SPARK

Eligibility Requirements:

SPARK is open to all incoming Harvard College undergraduates. Participants must successfully complete the program and matriculate to receive the stipend.

Application Process: 

Interested students should apply here (Opens 5/1/26) 

Applications are due Sunday, May 31, 2026 by 11:59pm ET.

To apply, applicants must submit:

1. A 1-page resume noting your relevant skills, previous employment, extracurricular activities, and volunteer experiences*
2. Answer to two short-answer questions:
   • What is your public service experience?
   • Why do you want to participate in SPARK?
3. A 500-word statement outlining your public service project and describing how it will benefit the community. We understand that the exact specifics of your project may be subject to change, but this proposal should include:
   1. Background: Describe the community you plan to serve and highlight any connections from your own experience with this community
   2. Issue: Describe the specific issue you hope to address through this project and why you care about the issue
   3. Project Plan: Outline how you will spend six weeks working towards supporting this community and this issue; include specific ways you plan to tackle your community needs
   4. Qualifications: Explain the skills and experience you bring to the work and why you are qualified to conduct this project
   5. Impact: Explain the impact you hope your project will have on the community and what you hope to learn from this experience
4. A letter of sponsorship from the organization you will be working with. We highly recommend that the letter be written by your supervisor on official letterhead. The letter must clearly include the following details:
   • Name and contact information of your direct supervisor
   • A brief description of the project/internship role and its anticipated outcomes

   • Confirmation of your project dates and time commitment (number of weeks and estimated hours per week)

     Priority will be given to applications with confirmed positions. However, if your project is not yet confirmed at the time of application, you may still apply! In this case, please upload a description of your current status in the process (e.g., you’ve applied, interviewed, or are awaiting confirmation). An offer may be awarded contingent upon providing a letter of sponsorship. 

Application Support: 

• Check out our application guide, linked here.
• Browse through potential partner organizations in our Pathways to Funding and Organization Directory 

Key Dates and Timeline: 

The answers to many questions can be found in our SPARK Student Application Guide. 

Q. What is involved in participating in SPARK? 

A. All participants are asked to develop a project with a community organization/non-governmental organization in their hometown. Participants will spend 80 hours working with their host organization and 20 hours on SPARK programming. Participants will also participate in an online discussion series, attend online webinars with Harvard faculty and staff, and attend a dinner in the fall with senior leaders at Harvard College.

Q. What kind of projects will qualify for this program? 

A. SPARK projects should be community-based and solution-focused. Partner organizations should be community-based. All community organizations involved must comply with Harvard's anti-discrimination policies. When designing a project, think about the following questions: What are the issues that you have noticed in your community that need to be addressed? What are the issues that can be reasonably addressed in six weeks? Examples of solution-focused projects:

• Creating a better logistical system for food delivery at your local food pantry
• Providing a direct service that meets a community need
• Developing a technical solution that serves as a community resource
• Building and implementing a better marketing or fundraising plan for the local nonprofit 

Please review the SPARK Application Guide, linked here, for help developing your project.  

Q. In planning for the summer, how many students are accepted into the program and how likely is it that a project will be approved?

A. SPARK aims to support as many students as possible with the funds available. While specific numbers of applicants and recipients vary by year, we encourage anyone who is interested to apply. 

Q. Can I apply to work with an organization that is affiliated with the government instead of a nonprofit?

A. Yes, you are welcome to apply for a public service role within a governmental agency. 

Q. Does your work have to be based in your hometown?

A. SPARK is a program centered on deepening community connections between your home and Harvard, so it is important that your work be based in a place you consider home. That said, we recognize that many students call more than one place home. If there is a place to which you have a strong connection but are not currently living in, we ask that you articulate what your connection to that place is in your application. 

Q. Does the project need to create something new for the organization? Or can it be general development/assistance that works towards a larger organizational goal?

A. We want you to support your organization’s needs! In conversation with your organization, find a project where you can have some autonomy and use your time to make a meaningful community impact. We always hope that you’ll be working collaboratively towards the organization’s goals, and your project should be responding to a real need in the community that you serve.

Q. Can I view the application before I submit it?

A. Yes! The application is all on one page, so you can open the application to view every question without submitting it.

