SUPPORTING PILF!!!
What you fund: STIPENDS
Each year, our organization raises money to fund our signature program: Public Interest summer stipends. These cost-of-living stipends enable students to take internships with non-profits, government agencies, federal and state courts, and public defender and district attorney offices. Through these jobs, stipend recipients further their legal training while engaging with their communities. Last year PILF was able to fund 100% of eligible applicants for the first time in our history -- 162 students!
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To fund the stipends program, we rely on donations from generous Friends of PILF who are alumni, faculty, and community and business partners.
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We also rely on funds raised through Professor Hillinger's Public Interest Legacy Fund, and we are excited to announce Professor Hillinger's Capstone Campaign.
Hillinger Capstone Campaign
WHAT IS THE INGRID MICHELSEN HILLINGER PUBLIC INTEREST LEGACY FUND AND HOW DOES IT HELP STUDENTS?
The Hillinger Fund was launched in 2013 to support the fundraising efforts of BC Law’s Public Interest Law Foundation (PILF) to award public service summer stipends to as many qualifying students as possible each year. All of the income generated by the Hillinger Fund is used to fund PILF stipends, but demand still outpaces supply.
To date, Professor Hillinger has raised $2.6M. With the help of PILF students, she aims to reach $3M by May of 2023.
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WHY A GOAL OF $3 MILLION?
For each stipend awarded, PILF must raise approximately $2,000. The other $2,000 of each $4,000 stipend is matched by the federal work study program. In 2022, PILF received 159 qualifying applications from students. To fund all 159 deserving students, PILF needed to raise $318K. Professor Hillinger's goal will help PILF meet the need of the BC Law students in perpetuity.
Four reasons to donate
PROMOTE RACIAL JUSTICE
Starting in 2021, PILF is awarding ten Racial Justice Stipends, which provide an additional $1K of funding to students whose summer work is focused on dismantling systemic racism.
SUPPORT BC LAW STUDENTS
Federal loans are calculated to only cover student expenses during a nine-month school year. They do NOT cover summer living expenses. Nearly all summer legal public interest internships are unpaid. Without PILF funding, many students cannot work in the public interest unless they borrow more money.
EMPOWER YOUR COMMUNITY
Your contribution directly supports critical public interest work at legal service providers, government agencies, and impact litigation organizations. From protecting civil liberties and the environment to serving individual clients, PILF stipend recipients add value to every community they serve.
ADVANCE PUBLIC INTEREST LAW
Your gift will lift the fundraising burden that falls on PILF students every year. With $3M in the Hillinger Fund, PILF students will focus more on hosting programming, coordinating service opportunities, and engaging with alumni.
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