GGI Pitch Program Details
The Program
UChicagoGRAD’s GRAD Global Impact (GGI) Pitch program funds UChicago graduate students to spend their summers in self-devised internships with host organizations of their choice. Since its inception in 2015, the program has facilitated over hundreds of internships in Chicago and around the world.
Pitching an Internship
Each year, students are invited to submit proposals for 250-hour summer internships with nonprofits, university entities, or small startups that are otherwise unable to pay interns. Students should work with these organizations to collaboratively design internship projects that have a meaningful impact on the organization and the student’s career. Selected students then receive $6000 stipends to complete the internships they pitched.
Internships can take one of two forms:
- Students collaborate with host organizations to develop one-of-a-kind internships tailor-made for a student’s interests and goals. (This is the preferred internship form.)
- Students apply to receive funding for pre-existing, unpaid internships with eligible organizations. (Note: We realize that interview and offer schedules for pre-existing internships may not align with the GGI interview timeline. In such cases, selected students will be awarded “conditional” funding, meaning that UChicagoGRAD will agree to fund them if they are selected.)
Applications are due February 15 for summer opportunities (all students) or July 6 for academic-year opportunities (PhD students only). Students may only submit a proposal for one internship. The award is not transferable to another internship.
Hours & Timing
GGI internships must be a minimum of 250 hours in duration, and they should take place during Summer Quarter. The student and organization can work together to determine the exact number of hours per week and the exact weeks in which the internship will occur.
The Process
Submission
Applicants should first choose an organization with which they would like to intern and make contact as soon as possible. Then, applicants should work their potential host to develop a project that complements the student’s academic research and career goals. Applicants then submit a written proposal (in the form of a cover letter) and a resume or CV to UChicagoGRAD.
UChicagoGRAD career advisors are available to answer questions before and during the application process. You can meet with an advisor to get feedback on GGI application materials or to discuss strategies for making connections with host organizations.
Interviews, Offers, and Confirmation
Applicants selected for an interview will have a 20-minute meeting with two members of the selection committee. Awardees will then be notified, and UChicagoGRAD will verify the project details with host organizations. We will also contact research advisors (for late-year PhD students), Directors of Graduate Studies (for early-year PhD students), or Deans of Students (for Master’s students) to confirm that awardees are in good academic standing. See the “GGI Pitch Dates” section below for a full timeline.
Other Programming & Requirements
Shortly before the end of the academic year, all recipients will attend a prep session featuring a presentation on making the most of your internship, a panel discussion with past GGI interns, and a reception with fellow members of this year’s GGI cohort. Following the conclusion of their internship, recipients will also be asked to submit a reflection essay. Finally, recipients may be asked to serve as mentors for the following year’s cohort of interns.
Non-Transferability of Award Funding
GGI Pitch funding is granted for the specific purpose of supporting the internship experience described during the selection process. While projects may change, students are not permitted to switch host organizations.
What We Look For
Applicants must submit a resume and/or CV and a cover letter describing their project. Specific dates are outlined below.
Resume/CV
In general, a traditional resume is preferred, but UChicagoGRAD will accept a CV if it is more appropriate for the internship you are proposing.
Cover Letter
Your cover letter should address 5 key questions:
- What is your project? Please be as detailed as possible in providing an overview. We look for projects that are specific, well-defined, and encompass a scope that is realistic for a summer internship.
- What relevant conversations have you had with your host organization?
- How does your project draw on the academic work you have done so far and/or advance your future academic goals?
- How will this opportunity advance your professional goals?
- What impact will your project have on the mission of the host organization?
Eligibility
GGI Pitch candidates must be enrolled full-time in a degree-granting graduate program at UChicago at the time of application. This includes students who meet these criteria but will have graduated by the time they begin their internship. Both domestic and international students are eligible. A student may hold up to two GGI-funded internships during their time at UChicago.
Other Funding Sources
The GGI Pitch program provides some financial support for students who are participating in otherwise unpaid (or underpaid) opportunities. While you are encouraged to consider other potential funding sources to support your internship, UChicagoGRAD will only award a stipend that brings the total support for this experience up to $6000. This condition does not include regular student support that you may receive unrelated to this internship. It does apply to funds supplied directly by the host or by another granting unit, intended to support this experience. If the amount awarded from another source is less than $6000, UChicagoGRAD will award a stipend amount for the difference between these awards.
2022 GGI Pitch Dates
January 4, 2022: Applications open
- Search for “Pitch” or requisition “73448” in the “Jobs” section of GRAD Gargoyle to submit your materials.
January 14, 2022: GGI Pitch info sessions at UChicagoGRAD
- An info session about the program and application expectations will be held on Zoom.
- Please RSVP in GRAD Gargoyle if you plan to attend by clicking Events and filtering for Info Sessions. Click the session and an RSVP button will be at the bottom of the screen.
February 15, 2022: Applications due
February 21, 2022: Interview invitations sent
February 23 – March 7, 2022: Interviews take place
March 11, 2022: Conditional awards offered
- UChicagoGRAD will also confirm recipients’ good academic standing with their research advisor or Dean of Students as applicable and confirm individual project plans with host organizations.
April 22, 2022: Award status confirmed
May 16, 2022: Stipends requested