Q. How specific should I be in my application? 

A. We look for issue, plan, and impact specificity. Your application should clearly convey the issue you have identified and are trying to solve. For example, you have noticed that the after-school program at which you volunteer has lesson plans that could benefit from incorporating cutting-edge learning and teaching science into it. You should explain in detail why that is an issue worth solving. Next, you should describe your plan for solving this issue in detail. Lastly, describe why you find yourself in a position to solve this issue and how impactful such solutions would be to the community. Please refer to the SPARK Application Guide for more information, including a sample project proposal.

Q. What are you looking for in terms of impact? 

A. We look for a project or role whose outcomes have the potential to positively influence your community. Such outcomes need to be clearly stated. They should also be realistic, given the time constraint you’ll be under. 

Q. Can my project be completed remotely?

A. SPARK projects may be in-person or remote/hybrid format. Although projects may be completed remotely, we encourage those considering remote projects to select organizations and projects to which they have personal/hometown connections. 

Q. Once selected, will I do my service project on my own? Will there be anyone helping me accomplish my goals? 

A. You will not be expected to work on your own. As part of your application process, you will be asked to identify a community leader within your organization to help guide your project and supervise your internship. You will be primarily accountable to your supervisor at the community organization. You will have support from staff, faculty, as well as other SPARK fellows through an online community. While we will provide support, we expect that you take initiative, leadership, and ownership over your project. 

Q. Will I be able to communicate with the other Harvard College Service Fellows? 

A. Yes. In fact, you are expected to communicate with your fellow SPARK cohort members. We are creating an online community through which you will be able to share and reflect on your service experiences.

Q. How many hours of service am I expected to contribute during the internship/program?

A. You are expected to contribute 80 hours of service on your project during the SPARK program dates. You will spend an additional 20 hours on SPARK programming.  

Q. What do the 20 hours of learning entail? 

A. The 20 hours of learning are mostly asynchronous activities such as reading assignments and reflection journal entries. 

Q. When do the SPARK meetings/webinars usually take place?

A. There are three SPARK webinars and three cohort meetings that take place on alternate weeks throughout the six-week program. SPARK webinars are typically held in the evening (Eastern Standard Time) and are recorded for SPARKlers whose time zones prevent them from engaging in the webinars live. SPARK cohorts are grouped by time zone and the meeting dates and times are decided upon collectively by each cohort to best accommodate everyone's schedules.

Q. When will I receive my stipend?

A. SPARK program participants will receive their $2,000 stipend upon successfully completing the program and matriculating in the fall. The stipend is not provided before or during the program and is not meant to be used as funds for one's SPARK project. There are absolutely no exceptions to the stipend disbursement process. 

Q. Can I participate in SPARK and a Harvard College pre-orientation program in Summer 2025?

A. Yes! We encourage SPARK participants to apply for pre-orientation programs. Students interested in SPARK also may be interested in the First Year Urban Program (FUP), a student-led pre-orientation program, offered through the Dean of Students Office, that introduces incoming first-years to the Boston-Cambridge area and the service community in and around Harvard. If you find that your pre-orientation program dates overlap your final days of SPARK, we can work with you to fit SPARK and pre-orientation into your schedule.

Q. How can I stay engaged with public service at Harvard after SPARK?

A. SPARK encourages incoming first-year students to commit their summer to public service in their hometowns, apply their ideas and energy to a meaningful project while receiving ongoing support from Harvard’s faculty and public service staff; and to familiarize themselves with the wide range of public service resources available to them once they matriculate. To aid students in the familiarization process, we have curated a list (see below) of service-oriented events and opportunities that we hope you will engage.

• Harvard Global Day of Service

  After your summer experience serving your community, you'll have an opportunity to serve as a team leader for the Harvard Global Day of Service in August. This day engages Harvard students, staff, faculty, and alumni through various public service projects. Information about the Harvard Global Day of Service will be released over the summer.

• Celebration Gathering On-Campus

  You'll have the opportunity to meet your fellow SPARKlers in person at the SPARK Celebration Event in September. Details will be shared closer to the date.

  There will be many opportunities to gather with other SPARKlers when you arrive on campus. Previous years' events included painting, a scavenger hunt, a BBQ, a pumpkin-carving and donut-eating night, and a dinner in an upperclassmen dining hall.

• Service-oriented Events and Opportunities
  • First-Year Urban Program
  • PBH Open House
  • PBHA Open House
  • Public Service Academy
  • Robert Coles "Call of Service" Lecture and Reception
  • IOP Meet the Fellows
  • IOP Study Groups
  • First-Year Council

Q. Who should I contact if I have questions about the program?

A. All questions should be addressed to pathways@fas.harvard.edu