Record $703,370 in PILA Grants Awarded to 166 Students Working in Public Interest This Summer

Original article published by Mike Fox, May 8, 2019
 
The University of Virginia School of Law will fund a record number of students working in public service roles this summer. With jobs ranging from civil rights compliance to securities regulations to local economic development, 166 students will receive a historic $703,370 in grants.

“So many students whom I speak with are able to intern at their dream job during their 1L or 2L summers — myself included — because of this program,” said Rachel Raycraft ’20, president of the student-run Public Interest Law Association, which works with the Law School’s Mortimer Caplin Public Service Center to disburse the funds.
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The grants will benefit 131 first-year students, who will each receive $3,750 in funding, and 35 second-year students, who receive $6,500. The Mortimer Caplin Public Service Fellowships and the Linda Fairstein Public Service Fellowships are the primary sources of funding.

“Thanks to PILA’s fundraising efforts and the Law School Foundation’s generosity, students can pursue their passions wherever they may lead,” said Annie Kim ’99, assistant dean for public service and director of the Mortimer Caplin Public Service Center.

Student recipients are required to apply and qualify for the funding by volunteering their time for pro bono work — 40 hours for first-year students and 80 hours for second-year students. Grantees must also have secured a public service position and agree to donate hours back to PILA, which founded the grant program.

PILA holds a series of fundraising events each year, including an auction and book sale, to help raise money for grants.

This year, students volunteered about 11,050 hours, an average of 67 per student grantee.

See full article here: https://www.law.virginia.edu/news/201905/record-703370-pila-grants-awarded-166-students-working-public-interest-summer