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Cornell Butterworth Fellowship

Facilitating opportunities for undergraduate enrichment in the field of education

The Cornell Butterworth Fellowship for Undergraduate Engaged Learning and Research in Education provides financial support for undergraduate engaged learning in the broad areas of education and education policy. By “engaged” we mean learning through practice or research related to an issue of importance to, and pursued in collaboration with, community-based stakeholders, such as: educators, learners, families of school-age children, researchers, policy makers, and/or educational organizations.

Funding Opportunities

Summer Fellowship

A fellowship award of $6,000 will be awarded each summer to support a student project or internship involving practice or research. 

Applications for the Summer Fellowship are due March 1.   

Summer Fellowship application

Academic Year Stipends

A maximum of two awards (of up to $500/applicant) will be awarded each semester to support projects to be completed within the semester.

Applications for funds to be used during the fall semester are due by September 1.  Applications for funds to be used during the spring semester are due February 1.

Academic Year Stipend application

Summer Fellowship and Academic Year Stipends

How to apply

  1. Complete the application linked below.
  2. Save your application as a Word document or PDF file labeled as follows for: The Summer Fellowship: “Butterworth Fellowship-Applicant First Name-Applicant Last Name” or The Academic Year Stipends: “Butterworth Stipend-Applicant First Name-Applicant Last Name”
  3. education_minor [at] cornell.edu (Email) your completed application to the review team.
  4. For the summer fellowship only, be sure the person you’ve asked to submit a letter in support of your application does so. (See FAQ’s below).

Download the Academic Year Stipends application

Download the Summer Fellowship application

Two men study papers
Pinchas (Pinny) Kreizel ’22 (Agricultural sciences) and Mazell Maye Jr. (Dining) work on a food safety assignment in their mutual student-employee learning partnership in CLASP. Photo provided.

Eligibility

  • To apply for the Academic Year Stipend, students must be a sophomore, junior, or senior in good academic standing.
  • To apply for the Summer Fellowship, students must be a sophomore or junior in good academic standing.

 

**All applicants must be enrolled in the Education Minor, meaning they have submitted an application indicating their intent to complete the minor and completed the required “application meeting” with the Education Minor Director.   

Application criteria

The proposed activities (practice or research) should address the following:

  • A compelling public issue in education.
  • The activities (if practice) or methods (if research) to be used to address the issue / research question.
  • How the activities will engage community-based partners, e.g., in: an advisory capacity framing a project and reviewing a final report, as collaborators implementing a project, as research participants, etc.
  • How the activities align with and will help advance the applicant’s academic learning and/or pursuit of their professional goals.
  • A realistic timeframe in which the activities for which you are requesting a fellowship or stipend will be completed. For projects supported by an academic stipend, this should be no later than the end of the semester in which the funds are awarded.  For projects supported by a summer fellowship, this should be a minimum of 8 weeks.
  • An estimate of expenses that the fellowship will be used to support.

Application cycle

Applications for the Butterworth Funds are accepted three times per year: 

  • September 1 for the Fall Semester Academic Year Stipend
  • February 1 for the Spring Semester Academic Year Stipend
  • March 1 for the Summer Fellowship

 

**The application for each opportunity will open at least two months prior to the deadline.

Funding can support:

  • Living and travel expenses incurred in the process of engaging in practice or research
  • Supplies required to engage in practice (teaching a course requiring special materials) or conduct research (e.g. printing of surveys, consent forms, etc.)
  • Other expenses clearly justifiable in support of practice or research goals
  • An unfunded or minimally funded practice or research opportunity offered through an organization or one that is created by you in partnership with a mentor

Examples of acceptable supervised activities:

  • Teaching or assisting with the facilitation of youth and adult learning
  • Curricula design
  • Policy research and development
  • Learning assessment and evaluation
  • Research designed to strengthen educational programs, teaching, student learning, etc. in the context of community
  • Others (we are eager to receive your proposals!)

Note:

Students who accept a Summer Fellowship award must decline any financial support for internships and research experiences awarded by other Cornell-sponsored programs.

Fellowship FAQ

  • $6000 for the Summer Fellowship (one fellowship awarded per year)
  • $500 for the Academic Year Stipends (up to two stipends awarded per semester)

For an internship:

            Airfare to get to an internship location (roundtrip to Denver): $875

            Housing expenses ($800/month x 2 months): $1600

            Food stipend ($100/week x 8 weeks): $800

            Total anticipated expenses: $3275

For a research project:

            Mileage costs to get to interviews (500 miles x .585/mile): $293

            Accommodations during travel for interviews (4 nights x $100): $400

            Food during travel for interviews (5 days x $60/day): $300

            Total anticipated expenses: $993   

Note: Mileage calculations should be based on the current per mile business reimbursement rate set by the IRS per mile plus tolls and be supported with a predicted mileage record.

Justification should be provided for any budgets submitted, even if the exact costs are unknown.

A letter of support is required only for applications for the Summer Fellowship (not for the academic year stipends). It is your responsibility to make sure the letter gets sent.  Late or missing letters of support delay the application process and may prevent your grant from being funded.

Please have the person writing your letter of support do the following:

  1. Save the letter as a Word document or PDF with the following file name: “Butterworth Letter of Support - Applicant First Name-Applicant Last Name”
  2. education_minor [at] cornell.edu (Email the letter to the review team) with “Butterworth Letter of Support - Applicant First Name Applicant Last Name” in the subject line.

References need only to be willing to have their information listed your application and be open to being contacted by phone or email by a member of the Education Minor team regarding your capacity for completing the project for which you are requesting support.  We recommend letting your reference know you have listed them on your application.

The following expenses do NOT fulfill the Butterworth Fellowship’s mission for supporting engaged practice and research:

  • Living expenses not specifically related to the research or internship (e.g. the research or internship will involve 3 weeks, but you are seeking a stipend to cover a full summer)
  • Expenses for a data analysis program that can be accessed through Cornell for free
  • Tuition or courses that offer college credit (e.g., for courses that involve research)

If you have questions about eligible expenses, please education_minor [at] cornell.edu (email) Heidi Mouillesseaux-Kunzman.

  • Travel (airfare, mileage, overnight accommodations during travel)
  • Living expenses (housing, food, etc.)
  • Supplies (paper, printing costs, etc.)
  • Data analysis programs
  • Other expenses clearly justifiably in support of research, internship, and semester-based project goals

Got questions?

Reach out to the Director of the Education Minor, who will be managing the Butterworth Funds applications.

Heidi Mouillesseaux-Kunzman headshot
Heidi Mouillesseaux-Kunzman

Senior Extension Associate

Global Development Section

Director, Education Minor

Global Development Section

Heidi Mouillesseaux-Kunzman
Community development
Civic engagement
Engaged learning and research

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