About

The Sustainability Internship Grant was established to provide financial assistance to students pursuing unpaid and low-paying internships in qualifying industries in the sustainability field. The Office of Sustainability is offering a limited number of $3,000 grants in Summer 2023. Applications are reviewed by Office of Sustainability staff. Grantees will be required to attend four mandatory professional development sessions that take place on Thursday or Friday afternoons during July and August.

Please keep in mind that the selection process is competitive and grants are not guaranteed. When reviewing submissions, the selection committee considers: quality of responses (substance, content, and writing), substance of internship, and demonstrated financial need.

Meet the 2023 Cohort! 


To Apply

Summer 2023 applications are now closed.


Short Answer Questions

The form asks you to respond to four short answer questions. The short answer portion is one of the most important portions of the review process, so make sure to be detailed and informed in your responses. Each answer should be no more than 200 words.

  • What is your experience in the sustainability field (if any) prior to starting this internship? Please elaborate on any related extracurricular activities, studies, and internships/jobs.
  • What led you to apply to intern with the organization you’ll be working with this summer? What is the scope of this organization’s work specifically in regards to sustainability?
  • What are your short and long-term career goals and how will this internship help you achieve those goals? What skills do you hope to gain from this internship? What will be your responsibilities in this position?
  • How would you benefit financially from receiving this grant? Describe, with specific examples, how it would help meet your needs.

Eligibility

Students must be enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate degree-granting program at one of the following NYU schools:

College of Arts and Science · Gallatin School of Individualized Study · Graduate School of Arts and Science · Liberal Studies · Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service · Rory Meyers College of Nursing · School of Global Public Health · School of Professional Studies · Silver School of Social Work · Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development · Stern School of Business (Undergraduate only) · Tandon School of Engineering · Tisch School of the Arts

Note: Students studying at NYU Abu Dhabi, NYU Shanghai, and schools not listed above are not eligible to apply.

Summer Grants

  • Summer session enrollment is not required. Fall 2023 enrollment is required.
  • Minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA.
  • Intern a minimum of 20 hours per week for a minimum of 8 weeks at an unpaid or low-paying internship in a qualifying industry. Cumulative hours will not be accepted.
  • Students must secure the internship prior to the application deadline.  

International Students

Students attending NYU in F-1 or J-1 status are eligible to apply as long as they fulfill all other requirements for the grant and for maintaining their immigration status. Please contact OGS to learn more about authorization for unpaid internships and volunteer work.


Internship Requirements

The unpaid/low-paying* internship must be in the sustainability field. Examples of accepted internship areas include (but are not limited to): environmental justice, urban greening, renewable energy, urban planning, food systems, environmental policy, natural resource management, transportation, and waste management.

Students who hold more than one internship can apply for the grant as long as the internships combined meet the eligibility requirements. In the application you must list each internship and the number of hours and weeks you spend at each organization. 

*Low-paying internships pay no more than $14/hr.


Timeline

Application Deadline

The deadline for the Office of Sustainability Internship Grant is as follows:

  • Applications Open: Monday, May 1, 2023
  • Application Deadline: Sunday, May 21, 2023, 11:59pm ET
  • Decision Notification: Monday, June 5, 2023

Note: Students must secure the internship prior to the application deadline. 

Decisions and Payment

Decisions are made approximately 3 weeks after the deadline. Payment will be issued 2-3 weeks after grantees accept the offer. For international students, it can take up to 3-4 weeks.


2023 Cohort

Quin Hricik

Carolina Elizarraras

Yichun Zhou

Zara Gounden

Kara Ro

Liz Carr

Jenny Lau

Fiona Cantorna

Sarah Aslam

Dora Hauache

Vaishnavi Akilla

Ibaia Batcabe