquarter@stanford.edu for an advising appointment with program staff.
This fellowship is intended for individuals whose application, references, and interview demonstrate
- an integration of the fellowship experience with the 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 with the intention to award fellowships within six weeks of the application deadline. Applicants are responsible for checking their Stanford email (including Spam folders) and responding promptly to interview invitations. Failure to respond to an interview invitation will result in withdrawal of the application.
Applicants must 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.
