Fellowships & Grants

AEF awards summer fellowships and grants each year to law students from around the nation. The primary purpose of the fellowships is to fund a student’s internship with a public interest organization that benefits either the metropolitan Washington, D.C. community-at-large and/or the Asian Pacific American community.  Such organizations include governmental organizations and other non-profits serving the public interest. The internship must be unpaid (except for nominal payment for such items as transportation), arranged by the student, and extend at least ten weeks or a total of 400 hours.

Among the fellowships and grants awarded each year, there are three with additional criteria:

The Anheuser-Busch Norman Y. Mineta Fellowship

AEF’s most prestigious fellowship is the Anheuser-Busch endowed Norman Y. Mineta Fellowship, which is awarded to the highest qualified summer fellowship applicant who most embodies the exceptional standards of community service and public interest set by Norman Y. Mineta, the longest serving U.S. Secretary of Transportation in history, and former Secretary of Commerce. “I am convinced that the AEF fellowships are invaluable to both the students and the organizations they work for,” reflects 1997 Anheuser-Busch Norman Y. Mineta Fellow Arthur Ago. “I would have been unable to fund my summer as a law clerk for the D.C. Public Defender Service without the AEF fellowship.  The fellowships represent AEF’s commitment to helping law students, as well as the D.C. and APA communities.”

The Robert E. Wone Fellowship

Created in 2007, the Robert E. Wone Fellowship is a new fellowship that is awarded to a summer fellowship applicant who most embodies what Robert wanted to be as a lawyer - a trusted member of the community, making a difference in public policies and seeing the effects of his efforts improving the situation of people around him.

The AEF Bar Assistance Grant

Created in 2009, the AEF Bar Assistance Grant seeks to provide financial assistance to recent law school graduates who are preparing to take the summer bar exam or who have recently taken the bar exam prior to embarking on a legal career at a public interest or government organization that benefits either the Asian Pacific American community and/or the metropolitan Washington, DC community-at-large. Because public interest and government organizations rarely provide direct financial support to their employees for bar-related expenses, these law school graduates often must take out additional loans or find part-time jobs while studying for the bar. Through the Bar Assistance Grant, AEF hopes to relieve recipients of some of the financial pressures associated with taking the bar exam, so that they can focus on passing the bar.

The Bar Assistance Grant consists of:

  • a stipend which can be used to pay for the costs of preparing for the bar including, but not limited to, bar preparation courses and materials, bar application fees and dues, travel costs for taking the bar, and living expenses during the summer in which recipients take the bar.
  • a reduced-fee course certificate of $1,500 for courses in the Eastern Region, made possible through the generous donation of  Bar Review.

Applying for a fellowship and grants

Any student at an accredited law school who is enrolled at least part-time, as determined by the school, who is in good standing, who is a candidate for a law degree, and who has not previously received an AEF Fellowship, is eligible to apply for an AEF Fellowship.  The deadline is April 30, 2010.

Download an application form:

Fellowship and grant selection criteria

AEF considers all of the materials submitted by an applicant.  The essay is heavily weighted and should be carefully prepared.  Letters of recommendation should be from persons who can provide relevant information to AEF regarding the applicant’s qualifications and experience making him or her a fit candidate for an award of a fellowship.  An applicant must be in good standing at his or her law school.  Whether an applicant previously has been awarded an AEF fellowship or grant and the applicant’s year of study will be considered (with applicants who have not previously received an AEF fellowship and those closer to graduation possibly receiving some preference).  Although a law school transcript is required, the student’s academic performance will not weigh heavily in the selection process.

Other factors AEF may consider include, but are not limited to:

  • Evidence of the applicant’s maturity and responsibility;
  • Placement of fellowship recipients in diverse employment settings;
  • Preference may be given to those applicants interning at direct service organizations.

Non discrimination policy

AEF does not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, disability, race, color, religion, ethnic/national origin, veteran status or sexual orientation in the award of these fellowships. AEF officers and directors and their immediate families are ineligible for the fellowships. Only one fellowship may be awarded to an applicant for each internship.

The amount of an award shall be determined in the discretion of AEF, taking into account relevant considerations including the length and nature of the internship.

In the absence of demonstrated economic hardship or other extenuating circumstances, a recipient shall receive two-thirds of a fellowship award at the commencement of an internship and one-third at the conclusion of the internship.  Prior to being awarded the final sum, the recipient shall submit to AEF a written statement describing the services rendered by the recipient and the benefits afforded by the internship to the metropolitan Washington, D.C. community-at-large and/or the Asian Pacific American community.

A fellowship recipient immediately must notify AEF in writing if the recipient (i) leaves the position approved by AEF; (ii) changes employers; (iii) ceases to work for the required number of hours; or (iv) becomes subject to academic discipline or ceases to be enrolled in law school.  In each such event, the recipient must obtain the written approval of AEF to continue under the AEF fellowship program.  In its discretion, AEF shall determine whether forfeiture of the fellowship or a modification of the terms or amount of the award is appropriate.

A recipient’s failure to comply with AEF policies and/or the conditions of the fellowship may result in the forfeiture of the entire award or a portion thereof.

AEF welcomes corporate, foundation, community, and individual donations to support its charitable activities.

Current fellowship recipients:

AEF 2009 Fellowship and Grant Winners

Past fellowship recipients:

AEF 2008 Fellowship Winners

AEF 2007 Fellowship Winners

AEF 2006 Fellowship Winners

AEF 2005 Fellowship Winners

AEF 2004 Fellowship Winners

AEF 2003 Fellowship Winners