Apply for SPIF

5027 Wasserstein Hall (WCC)
1585 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138

617-495-0643

To apply for SPIF funding, please follow the steps below. If you have any questions about the process please contact the SPIF Office directly.

SPIF Statistics

Step 1: Review and Register

Review the SPIF Orientation 2024 (sent via email) and complete the SPIF Registration Form. All students eligible for SPIF will receive an email notification when the SPIF Orientation and Registration Form become available. 

Step 2: Secure SPIF Job

Secure a SPIF eligible position for the summer and apply for Supplemental Funding.

Step 3: Complete SPIF Application

Notify the SPIF Office of your summer 2024 plan (the forms for this step will be available once you have completed the SPIF registration described in Step 1):

  • Complete the Summer Public Interest Funding Application on the SPIF tab of the SFS Self-Service Portal. This Application, along with the Employer Response Form in Step 4 comprise a completed application and must be received by March 29, 2024 to ensure a disbursement of funding in early May.
  • If you no longer plan to participate in SPIF, please indicate on the SPIF application that you do not want to receive SPIF funding, which will remove you from our email list.

Step 4: Complete Employer Response Form

Have your employer complete the Employer Response Form so you can upload it to the Requirements page on the SPIF tab of the SFS Self-Service Portal.

This form, along with the SPIF Online Application Form in Step 3, comprise a completed application and must be received by March 29 to ensure a disbursement of funds in early May. Funding can only be requested once a month, so applications completed after March 29 will be disbursed as follows:

  • Application completed by May 1, notified in mid-May, funding disbursed June 1
  • Application completed by June 1, notified in mid-June, funding disbursed July 1
  • Application completed by July 1, notified in mid-July, funding disbursed August 1

Step 5: SPIF Funding Notification

In April, you will receive notification of your SPIF funding and will be directed to review a Power Point presentation with further details regarding the requirements of the program. There will be a form to complete on the self-service portal to confirm you viewed the presentation.

A few days after you receive your SPIF email you will receive an email from studentaccountoperations_fad@harvard.edu  regarding setting up your Direct Deposit.

Step 6: Funding Disbursement

Students NOT using Federal Work Study: Stipend checks will be available or direct deposited in early May for those students who have completed the above steps by March 29, 2024. We are only able to request stipend checks ONCE A MONTH, so, while you will remain eligible for SPIF, there will be a delay in the disbursement of funding as outlined in Step 4 for those students who miss the March 29 deadline.

Students using Federal Work Study: will have weekly paychecks direct deposited for hours worked, up to 37.5 hours per week. Instructions for students and supervisors on how to get on the payroll, submitting weekly time (students), and approving weekly time (supervisors) will be sent from the University’s Student Employment Office.

Step 7: Track Your Hours

Throughout the summer students should keep careful records of their weekly hours. The Supervisor Evaluation and Time Log due September 13 can be found in Step 8.

In addition, students using Federal Work Study will enter hours worked each week into the University’s PeopleSoft payroll system.

Step 8: End of Summer Requirements

At the completion of your SPIF placement, you will need to do the following:

  • All SPIF recipients must complete a Site Evaluation in Helios regarding their summer placement. Access to the evaluation in Helios begins in mid-August. To complete the form you will need to navigate to the Public Service Summary in Helios and click the “evaluate” link next to the Summer Intern position. If your placement organization appears incorrectly, please contact the Office of Public Interest Advising (OPIA) to fix it BEFORE filling out your evaluation at opia@law.harvard.edu or 617-495-3108.
  • All SPIF recipients must submit a Supervisor Evaluation and Time Log signed by their employer, verifying the number of hours they worked. These forms will be due September 13, 2024 and will be made available mid-summer.
  • If the above forms are not submitted by September 13 your student account will be charged the entire amount of your SPIF funding; this charge will be removed once the documents are received. However, we will close the entire SPIF process October 15, after which we will no longer reverse any charges. Additionally, the last day SPIF 2024 funding will be created is also October 15.

For your convenience, we have worked with the HLS Pro Bono program to ensure all the information they need to process your HLS Pro Bono credit is included on the SPIF forms.  Therefore, all paperwork should be submitted to the SPIF Office and we will forward copies to the HLS Clinical and Pro Bono Office; there is no need for you to submit duplicate paperwork to the Office of Clinical and Pro Bono Programs.  HLS Pro Bono credit and hours will be processed in early fall.