Student Activity Fund
Internships That Make a Difference
The SAF program encourages young Unitarian Universalists from Long Island to live their religious values through internships at nonprofits dedicated to social action, advocacy, or service.
Current SAF Interns
We hope you enjoyed your summer and your summer internships. Thank you for your great work!
Access all of your resources below.
Applications for 2025 SAF Internships will open in the spring.
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50 Years of Faith in Action
The Student Activity Fund (SAF) is a grant program
SAF supports high school seniors, college students, and gap-year students
from Long Island Unitarian Universalist congregations to perform significant service to the community while earning money to help finance their education.
The program—now in its 50th year!—encourages young UUs to live their religious values and gain awareness of society's social and economic problems through internships at nonprofit agencies that focus on social action, advocacy, and social services. SAF is a LIAC-sponsored grant program funded by the UU Veatch Program at Shelter Rock.
Apply for the Summer 2024 SAF internship program by clicking the button below. The application deadline is Sunday, May 12. There will be a mandatory SAF Intern Orientation on Sunday, May 19, which includes an inspiring Leadership Workshop. This year, we return to in-person orientation!
The Intern
Eligibility
To participate in the 2024-2025 SAF program, you must be:
- Under age 25 on June 1, 2024
- A member or child of a member in good standing at a LIAC UU congregation
- And one of the following:
- A high school senior in fall 2024
- An undergraduate college or continuing-education student
- A gap-year student
- A spring 2024 college graduate
Each project that I complete with the support of Student Activity Fund helps me realize more and more how valid and important the UU Principles are in our world.
-Former SAF Intern
The Nonprofit
Eligibility
To be eligible for the SAF internship program, the nonprofit organization must have one or more of the following goals:
- Directly aimed at alleviating inequity, injustice, and discrimination
- Encouraging the formulation and implementation of public policies that promote world peace or ecological responsibility
- Designed to preserve and protect civil liberties
- Related to the direct provision of needed services to disadvantaged sectors of society
Note: Students cannot receive SAF award money as a volunteer for a political candidate or party campaign, according to SAF’s guidelines as a religious nonprofit program.
Access the Supervisor Service Agreement.
How It Works
If your organization has been chosen by an SAF intern and approved by SAF, please fill out the forms below (one before the internship and one after).
If your nonprofit is interested in being added to the list of approved SAF internship placement options, email the SAF Program Director.
The Internship
Ideas for Internships
- Agencies advocating for social justice
- Civil rights organizations
- Soup kitchens & food pantries
- Get Out the Vote initiatives
- Sustainable-living think tanks
- Environmental organizations
- Nutrition & wellness services
- Community gardens/farms
- Community camp programs
- Assisted living, hospice & community clinics
Finding a Good Match
If SAF interns would like guidance in finding an appropriate nonprofit to approach, they are encouraged to contact SAF Program Director.
Frequently Asked Questions
Please contact us at SAF@liacuu.org with any additional questions.
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Is the internship only for summer?
SAF is first and foremost a summer internship program. If there is grant money still available at the end of summer, interns may participate in the program with limited hours during the 2024-25 school year, pending the approval of the SAF Director.
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Do the interns have to work in person and on Long Island?
The interns may work in person or online, anywhere in the world.
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Can I work for more than one nonprofit in a grant cycle?
Yes, as long as the organizations are approved by the SAF Director and the combined hours do not exceed the seasonal time limits.
Karyn O’Beirne
Interim Program Director
Reverend Karyn O’Beirne is an ordained Interfaith Minister with over 15 years’ experience leading Unitarian Universalist worship services on Long Island. She was the SAF Program Director from 2019 to 2023, and was LIAC’s Communications Coordinator, Administrator & Financial Secretary from 2018 to 2020. Karyn is the author of the book Findings from the Hunting Party’s Scout, and is a certified Mindfulness Meditation teacher. Subscribe to her free Substack, Karyn’s Findings.
The Student Activity Fund is made possible by funding from The Unitarian Universalist Veatch Program at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock.