Summary: Animal Welfare Trust believes that we can make a meaningful contribution to animal welfare by encouraging students to work on projects that facilitate positive reform for animals. AWT's Internship Program was created to (1) fund independent student research projects; or (2) provide funding to otherwise unpaid internship positions within established animal-related organizations. Internships must be consistent with AWT's mission statement. While AWT is devoted to all areas of animal welfare, its primary areas of focus are factory farming and farm animal welfare issues, pro-vegetarian campaigns and humane education.

Applicant Qualifications: In order to qualify for an AWT internship award, the applicant (1) Must be a graduate student at the time of the application (2) Must have a demonstrated interest in animal welfare; (3) Internship funding must be for an independent project approved by and under the supervision of a university professor or for an unpaid position within an established organization; (4) Internships can be for a summer, semester or year-long duration.

Application Process: All interested applicants must submit (1) a detailed cover letter describing the project or position you wish to have considered, what you hope to accomplish and what type of positive impact on animal welfare you anticipate; (2) a resume; (3) two references with at least one reference from a professor at the school they are currently attending); (4) a current transcript; (5) a writing sample or summary of prior research conducted, if the proposed internship would involve significant research or writing.

Please note that applications submitted for projects as part of PhD dissertations will be considered only if there is a practical scope for the project beyond the completion of a final paper.

Deadline for Submission: All applications for consideration in 2008 must be in on or before March 1, 2008. Notification of winning internships will be by April 1. Applications are to be submitted to:

Animal Welfare Trust
P.O. Box 737
Mamaroneck, NY 10543
Attn: Kelley Wind

Amount of Award: Approximately $5,000, depending on a variety of factors, including type of project proposed, length of internship and whether alternate sources of funding are also available.

Past Awards:

In 2003, our first year of our internship program we gave a grant to a second year law student researching possible legal action against a large industrial diary farm for violation of environmental laws.

In 2004 two internship grants were awarded: (1) a project to evaluate the "hidden curriculum" in science classrooms which perpetuates the view of animals as "things" by students and (2) a project to develop a section on Animal Law under the auspices of the Street Law Project of the National Lawyer's Guild. The information would be available as a resource to students and the community and would directly help animals by offering interested persons tools to pursue legal action.

In 2005 two internship grants were awarded: (1) a project to create evaluation criteria and establish a standard for measuring the success metrics of animal welfare organizations to assist foundations in evaluating funding opportunities, and (2) research that would provide background information to be used in evaluating a possible Arizona ballot initiative to ban veal and gestation crates.

In 2006 three internship grants were awarded: (1) a research project leading to an article on the federal standing doctrine and animal rights and (2) a research project leading to an updated publication that outlines the legal status of farm animals and certain agribusiness practices and (3) a vet student designed humane education/spay neuter outreach project in Puerto Rico.

In 2007 three internship grants were awarded: (1) a second year vet student to develop a program on alternatives to the use of live animals in surgical training in vet school curriculum, (2) a Ph.D. student to write an academic paper challenging industrial farming from a public nuisance approach with a focus on the external costs of CAFO systems, and (3) a graduate student pursuing a Doctor of Education in Human Development and Psychology to do a research project concerning the reasons why young children choose to eat meat or become vegetarians.

For further information please contact Kelley Wind at (914) 381-6177, ext. 103 or e-mail kelley@animalwelfaretrust.org.