Information For:

BrownConnect Collaborative SPRINT Awards

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summer Funding Dates & Deadlines
How Do I Apply? 
Overview of Awards
SPRINT Learning Objectives
Finding SPRINT Opportunities
Summer Funding Structure 
Explanation of Gap Awards
Criteria for All Summer SPRINT
Eligibility
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

 

 

Summer Funding Dates & Deadlines

Mid-November Applications Open in Ufunds for:
  • Brown in Washington Signature Program only
December 6 | 12pm EST

Deadline for: 
December 15 | 12pm

Applications Open in UFUNDS for:
February 2 | 12pm EST

Deadline for: 
By March 31st Applicants will be notified (*Signature and LINK round 1 applicants may be notified earlier than other applicants)

April 11 | 12pm EST


 Second Deadline for SPRINT LINK Awards for low- and unpaid internships

By early-May

 Applicants will be notified


How Do I Apply for a SPRINT Award?

SPRINT applications can be found on the UFUNDS site.


Overview of the BrownConnect Summer and Semester Projects for Research, Internships and Teaching Awards (SPRINT)

BrownConnect SPRINT Awards are a family of programs that support experiential learning by providing students with access to funding and opportunities both on campus and around the world. The SPRINT program includes support for: 

  • domestic and international internship programs in select fields, such as community-based organizations, entrepreneurship, and media, through Signature Programs;
  • research and curricular development opportunities at Brown through the UTRA program; 
  • unpaid and low-paid internships through the LINK program

The goal of all these experiential learning opportunities is to enable students to:

1. Gain and apply new skills, and deepen existing ones 
2. Engage in career exploration
3. Develop mentoring relationships
4. Contribute to positive outcomes for themselves and their communities

SPRINTs also provide financial support for students who may not be able to engage in such an opportunity without funding.  Three grants available in  UFUNDS (under BrownConnect SPRINT Awards):

 


SPRINT Learning Objectives*
 

By engaging in a SPRINT experiential learning opportunity, students will develop the following core competencies:

  • Integrative Learning: Develop and apply theories, knowledge, and skills across disciplines to address pressing questions, including societal problems.
  • Written and Oral Communication: Clearly, effectively, and persuasively exchange information, ideas, and perspectives across contexts and various audiences. 
  • Self and Cultural Understanding and Humility: Demonstrate the capacity for ongoing self-reflection and to be transformed -- in knowledge, attitudes and behavior -- by exploring and engaging with multiple points of view, experiences and worldviews. 
  • Relationship-building and Collaboration: Build and maintain collaborative and authentic connections across various forms of difference that center reciprocity, respect the agency of partners, and work toward common goals. 

*Adapted from Swearer Center for Public Service learning outcomes, Western Oregon University program outcomes and the National Associate of Colleges and Employer Core Competencies.

 

Finding SPRINT Opportunities

Visit the SPRINT SEARCH TOOL to find:

  • summer opportunities for research and course development projects with faculty; 
  • opportunities within the Signature Employer Partner Programs; 
  • and links to search for non-Brown internship opportunities that can be funded by LINK awards.

You may search by location, industry, and program type. You may also search for internship opportunities via BrownConnect

Additional resources…

  • Meet with a Peer Career Advisor (PCA) in the CareerLAB to assist with your search.  
  • Learn about Brown faculty research interests by searching the Brown's Research Directory. While it is not necessary to reach out to faculty regarding the opportunities published on the SPRINT Search, this website provides useful information.  
  • At the top of the SPRINT SEARCH TOOL you will find links to “Explore Bruno Opportunities on BrownConnect.” “Bruno Opportunities” are provided by Brown alumni or parent connections and offer Brown students preference in the hiring and selection process. They are denoted by the Brown shield and float to the top of your searches in BrownConnect.

 

Summer Funding Structure:

View this chart larger here.

Location of Opportunity Base Stipend for all Students Gap Award for aided students with Parent Contribution/ Responsibility of $15,001 & above Gap Award for aided students with Parent Contribution/ Responsibility of $15,000 & below Supplement for aided students with in-person opportunities (remote opportunities are ineligible). Must have a rental agreement.
SPRINT Signature and LINK in high cost of living sites: LA, NYC & DC  (in person opportunities only) $3500 +$2,000 (total stipend $5,500) +$3,000 (total stipend $6,500) +$1,000 (LA & DC) +$2,000 (NYC)
All other Domestic (United States) Sites $2500 $2,000 (total stipend $4,500) +$3,000 (total stipend $5,500) N/A
International Sites (in person opportunities only) $3500 $2,000 (total stipend $5,500) +$3,000 (total stipend $6,500) +$1,000 (Stockholm and Tel Aviv)

Additional Support:

  • Summer Earnings Waiver: Available to eligible students with University Scholarship funding once in their time at Brown

 

Explanation of Gap Awards

 

The SPRINT financial model was developed in order to reach the College’s goal of supporting and enabling experiential learning opportunities for all students while maximizing the support provided to our aided students, particularly students with the highest demonstrated financial need.

 

A student’s level of need is based on the calculated Parent Contribution, also referred to as Parent Responsibility, as determined by the Office of Financial Aid. The Parent Responsibility can be found in the Financial Aid Eligibility statement in Banner Self-Service (for the aid year prior to the summer experience). For additional information on the calculation that is used to determine Parent, Student, and overall Family Responsibility, see the Office of Financial Aid’s website. Students are not able to appeal the Parent Responsibility in order to increase their Gap Award funding.

