Summer grants are awarded to students working in unpaid internships with government agencies or public interest organizations. Funding comes from the generosity of donors through the Iowa Law School Foundation and through the fundraising efforts of the Equal Justice Foundation. Fundraising stewardship principles suggest that donors be provided with information about the impact of their philanthropy. In that regard, please write a thank you letter to your donor.
To aid in this process, in addition to thanking your donor for their generosity, please consider addressing the following in your letter:
- Identify the agency or organization that you worked with over the summer.
- Provide a short explanation of your responsibilities, the skills you learned or practiced, the impact that this experience has had on your life and work in law school, and what you will carry forward as you embark on your career.
- Explain to the donor how their support (or the support of the organization that they represent) assisted you in maintaining your focus on learning and professional development during your summer internship or study abroad program.
Your letters are provided to donors exactly as you write them, so please be careful with salutations (Mr., Ms., Dr., Judge, as appropriate) and grammar (use complete sentences, check spelling, etc.). A typed note in a Word file is preferred. The Law School Financial Aid Office will provide you with donor information for your summer grant after July 1. Contact law-financialaid@uiowa.edu if you have questions.
Your grant award may have been based on your intended summer internship. Accordingly, if you change your summer internship, please notify law-fpp@uiowa.edu immediately.
Submit your thank you letter to the Financial Aid Office no later than August 25. Please make sure to sign and date the thank you note, and then email to law-financialaid@uiowa.edu.