The National Center on Philanthropy and the Law (NCPL) currently has three amazing fellowship opportunities for law school graduates interested in practicing in the field of nonprofit law.

The NCPL’s Fellowships has attracted the attention of the most impressive graduates from the nation’s premiere law schools, serving as a defining introduction to the work of both of the sponsoring organizations for which the fellowships are named and the nonprofit organizations where the Fellows are placed.

Ford Foundation Fellowship in Nonprofit Law– New York, NY

• About: The Ford Foundation Fellowship in Nonprofit Law permits a Fellow each year to spend a year in residence at the Ford Foundation’s Office of Legal Services in New York, working with the General Counsel and staff of attorneys to provide legal advice on grantmaking, operations, governance, human resources, and investments.  The Fellow will also work closely with the foundation’s Grants Compliance department and engage with program and operations staff in New York and ten global offices on a variety of initiatives and special projects. A Fellowship at the Ford Foundation will provide a recent law school graduate with exposure to an unusually wide variety of domestic and international legal issues encountered by private foundations operating globally.

• Term and Salary: The term of the Ford Foundation Fellowship is one year. The Fellows will receive a salary of $100,000 plus benefits.
• Application Information: A link to the application form and requirements can be found here.

John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Residency in Nonprofit Law-Chicago, IL

• About: The MacArthur Foundation is pleased to announce that it will be offering a one-year residency in nonprofit law to a recent law school graduate to work in its Office of the General Counsel.   The purpose of the residency is to provide exposure to the legal work of the MacArthur Foundation as well as experience and exposure to the field of nonprofit law. The residency will commence on a mutually agreeable date in the fall of 2025 at the MacArthur Foundation’s headquarters in Chicago, Illinois.  The Office of the General Counsel of the MacArthur Foundation currently consists of a ten-person team that includes its Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, a Deputy General Counsel and Assistant Secretary, and two Associate General Counsels. The Office of the General Counsel works closely with all MacArthur Foundation departments and programs on matters involving state and federal tax-exempt law, general corporate law, intellectual property law, international law, investment matters, impact investments, corporate governance, and regulatory issues..

• Term and Salary: The term of the MacArthur Foundation Residency in Nonprofit Law is one year. The 2025-2026 residency will commence in September 2025 with the term ending in August 2026. Residents will receive a salary of $85,000 plus benefits available to full-time employees of MacArthur, including health benefits, subject to the terms of the plan. 
• Application Information: A link to the application form and requirements can be found here.

NCPL Fellowship in Nonprofit Law-New York, NY

• About: The NCPL Fellowship in Nonprofit Law permits one Fellow each year to spend a year in residence at a nonprofit organization. The 2025-2026 Fellow will work closely with senior staff and staff attorneys at Lawyers Alliance for New York (Lawyers Alliance) who have practice specialties that will expose the Fellow to a broad range of disciplines that address the legal needs of nonprofit organizations. Given the varied nature of the legal work performed by Lawyers Alliance and the diverse group of nonprofit organizations it represents, the NCPL Fellow will experience the widest possible exposure to representing nonprofit organizations on interesting and complex legal projects. These legal challenges will enable the NCPL Fellow to develop relevant skills to the maximum extent. An article about the NCPL Fellowship in the Autumn 2021 Lawyers Alliance newsletter can be found here.

• Term and Salary: The term of the Fellowship is one year. Fellows are funded annually at a salary of $70,000 plus benefits.
• Application Information: A link to the application form and requirements can be found here.