Lowe Institute-Sponsored Internship Experience Eligibility Guidelines
The Lowe Institute of Political Economy offers internship awards for rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors pursuing unpaid or underpaid economic research and public policy internships in the summer of 2024.
As many opportunities in research and public policy are less remunerated than competing internships in the areas of finance, consulting, and law, the Lowe Institute will raise selected students’ total summer compensation up to $10,000. Internship funding is made possible by donors who have established endowed funds and gifts of support to the Lowe Institute Summer Internship Program.
The aim of the program is to support first and foremost the students’ development of field-relevant skills in professionally and personally meaningful opportunities in which access would be difficult to pursue without funding support.
Application Portal Opens: Spring 2024
Application Portal Closes: May 2024
For more information, check out CMC’s Sponsored Internships and Experiences (SIE) page.
Internship Examples
Here are some examples of common internship providers:
- Well-respected think tanks with missions pertaining to public policy or basic research in social science. Well-known examples include Brookings, AEI, the OECD, and the Public Policy Institute of California, but eligibility is not restricted to these most visible examples. Eligibility is not restricted to U.S. institutions.
- Departments of federal, state, and local governments such as the U.S. Treasury Department or the County Supervisor’s Office. Eligibility is not restricted to U.S. institutions.
- Work with a professor on their research project – either at CMC or elsewhere.
See our previous Robert M. Weekley internship recipients.
How to Secure an Internship Opportunity
Feel free to be creative: approach people and let them know you can bring your own funding and are prepared to work remotely, e.g., put together a proposal for field research (albeit supervised by an expert). We want to enable you to get that perfect skill-building experience that wouldn’t be possible without financial support.
Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible, a summer internship must:
- Be a minimum of 6 weeks but preferably 8 to 10 weeks.
- Be a virtual experience OR if in-person, must be local to the student and abides by relevant local public health ordinances. The intern’s current residence will be verified prior to award distribution.
- NOT be for work on political campaigns.
To be eligible, a student must:
- Be enrolled at CMC in Spring 2024 and plan to enroll in Fall 2025.
- Be in good academic standing.
- Articulate the specific learning experience the applicant aims to receive from the summer experience.
- Submit an application through SMApply. (Will be available in the Spring 2024)
Accepted students must:
- Confirm internship with an offer letter prior to submitting a funding request to the Lowe Institute and SMApply.
- Receive a Lowe Institute acceptance letter and upload it to SMApply.
- Complete an SMApply and be cleared for funding approval through our SIE division.
- Submit to the Lowe Institute a one-page reflective statement about your experience with a photo by September 30, 2024.
- Be willing to share the internship experience with the Lowe Institute Board of Governors as requested in either Fall 2024 or Spring 2025.
Helpful Links
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