The Baldasty & Beam Public Service Internship Award aims to reduce financial barriers and support students in pursuit of high-quality internships that will help them develop new skills, apply classroom learning in a real-world setting, and garner experience in the non-profit or government sector. Students selected for this scholarship should have secured an offer for an unpaid, or underpaid, summer internship in the non-profit or government sector.

Funding for this program has been made available through the Gerald J. Baldasty and Randal A. Beam Career Internship Endowed Fund for Students, the UW Career & Internship Center, and generous donations from UW alumni, donors, and staff.

Applications are closed. Applications for the next cycle (SUM27) will open in December 2026.

Awards

The award will be disbursed as a single (one-time) payment of $2,500 at the end of your internship, once all program deliverables have been completed. Students will need to provide a Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) in order to receive the award.

Students from all citizenship statuses, including undocumented and international students, are eligible to apply.

Eligibility

Students must meet the following requirements:

  • Full-time enrolled undergraduate student at the UW Seattle campus
    • Returning to campus the following Autumn quarter – Graduating seniors are not eligible.
  • Have received an offer for an un/underpaid internship in Summer (June-September)
    • Underpaid is defined as total compensation under $500 for the summer

Internships must meet the following requirements:

  • Organization is a registered non-profit or government agency (local, state or federal)
  • Must require at least 100 hours of work by the end of summer (approx. 10 hours/week)
  • Have a site supervisor who is willing & able to provide mentorship and feedback throughout the internship
    • You will need input and signatures from your site supervisor to complete the award requirements

Award Requirements

Students awarded funding must complete the following requirements:

  • Attend a pre-summer orientation in mid-May facilitated by Career & Internship Center staff
    • Exact date will be provided in your acceptance message
  • Complete a Learning Agreement and Performance Evaluation with their site supervisor
  • Complete a program evaluation at the end of their internship
  • Submit a brief description of their internship experience and provide a photo for a Scholar Profile

Deadlines

In order to provide maximum flexibility for students, we have two application cycles for this program.

Priority Application
12/07/2026Priority Application Opens
2/08/2027Priority Applications Due (by 12pm Noon PST)
2/09-2/19Application Review Period
2/22/2027Students Notified
Standard Application
2/09/2027Standard Application Opens
4/11/2027Standard Applications Due (by 11:59pm PST)
4/12-4/23Application Review Period
4/26/2027Students Notified

Frequently Asked Questions

Unfortunately, students must have an internship offer from an eligible organization in order to be considered for this scholarship.

There are many resources on campus to support your internship search – consider checking out Handshake, attending a “Finding Internships” workshop, or meeting with a Career Coach to find relevant opportunities.

Applications currently closed. When applications are open, we will have a Microsoft Form link for submissions.

We will ask for the following:

  • Upload an offer letter/ confirmation from your internship organization
  • Provide supervisor contact information
  • Explain how this funding will benefit you
  • Current resume
  • Unofficial UW transcript

Yes, but you must make an appointment with the Internship Program Manager to discuss why your application was denied first.

If you do not meet with the Internship Program Manager before the standard application deadline, your application will not be considered.

  • In the words of our scholarship recipients, here are some of the benefits of their internship experiences and the scholarship program.
    • “Working over the summer at Leading Women of Tomorrow enhanced my skills not only as a writer, but also as a researcher and public speaker.”
    • “I wanted to learn all aspects of how non-profits work and network with people associated with a successful one. As part of [my internship] I learned about policy making, fundraising, and marketing – many of the things I need to know to start my own non-profit.”
    • “I’ve always wanted to have an internship, but I think this [the scholarship program] made it manifest.”
    • “I wanted to find an internship to establish if social work is the right path for me… In just the first two weeks, my internship made me excited for my future.”
    • “Working with Synetic was very affirming that this field is right for me.”
    • “This internship caused me to wonder if I want to pursue a career in journalism… This internship has definitely changed my trajectory in terms of careers.”
    • “Looking for internships is hard for me, and you [the program staff] were great! You took your time in providing me virtual internship options which was a great help.”
    • “I certainly could not have afforded to devote the whole summer to this kind of project without the support of the scholarship.”

Past Scholarship Recipients