UW PUBLIC INTEREST LAW ASSOCIATION
University of Washington School of Law
Tel: (206) 543-8899
Fax: (206) 543-5811
Email: pila@u.washington.edu
Office: Rm 130, UW School of Law
http://students.washington.edu/pila/
PILA Grant Application 2014-2015
PILA MISSION STATEMENT
The University of Washington Public Interest Law Association (PILA) is a non-profit, student-run
organization dedicated to the promotion of legal work that serves the public and improves the
quality of life for individuals in our community and elsewhere.
To this end, PILA raises awareness about the need for and rewards of pro bono and full-time
public interest legal work, advocates for public interest legal training, and creates opportunities for
law students and attorneys to combine their legal skills with passion and optimism in jobs that
exemplify lawyers' capacity to make a difference.
PILA GRANT PROGRAM
Each year PILA awards grants to UW law students pursuing their passion for public interest legal
work. PILA raises the majority of its funds at our annual benefit auction. An independent Grant
Selection Committee decides the number of each type of grant to be awarded based on the quality
of applications and the amount of funds available for distribution. The Grant Selection
Committee consists of two faculty members, two legal practitioners from the community, and two
current UW law students. Grants will be awarded to students undertaking public interest work
during the 2014-2015 academic year, which begins with Summer Quarter 2014.
WHO MAY APPLY FOR A PILA GRANT?
General eligibility requirement. Any University of Washington law student who will have
completed at least one year of law school (45 credits) by the time the proposed project begins is
eligible to apply for a PILA Grant. This general eligibility requirement is subject to exceptions:
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Students who are members of the Grant Selection Committee are not eligible.
Gates Scholars are not eligible.
Students on the PILA Board of Directors are eligible.
Externship credit. Students cannot apply hours earned under a PILA grant to an externship
requirement, and vice versa. If you will be taking externship credits, please do not apply for a
PILA Grant.
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QUALIFYING PROJECTS
PILA Grants are awarded to fund projects that serve the public interest and provide a tangible
benefit to a community. Grant proposals should describe projects that advance the concepts of
justice, equity, and the public good on behalf of individuals and causes seldom or inadequately
served. Projects should embody PILA's goals and values. (See PILA's mission statement,
available at http://students.washington.edu/pila/about.html).
Work for a sponsoring organization may qualify provided that: 1) the organization is a non-profit or
government agency; 2) the organization verifies that it lacks the financial resources to hire someone
to complete the applicant’s proposed project during the proposed timeframe; and 3) the applicant
will not work on a political campaign or lobbying effort during his or her PILA-funded project.
Questions about the qualification parameters should be addressed to Alice Jones, PILA Grant
Coordinator: jonesav@uw.edu.
Political campaigns and lobbying. Due to PILA 's federal tax-exempt 501(c)(3) status, work on
behalf of any political campaign or lobbying effort will not qualify for PILA funding.
WORK STUDY GRANTS
PILA-funded work study grants allow students to earn higher wages than traditional grants.
However, they have less flexibility and require longer periods of service. Work study grant
applicants should be prepared to satisfy each requirement set forth in the Work Study Grant
Supplement to this application before applying for this special funding. The Supplement may
be found and downloaded from PILA’s website. (http://students.washington.edu/pila/)
Work Study Grants – In General. Work study grants must be used during Summer 2014.
Host organizations must be both PILA qualified and work study qualified. The State, through
work study, will pay for a substantial portion of the employee’s gross wages. PILA, through a
grant, will reimburse the employer for the remaining portion of the employee’s wages and other
income-related expenses, including employer responsible social security taxes and worker’s
compensation deductions. Under this program, grant recipients are required to work at least 55
days (440 hours). They are eligible to earn up to $20.00 per hour. The employer selects the
ultimate pay rate.
GRANT AMOUNTS AND HOURS
Full PILA Grant recipients will receive an award of $5,000 for a minimum of 350 hours worked
on the proposed project.
Partial PILA Grant recipients will receive an award of $2,500 for a minimum of 175 worked
on the proposed project.
Work Study Grant recipients are eligible to earn up to $20.00 per hour for a minimum of 440
hours worked on the proposed project during the Summer 2014 work period. PILA will pay all
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income-related expenses incurred by the recipient’s employer (including wages, social security
taxes, etc.).
Each applicant must indicate on the Applicant Identification Sheet the type of grant he or she
wishes to be considered for — (1) full grant only, (2) partial grant only, (3) either full or partial
grant, or (4) work study grant.
Form and manner of payment. PILA will issue grant awards in the form of a check to recipients
upon receipt of the recipient’s signed Grant Recipient Agreement. The check will cover the entire
amount of the grant. Work Study Grant recipients will be paid directly by their employers during
normal pay periods throughout the summer.
GRANT RECIPIENT AGREEMENT
Students who are awarded PILA Grant funds must sign a Grant Recipient Agreement before
any funds will be disbursed. In doing so, the student agrees to the following conditions:
1. Full grant recipients must work a minimum of 350 hours and partial grant recipients a
minimum of 175 hours toward the grant project. All work study grant recipients are
expected to work at least 55 days (or 440 hours).
