Career Design Center Internship Equity Fund

The Internship Equity Fund, supported by the State University of New York (SUNY), provides funding to actively enrolled University at Buffalo students who are pursuing unpaid internships with non-profit or government organizations and have a demonstrated financial need.

The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) defines an internship as a form of experiential learning that integrates knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application and skills development in a professional workplace setting (across in-person, remote or hybrid modalities). While research can be a component of the internship, strictly research internships with not be considered for Internship Equity Funding.

To be eligible, you must:
- Be an actively enrolled UB student during your internship
- Have a minimum 2.0 GPA and remain in good academic standing
- Commit to at least 75 internship hours
- Be supervised by an employee at the host organization
- Have CPT authorization if you are an international student on an F-1 visa and participating in an off-campus internship
- Complete the student application and have your site supervisor submit the Site Supervisor Verification Form by the deadlines below

Application Types
- Conditional Opportunity: You’ve applied to an internship but are awaiting confirmation. Conditional opportunity applications are due August 8 at 11:59 p.m.
- Confirmed Internship: You’ve already secured an internship. If you are applying with an internship that you have already secured, you have until August 31 to submit your application.

Key Deadlines
August 8:
- Deadline to submit conditional opportunity applications (for students awaiting internship confirmation)
August 14:
- The committee will notify all applicants (both secured and conditional) of a provisional funding decision (via email). NOTE: All decisions are pending completion of the Site Supervisor Verification Form by August 31 at 11:59 p.m.
August 31:
- Final deadline for (secured opportunity) applications
- All Site Supervisor Verification Form Due
September 8:
- All applicants notified of committee’s official funding decision (via email)

Program Requirements (if selected)
- Participate in two Career Design Center offerings (e.g. skillshop, appointment, job fair)
- Complete a final evaluation (student + supervisor)

Award Details
Disbursed via U.S. Bank Expense Card in two parts, with cards distributed from 259 Capen Hall:
- 2/3 of award: late September
- 1/3 of award: late November

Award
2100-3600
Departments
Career Design Center, Financial Need
Deadline
08/31/2025
Supplemental Questions
  1. Have you previously received funding from either the Internship Equity Fund or Internship Support + Emergency Fund from the Career Design Center? Please check all that apply.
  2. Have you secured an unpaid internship with a non-profit or government organization?
  3. How did you learn about this internship?
  4. Organization Details
    • 1. Name of Organization
    • 2. Physical Address of Organization
    • 3. Sector of Organization
    • 4. Organization Website
    • 5. Between August 25, 2025 and December 17, 2025, how many total hours will you intern with this organization?
  5. Site Supervisor Information
    • 1. Name of site supervisor
    • 2. Title of site supervisor
    • 3. Email address of site supervisor
  6. Internship Details
    • 1. Title of position
    • 2. Format
    • 3. How does this internship provide hands-on experience and help you develop skills that are transferable to other career settings?
    • 4. In what ways does the internship offer opportunities for networking, career exploration, and professional growth?
    • 5. How do the responsibilities and learning objectives of the internship align with industry standards and contribute to your career readiness?
    • 6. Of the 8 NACE Career Competencies outlined below, which one would you hope to build upon the most through this internship?
  7. Credit or Non-Credit Bearing
    • 1. Are you enrolled in an internship course for academic credit related to this opportunity?
    • 2. If you are receiving academic credit for this internship, please provide the specific course name. If you aren't receiving credit, please indicate, "N/A"
    • 3. If you aren't receiving credit for this internship, please select the reason(s) why.
    • 4. You've confirmed that this is an unpaid opportunity. How many paid internships did you apply to?
  8. Please describe your current financial situation and explain why this funding would be essential for your ability to participate in an unpaid internship. You may include details such as family income, financial aid status, work obligations, or any other relevant financial responsibilities or constraints.
  9. Please provide any relevant documentation (up to three documents) to further articulate your financial need.
    • Supporting Documentation #1
    • Supporting Documentation #2
    • Supporting Documentation #3
  10. Permanent Address Information
    • 1. Permanent Street Address
    • 2. Locality or City
    • 3. State
    • 4. Zip or Postal Code
    • 5. Country
    • 6. Phone Number
  11. As Internship Equity Fund awards are considered taxable income, International Students must upload a completed copy of the W-8BEN (SSN or ITIN required), while all other students will upload a completed copy of the W-9.
  12. Eligibility Acknowledgements
    • I acknowledge that the Site Supervisor Verification Form must be completed by my site supervisor BEFORE the application deadline, which is August 31 at 11:59 p.m. EST. It is my responsibility to share the verification form (linked below) with my site supervisor and ensure that it is completed on time.
    • I confirm that my uploaded W-8BEN or W-9 has been completely filled out, including my SSN/ITIN, signature and date.
    • If selected, I acknowledge that additional communication will come to my UB email and that timely responses are imperative to receiving funding.
    • If selected, I acknowledge that my funding may be forfeited at any time if it is determined that I am being financially compensated, Internship Equity Fund program requirements are not completed, or internship obligations are not fulfilled.
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