Grant FAQs
- What is a Public Service Hour?
- What is a Pro Bono Hour?
- How many Public Service and Pro Bono Hours do I need to get a PILA grant?
- I'm planning on splitting my summer between two employers. Am I still eligible for a PILA grant?
- Why do PILA grantees have to earn 10-15 PILA points in the year after they get a grant?
- What are the tax consequences of a PILA fellowship grant?
- What is a qualifying Public Service Employer?
- What is a qualifying Judicial Employer?
- Is there a Cap on PILA Grant Funding?
What is a Public Service Hour?
These are non-pro bono hours that count toward the minimum hours grant applicants need in order to be eligible to apply. Hours beyond the minimum requirement are considered in evaluating applications. The official definition and examples are below.
Public Service Hours: Uncompensated hours during the academic year (including fall, winter, and spring breaks) spent volunteering in non-profit or governmental activities that directly benefit disadvantaged populations, the environment, animals, or the broader community beyond the university, including hours spent doing charitable work through a student organization.
Examples of Hours That Qualify:
Examples of Hours That Do NOT Qualify:
If you are unsure about whether a particular activity qualifies as a public service hour, please contact PILA Disbursements Director Maggie Woodward
Public Service Hours: Uncompensated hours during the academic year (including fall, winter, and spring breaks) spent volunteering in non-profit or governmental activities that directly benefit disadvantaged populations, the environment, animals, or the broader community beyond the university, including hours spent doing charitable work through a student organization.
Examples of Hours That Qualify:
- Tutoring or mentoring disadvantaged populations.
- Volunteer work with city agencies or local non-profits other than UVA (e.g. trail maintenance for Charlottesville Parks and Recreation; volunteering at the Humane Society; building for Habitat for Humanity).
- Soliciting donations for a charitable cause or event where a majority of the net proceeds go to charity (e.g. raising money for natural disaster relief or disease research).
- Charitable or educational work through a student organization (e.g., teaching kids through Street Law, election monitoring through LawDems or Law Republicans).
- Organization and coordination of activities that qualify as pro bono or public service hours (e.g. organizing for Alternative Spring Break).
Examples of Hours That Do NOT Qualify:
- Activities which primarily benefit law students or others in the UVA community (e.g. planning or attending student events, fundraising for an organization’s general fund, attending general meetings or social gatherings of student organizations).
- Partisan activities (e.g. canvassing for a candidate, fundraising for a political party, lobbying).
- Hours completed during the summer when school is not in session.
- Hours that are already counted as pro bono hours.
If you are unsure about whether a particular activity qualifies as a public service hour, please contact PILA Disbursements Director Maggie Woodward
What is a Pro Bono Hour?
PILA's definition of pro bono is the same as the Pro Bono Office's. We highly recommend that you read the Program's Pro Bono FAQs on their website. If, after reading the definition and FAQs you still have questions about whether an activity qualifies as pro bono, you should email the Program at probono@law.virginia.edu.
- Law-related and non-clerical (e.g. interpretation/ applications of the law, legal research and writing, legislative drafting and work in preparation for litigation or trial);
- For the benefit of legal services, nonprofit organization (501(c)(3) or (4)), governmental agency, or private firm providing pro bono services;
- Supervised by an attorney or faculty member;
- Not performed for academic credit or financial compensation; and
- Completed while the student is enrolled at the Law School.
How many public service and pro bono hours do I need to get a PILA grant?
- 1Ls – In light of COVID-19, in order to be eligible for 2021 grants, 1Ls are required to earn a total of 20 hours of either pro bono hours or public service hours prior to February 12, 2021. A student is also eligible for a 2021 grant by participating in the 2020-21 Alternative Break program. See the section on what counts as pro bono or public service hours for more information.
- 2Ls who did not receive a PILA grant in 2020 – You must also have completed 20 hours of some combination of pro bono and public service hours prior to February 12, 2021. A student is also eligible for a 2021 grant by participating in the 2020-21 Alternative Break program. These hours must be completed between August 2020 and February 12, 2021 (but not double-counting any hours you worked as part of your summer internship).
