Donner Civic Leadership Fund Fellowships

Donner Civic Leadership Fund Fellowships, made possible through a generous donation from the Donner Canadian Foundation and administered by the Career Development Office (CDO), have a value of up to $10,000 and are awarded to students who wish to work with public interest organizations during the summer. Community-based, non-governmental organizations that have not had fellows in the past couple of years are preferred. 

Where have Previous Donner Fellows Worked?

CLICK HERE for summaries of our 2020 Donner Fellowship Experiences.

Previous Donner Fellows have spent their summers at organizations such as:

• ARCH: Disability Law Centre  
• Canadian Civil Liberties Association
• Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA)
• Centre for Equality Rights in Accommodation (CERA)
• Centre for Law and Democracy 
• Community Legal Education Ontario 
• Industrial Accident Victims' Group of Ontario (IAVGO)
• Lake Ontario Waterkeeper
• Metropolitan Action Committee on Violence Against Women and Children (METRAC)
• Ontario Human Rights Commission
• Refugee Law Office 
• SickKids
• South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario (SALCO)
• WE Charity

Who Can Apply?

Donner Fellowships are open to students in first and second year who wish to work at any public interest organization in Canada. Fellowships will be awarded by the selection committee on the basis of:

• the applicant's demonstrated commitment to public interest law
• the merit of the host organization, including the availability of legal supervision
• the rigour of the proposal and the merit of the project, including the legal and public interest aspects of the project 
• the benefit to the organization of the proposed project

How to Apply

Students may apply for the Donner Fellowship as part of the Faculty Unified Hiring Process, which takes place during winter term. To apply, you will need to submit the following documentation through UTLC, the Career Development Office's online platform:

1. An up-to-date résumé;
2. A cover letter describing your interest in the organization/project and any relevant experience or coursework;
3. A description of the project you intend to carry out over the summer signed by a member of the organization where you propose to work.  If the member of the organization is not a practising lawyer, your project description must also be signed by the lawyer supervisor, confirming that they can speak or meet with you weekly during the fellowship term and as needed; and
4. Information regarding your financial status (including your final UofT Law Financial Aid Assessment or an indication that you are not a recipient of financial aid).

For more information, please review the Fellowships resources in the UTLC Resource Library.