GradFUTURES Social Impact Fellowships: Information for Host Organizations

Host a Social Impact Fellow!

We collaborate with industry, non-profit, and government partners to create transformative fellowships in the field.
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GradFUTURES Social Impact Fellowships are bespoke opportunities for Princeton graduate students with curated nonprofit and public sector partners. Aligned with the University's service mission, graduate students receive funding and engage in projects "for the public good" part-time during the academic year or summer. As a host, your team works closely with the Graduate School to determine the learning outcomes and professional development goals for these immersive experiences. Each fellowship is custom-designed, allowing graduate students to apply discipline-specific skills, gain interdisciplinary project team experience, and receive one-on-one mentoring while contributing to the social impact mission of your organization.

Benefits for Graduate Students

GradFUTURES Social Impact Fellowships provide talented Princeton graduate students with opportunities to:

  • Contribute to the social impact mission of a nonprofit or public sector organization in ways that address local, regional, national, and/or global challenges. 
  • Participate in a unique learning experience to acquire and hone professional skills and competencies
  • Gain exposure to organizational dynamics and leadership strategies via shadowing and participation in meetings and presentations
  • Collaborate with team members and experienced staff to produce meaningful deliverables
  • Develop a broad knowledge of the organization's work through exposure to critical challenges in the field
  • Receive one-on-one mentorship and coaching from staff and leadership
  • Present projects or publish articles to showcase your skills and experiences

Benefits for Our Partners

GradFUTURES fellowships are mutually beneficial by design. Hosts benefit from the diverse ideas of graduate students across disciplines to:

  • Produce substantive project deliverables that address local, regional, national, and global challenges
  • Create inroads to a pool of talent primed to apply the professional competencies developed through their doctoral training
  • Deepen your bench in key areas, from program development and executive management to marketing and strategic partnership development
  • Mentor advanced degree candidates and help them explore pathways within your field 
  • Make an impact when and where it matters most to your organization
  • Add new energy and vitality to your team in current focus areas
  • Become part of the Graduate School's growing ecosystem of external partners 
  • Contribute to GradFUTURES' forward-looking approach to graduate student professional development
Paula Krebs

“My career in higher ed has been shaped by my side hustles, not by my path as a professor. Ask me about founding publications, getting grants to start national projects, forming coalitions, or working as a sportswriter. The MLA is happy to connect with GradFUTURES to spread professional development opportunities for graduate students nationwide.”

Paula Krebs, Executive Director, Modern Language Association

Program Details

Fellowships last for a predetermined number of weeks during the summer or academic year—and are 10 hours per week in compliance with the Graduate School's employment policies. All graduate students must receive prior approval from the faculty adviser.

  • Nonprofit & Public-Sector Partners: The Graduate School provides the fellow/intern with a stipend to fund this immersive experience. (Note that this is viewed as a fellowship for funding consideration. The term fellow/intern is used interchangeably here because the title may vary at individual organizations.)
  • Private-Sector Industry Partners: GradFUTURES is happy to offer guidance regarding hourly rates for internships for advanced degree candidates. International graduate students may require work authorization for opportunities within the private-sector. 

 

Interested in Becoming a Social Impact Fellowship partner?

Ivy Love wearing a yellow blouse

“Regardless of how closely related our fellows’ programs of study at Princeton are to higher education and labor issues, they have contributed meaningfully to a range of projects. We’ve consistently been able to rely on them to get up to speed and take on new tasks, and we are so grateful to have had such bright emerging scholars as part of our team.”

Ivy Love, Senior Advisor in the Center of Education & Labor at New America

We empower graduate students to create their future(s) -- on their terms.

GradFUTURES Star

Established by the Graduate School in fall of 2019, GradFUTURES® serves as Princeton’s professional development hub for empowering graduate student futures through a broad spectrum of skills training, mentorship, bespoke experiential opportunities and interdisciplinary learning programs. 

Learn more about our approach.