  • Aided students with a Parent Contribution/Responsibility of $15,000 or less (in the academic year prior to the summer experience) will receive a Summer Gap Award of $3,000 in addition to the base stipend of $2,500, for a total award amount of $5,500.
  • Aided students with a Parent Contribution/Responsibility above $15,000 (in the academic year prior to the summer experience) will receive a Gap Award of $2,000 in addition to the base stipend of $2,500 for a total award amount of $4,500.  
  • Unaided students will not be eligible for a Gap Award in addition to the $2,500 base summer stipend.

Criteria

for All Summer SPRINT

All Opportunities:

  • Offered during the summer (after spring commencement) and completed by September 1, 2023
  • Supervised by a professional in the organization (e.g. a Brown faculty member or non-Brown sponsor) who agrees to guidelines. The opportunity is required to have a leader who will provide regular supervision and mentorship throughout the summer. The leader must have a permanent connection to the organization, such as a permanent employee of the organization or a board member. The leader cannot be another student.
  • Internship/Research site: SPRINT will adhere to Brown's Travel Policies and High-Risk and Restricted Travel Policies. To receive funding, all eligible students must register travel plans in TravelSafe [Sponsoring Department: Center for Careers and Life After Brown or Dean of the College; Purpose of Travel: Internship or Research]. 
  • If a student’s program requires international travel, they will adhere to the University's travel policies, including registering their travel in TravelSafe and completing a Safety Plan for review and approval of High Risk travel, as applicable. If the location of their internship changes to High-Risk after they have started their program abroad, they may be asked to complete a Safety Plan or the internship program may be canceled and shifted to a remote experience, if possible.
  • Most experiences should be the primary summer engagement opportunity (usually full-time and last a minimum of 8-10 weeks), although on occasion, more intensive internships may last as little (but no less) than 6 weeks.  Part-time experiences will be considered over longer periods of time (at least 10 weeks) if they are the primary summer engagement opportunity. For Faculty Partnerships, faculty and student collaborators should find a mutually agreeable period between the Tuesday following Commencement and at least one week before the beginning of the fall semester to engage fully with the project.

Additional Faculty Collaborations - UTRA Criteria: Research and curricular collaborations with Brown faculty including Lifespan/Clinical staff with Brown faculty or research appointments.

Additional LINK Criteria

  • Research opportunities under LINK are only permitted at non-Brown affiliated institutions and with a non-Brown professor/sponsor. If you are unsure about an affiliation, please contact BrownConnect at [email protected]
  • A member of the applicant’s family cannot run or have a substantial management interest in the host organization nor serve as the applicant’s sponsor directly or indirectly.  BrownConnect will collect supervisor information to verify
  • If you have previously interned at the same site for which you are currently applying for funding, you must clearly explain how the responsibilities of this new internship position are significantly different from your previous position. Funding will not be granted for an internship that you have already engaged with.
  • Students may apply for an Internship SPRINT award if they have already secured or are in the process of securing or applying for an internship/project with an employer.  There are a number of internship opportunities available in BrownConnect.

 Additional Signature Programs Criteria: Each Signature program has unique criteria for opportunities. Students are encouraged to research each program to understand the expectations, benefits and other program details.

  • Germany Entrepreneurship Program:
    Eligibility note: Only students with at least two full years of undergraduate coursework by the start of the internship
    or possess an existing EU work authorization are eligible to participate in the Germany program. 

    This excludes most first-year students.

 

Eligibility

All undergraduates must be enrolled during both the Spring 2023 and Fall 2023 semesters to be eligible. This includes all students regardless of citizenship and current location of study. Students may not be on a leave of absence from Brown either in the semester they are applying or in the period when they would receive the funding. Students who have received summer funding from BrownConnect (LINK, UTRA, Signature Programs) in a previous summer will not receive priority consideration in the awards process, but are eligible to apply again. 

  • You have applied for or secured an unpaid summer internship or research experience that pays $2,000 or less and will not receive additional funding from another source, including other fellowships, Brown departments, etc.
  • Priority will be given to students receiving university scholarships.
  • BrownConnect may work with Brown’s Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards to ensure that applicants are in compliance with conduct expectations.

The following opportunities are NOT ELIGIBLE for SPRINT funding:

  • Educational programs for credit, programs with fees to participate, and pay-to-participate internship programs coordinated through third-party vendors are not eligible for SPRINT funding. For example, funding cannot cover fees to study abroad or domestically, to participate in volunteer/service oriented projects, or for cultural exchange or other similar programs.
  • Projects with an organization involved with the use, production, testing, or distribution of recreational or medical marijuana are not eligible (as the use of marijuana is illegal at the federal level and Brown University receives federal funds, we must comply with federal law).  
  • Camp counselors and tutoring positions are not considered internship opportunities and will not be eligible for SPRINT funding.
  • Opportunities with a Brown student club, organization, or class or experiences that are a continuation of work done with a Brown club or organization during the academic year.
  • Internships provided to students through placement organizations.
  • Organizations and programs with fundraising expectations or recommendations for their interns and employees.
  • Non-credit course or training program that does not contain a professional, experiential learning component; this includes programs where the main components include observing, shadowing, and attending lectures. 
  • Internship or project receiving Brown course credit (e.g. teaching requirement for teacher certification/education concentration; summer school course)
  • If a student’s program requires international travel, they will adhere to the University's travel policies, including registering their travel in TravelSafe and completing a Safety Plan for review and approval of High Risk travel, as applicable. If the location of their internship changes to High-Risk after they have started their program abroad, they may be asked to complete a Safety Plan or the internship program may be canceled and shifted to a remote experience, if possible.

 

Still have questions? 

Review the SPRINT FAQs or Attend a Workshop or Open Hours