Greater Boston Community Summer Internship Assistance Fund

The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Office of Career and Professional Development and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion offers funding to support Harvard T.H. Chan students who will be taking part in an unpaid summer internship with a community-based public health organization in the Greater Boston area during the summer of 2023. A community-based public health organization may be a non-profit organization, a community health center, or a coalition or other local entity that serves a specific target population in the Greater Boston area.

The goals of this fund are two-fold: 1) to provide financial support to students who are interested in contributing their skills and exploring career options in community-based public health and 2) to support community-based public health organizations who may have limited resources to host interns to assist them with accomplishing an organizational or project goal. Successful applications will clearly outline benefits to the community served.

Eligibility Requirements


Applicants must:

  • Be an enrolled, degree-seeking Harvard Chan School student in good academic standing (master’s and doctoral-level students are eligible to apply)
  • Submit a completed application following the application guidelines
  • Applicants must be eligible to graduate in November 2023 or later.
  • Provide information about the internship you plan to complete
  • Commit to a minimum of 20 hours per week for 8 weeks to complete the internship

Activities or opportunities that are inconsistent with the guidelines will be ineligible for funding. Among the ineligible expenses are:

  • Activities supported by existing departmental resources
  • Practicums already receiving funding through the Office of Field Education and Practice e.g. MPH practicum or Rose Service Learning Fellowship
  • Expenses to fund dissertation research travel
  • Expenses to purchase equipment or software

Application Deadlines for 2023-2024

  • Monday, April 24 by 12pm

Available Funding

Depending on the number of eligible applicants who apply, students may receive anywhere from $2500-$4000 as a stipend to support their work.

Application Process

Before applying, students should review the eligibility requirements and application guidelines. To apply, please complete the Summer Internship Fund Application which will open in January 2023. Your application will be reviewed by the selection committee comprised of staff from the Office of Education.

Approval of funding will be based on the merit of a student’s application and the availability of funds. Late, incomplete, or group submissions will not be considered. Applicants will be asked to complete brief report at the end of their internship along with feedback on the significance of the experience. Internship supervisors will be asked to complete a short survey.

Funding awards are considered a “non-qualified (taxable) fellowship payment” which would be treated as income to the student.  More information is available at:  Fellowships and Reimbursements for StudentsFellowship Payments Frequently Asked QuestionsFellowship Payments FAQs

Notice of Decision

  • Notice of decision will be sent via email within ten business days of the application deadline.

Application Requirements

 Statement

A brief statement detailing your summer internship, the community organization that you will be working with, an outline of your specific project, and how it is related to your program of study.

Supporting documentation

  • Written support from a supervisor at the organization confirming your internship goals and timeline
  • Any supporting documents that you think will benefit your application

If you have not already secured an internship that would be eligible for this fund, please review the list below to identify an organization that you may want to work with. This is not an exhaustive list and organizations that are not listed here will also be considered for funding. There is no guarantee that these organizations will have an internship available. If you need assistance, please reach out to the Office of Career and Professional Development or the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

Sample List of Eligible Community-Based Organizations

Awardees for Summer 2021

  • Ruobin Wei, MPH in Nutrition, New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center at Boston Children’s Hospital
  • Jonathan Young, SM in Global Health, Children’s Health Initiative (Cambridge Health Alliance)
  • Katherine Uriarte, SM in Environmental Health, Dana Farber Cancer Institute

Awardees for Summer 2022

  • Hannah Guard,SM in Epidemiology, Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Division for Children and Youth with Special Health Needs
  • Maura Schwitter, MPH in Nutrition, Boston Microgreens
  • Megan Carney, MPH in Social and Behavioral Sciences, Massachusetts Department of Public Health
  • Rachel Lee, MPH in Nutrition, Brigham & Women’s Hospital Department of Newborn Medicine
  • Zara Michael, MPH Generalist, Massachusetts Association of Community Health Workers