2. The entire time requirement must be met in one quarter. Recipients may elect to work
Summer Quarter 2014, Fall Quarter 2014, Winter Quarter 2015, or Spring Quarter 2015.
3. Recipients must ensure that their sponsoring organizations verify that the recipient
completed the required hours by the end of the quarter for which the grant was in effect.
4. Grants may only be applied towards the project for which the recipient submitted an
application.
5. In the event the recipient is unable to undertake or complete the proposed project due to a
change in the organization, a change in the work assigned, personal issues, or any other
reason(s), the student must immediately notify PILA at pila@u.washington.edu or (206)
543-8899.
6. PILA may, for good cause, rescind the grant award or require full or partial repayment.
Any returned grant money will be deposited in the PILA grant fund to be utilized for
future grant awards.
7. Grant recipients are responsible for all applicable taxes. This includes, but is not limited to,
FICA, other federal taxes, and any state taxes.
8. Grant recipients who are awarded monies from a specific sponsoring individual or group
must write two thank you letters, the first within 30 days of receipt of grant funds and the
second upon completion of the project.
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9. Grant recipients must submit a brief report (2-4 pages in length) to PILA at the conclusion
of their projects describing and evaluating their experiences and accomplishments. Reports
may be emailed to pila@u.washington.edu or faxed to (206) 543-5811 by October 3, 2014.
Recipients who do not use their grant over the summer must submit their final reports
prior to the last day of the quarter for which they received their grants. Failure to submit a
final report in a timely fashion may result in partial repayment of grant funds.
10. Grant recipients must allow a copy of their proposal to be placed on file in the Career
Center for future applicants to view.
11. Grant recipients must consent to the use of their names for PILA publicity and may be
asked by PILA’s Board of Directors to speak publicly about their projects.
12. Grant recipients must agree to be interviewed for relevant law school and alumni
publications in connection with their projects.
13. Grant recipients will be expected to attend the 2015 PILA Auction on Friday, February 20,
2015, either as paying guests or volunteers.
14. PILA requires that full grant recipients volunteer 15 hours and partial grant recipients
volunteer 10 hours for PILA during the 2014-2015 academic year. This is an important
aspect of a grant recipient’s responsibilities as PILA and its fundraising events are primarily
run by student volunteers and community supporters.
15. Grantees must attend a brief, mandatory meeting after recipients are announced in early
May to review the terms of and sign the Grant Recipient Agreement.
SELECTION PROCESS
The PILA Grant Selection Committee determines which applicants shall receive grants. The
Committee is comprised of two faculty members, two legal practitioners from the community,
and two current law students. Student members serving on the Committee are not eligible to
apply for a grant. Although responsible for assembling the Committee, the PILA Board has no
representation or influence on the Committee.
Each Committee member will review all grant proposals, evaluating (1) each applicant's
demonstrated commitment to the public interest and (2) the overall quality of each applicant’s
proposed project. Each member will assign an initial ranking to each proposal. Next, the
Committee members will convene to discuss their rankings and make final determinations. The
Committee’s selection process will conclude once the members (1) have determined which grant
proposals are worthy of PILA funding and (2) have compiled a ranked list of all recommended
proposals. Beginning with the first-ranked proposal, PILA funds will be distributed to eligible
applicants until no further PILA funding or eligible proposals are available – this will depend on
the Committee’s rankings, the number and type of grants that the pool of applicants requests, and
the size of the grant fund.
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The Committee seeks a diversity of projects and will not discriminate on the basis of race, religion,
national origin, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or age. Neither academic standing nor the
financial need of the applicant will be considered in evaluating grant applications.
When making its decisions the Committee will use the evaluation criteria on the PILA Grant
Application Evaluation Worksheet (see below). Applicants should consider addressing these
criteria in their project proposals.
HOW TO APPLY
The Committee evaluates all applications anonymously. Applicants must completely redact their
names from all documents they submit, except for the Applicant Identification Sheet (see below).
Where possible, it is advised that applicants print materials without names on them, rather than
trying to redact after printing. Applications with applicants’ names on them will be returned to the
applicant and may not be considered.
All applicants must submit an Applicant Identification Sheet as well as seven (7) copies of the
following items in the order listed: Resume; Organization Commitment Letter; and Project
Proposal. To assist PILA in distributing the applications to the Committee members, please threehole punch all pages and separate each of the seven applications with a paper clip (do not staple
them). If the applicant fails to provide any of these items, the application shall be considered
incomplete and may be rejected.
Application Contents
1) Applicant Identification Sheet. This is the only document you submit with your name. It
must be attached to the first page of the first copy of your application.
2) Resume. The applicant’s name and other obviously identifying information must be redacted
from the resume.