- 2Ls who received a PILA grant in 2020 – You must complete 20 hours in addition to the 40 hours* that were required to receive your 2020 PILA grant. However, any hours you completed during the 2019-2020 academic year that were beyond the required 40 hours* for the 1L grant can be counted towards your 2021 PILA Grant application. A student is also eligible for a 2021 grant by participating in the 2020-21 Alternative Break program. *If you participated in the 2020 Alternative Spring Break Program to fulfill your pro bono requirement for a 2020 PILA grant, your 20 hours must be done in addition to the total number you were able to complete on your trip (if any).
I'm planning on splitting my summer between two employers. Am I still eligible for a PILA grant?
As a threshold eligibility requirement for any PILA grant funding, PILA grantees must work at least 320 hours during the summer in an eligible public interest position or positions. So yes, you can split your summer, but both of the positions must be eligible for PILA grant funding. However, you cannot spend half your summer at a firm and half your summer at a public interest employer and still be eligible for PILA grant funding. The requirement of at least 320 hours in a public interest position applies to all grantees, regardless of whether a grantee takes only a portion of the grant money.
Why do PILA grantees have to earn 10-15 PILA Points in the year after they get a grant?
The fundraising required to fuel PILA grants simply would not be possible without the assistance of PILA grantees. Requiring at most 15 PILA points from 1L grant recipients and at most 10 PILA points from 2L grant recipients ensures that fundraising efforts are efficient and effective year after year. A PILA grant is not a paycheck for the work you do in the summer; it is a fellowship to enable you to pursue an unpaid internship. Accepting this money comes with the condition that you agree to help PILA raise money for future grant recipients.
What are the tax consequences of a PILA fellowship grant?
PILA fellowship recipients receive fellowship funding through the Law School Foundation’s payroll system. Required federal and state taxes will be deducted from the fellowship payment. Fellowship recipients must complete and submit all the necessary payroll paperwork before receiving their fellowship payment.
Pre-tax grant amounts are $4,000 for 1Ls and $7,000 for 2Ls. The tax impact will vary on an individual basis. The Law School Foundation, PSC, and PILA cannot give you tax advice, so we encourage you to seek outside opinions if you have further questions about your personal tax situation.
Pre-tax grant amounts are $4,000 for 1Ls and $7,000 for 2Ls. The tax impact will vary on an individual basis. The Law School Foundation, PSC, and PILA cannot give you tax advice, so we encourage you to seek outside opinions if you have further questions about your personal tax situation.
What is a qualifying Public Service Employer?
PILA grantees may accept an internship from any government executive or legislative branch agency, whether domestic or foreign, and from any non-profit entity that qualifies as a 501(c)(3) organization under the Internal Revenue Code or its foreign law equivalent.
Also, to qualify for a PILA grant, students must work at least 320 hours, over approximately 8 weeks.. Please note that some public service employers and external fellowship funders may require more than 8 weeks of internship employment. You should check those requirements before confirming the length of your internship.
PILA grantees may accept an internship from any government executive or legislative branch agency, whether domestic or foreign, and from any non-profit entity that qualifies as a 501(c)(3) organization under the Internal Revenue Code or its foreign law equivalent.
Also, to qualify for a PILA grant, students must work at least 320 hours, over approximately 8 weeks.. Please note that some public service employers and external fellowship funders may require more than 8 weeks of internship employment. You should check those requirements before confirming the length of your internship.
What is a qualifying Judicial Employer?
Students performing legal work for a judge or a court in the summer of their 1L and 2L years are eligible to receive PILA grants. They must meet all the other requirements expected of public service grantees, including the performance of pro bono service.
Students performing legal work for a judge or a court in the summer of their 1L and 2L years are eligible to receive PILA grants. They must meet all the other requirements expected of public service grantees, including the performance of pro bono service.
Is there a Financial Cap on PILA Grant Funding?
No. Starting this year, as well, PILA grants will no longer be subject to a $10,000 legal earnings cap. Regardless of whether grantees obtain an additional summer fellowship, pay from their internship employers, or other sources of income, they will receive the full amount of their PILA grants as long as their internship is from a qualifying duration with a qualifying employer.
No. Starting this year, as well, PILA grants will no longer be subject to a $10,000 legal earnings cap. Regardless of whether grantees obtain an additional summer fellowship, pay from their internship employers, or other sources of income, they will receive the full amount of their PILA grants as long as their internship is from a qualifying duration with a qualifying employer.
More Questions?
Email Grants Director Maggie Woodward and the Public Service Center.