3) Commitment Letter from the Sponsoring Organization. The commitment letter should:
 be printed on the organization’s letterhead;
 briefly describe the organization’s work and priorities;
 briefly describe the applicant's proposed project, how the project relates to the
organization’s priorities, and the training and supervision the organization will provide
to prepare the applicant to work on the proposed project;
 provide a statement of financial need verifying that the sponsoring organization lacks
the financial resources to hire someone to complete the applicant’s proposed project
during the proposed timeframe
 explicitly offer temporary employment to the applicant for the purposes of completing
the proposed project
 If seeking a work study grant, the employer must also indicate (1) that it has registered
with the University of Washington Financial Aid Office and is an eligible work study
employer, (2) that it is willing to serve as a PILA work study employer (satisfy all state
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work study requirements), and (3) the pay rate at which the applicant will be working
(up to $20.00 per hour).
IMPORTANT: Please either ask your sponsoring organization to refrain from mentioning you
by name in the commitment letter or completely redact your name from the letter before
submitting it with your application.
4) Project Proposal. The Project Proposal must be no more than seven (7) double-spaced pages
in length, with 1-inch margins and 12-point font. The proposal should generally describe the
proposed project in the applicant’s words and provide information regarding the applicant’s
commitment to public service. The proposal should specifically address most, if not all, of the
following points:
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How the project will benefit an under-served or inadequately-served community.
Describe the impact of the project and how the project provides a tangible benefit to
the community it is intended to serve.
The applicant’s proposed responsibilities and role in the project.
The training and supervision the sponsoring organization will provide to the applicant.
The extent, if any, to which the sponsoring organization will contribute to funding the
project.
The extent to which the project relates to the overall goals and priorities of the
sponsoring organization.
The extent to which the project relates to the applicant’s career goals.
The applicant’s reasons for selecting the project.
The applicant’s personal commitment to public service and public interest law.
How the project embodies the goals and mission of PILA.
DEADLINES
Grant applications are due no later than 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 3, 2014. Applications must
be submitted to Academic Services in Room 361, UW School of Law. To ensure anonymity,
please do not turn in your application to Career Services or to the PILA office.
The Grant Selection Committee intends to make final determinations swiftly. All applicants will be
notified on or before Friday, May 2, 2014 as to whether his or her proposed project will be funded.
Please do not reach out before hand to ask the status of your application.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
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Speak to former grant recipients. (Names and organizations of past grantees are listed
on PILA’s website.)
Consult the binder of previous successful applications in the Career Services office.
Contact PILA Grants Coordinator Tori Ainsworth at toriains@uw.edu.
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PILA GRANT COMMITTEE APPLICATION EVALUATION WORKSHEET 2014-2015
Application # ____________
Based on all of the application materials you have reviewed please score the following criteria. The score is
intended to help you arrive at a ranking of each application received.
1.
Applicant's commitment to public interest work as evidenced
by his or her previous work and/or volunteer experience, as
well as applicant’s career goals.
Please score on a scale of 1 – 10, with 10 being the highest.
2.
__________
Strength of applicant’s commitment to this particular project.
For example, the applicant's reasons for selecting the project
or previous demonstrated interest in this field.
Please score on a scale of 1 – 10, with 10 being the highest.
3.
__________
The extent to which the project will benefit the community to
be served or impact the problem to be solved.
Please score on a scale of 1 – 10, with 10 being the highest.
4.
__________
The sponsoring organization’s commitment to this particular
project. For example, the extent to which the project relates
to its overall goals and priorities, as well as the training and
supervision the sponsoring organization will provide.
Please score on a scale of 1 – 10, with 10 being the highest.
5.
__________
The extent to which the project serves a population or a field
of law that is underrepresented in the community at large or
relative to other applications.
Please score on a scale of 1 – 10, with 10 being the highest.
TOTAL:
__________
__________
After computing an individual score for each application, rank all the applications based on total points, with
1 being highest priority for grant funding. In the case of a tie, reevaluate the applications and resolve the tie.
Initial Ranking: __________
Final Ranking: __________
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PILA GRANT APPLICANT IDENTIFICATION SHEET
Personal Information
Name:
Email Address: _____________________________
Address: ______________________________________________________________________
Phone Number: ________________
Quarter of Proposed Project (circle one):
Expected graduation date: ________
SU 2014 AU 2014 WI 2015 SP 2015
Sponsoring Organization
Organization Name: _____________________________________________________________
Organization Address: ______________________________________________ _____________
Organization Phone Number: ________________________________________ _____________
Organization Contact Person (Name and Title): ________________________________________
Grant Option – Please Select One
 I wish to be considered for a full grant only.
 I wish to be considered for a full grant and a partial grant if I am not selected to
receive a full grant.
 I wish to be considered for a partial grant only.
 I wish to be considered for a work study grant only.
I understand that if I receive a partial grant, I may independently apply for work study matching funds, depending
on my financial aid status. I may also apply for externship credit for any hours that are in excess of the hours
required by a PILA grant. In addition, I understand that the receipt of federal work study funds may affect my
overall financial aid package. Receipt of the partial grant in no way guarantees the receipt of any further funding
from work study. Finally, my signature below indicates that I have completed 5 volunteer hours for PILA.
Official Use Only: Applicant ID
Code ___________
Signature and date: ________________________________
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