Grant to Send More Interns to Washington, D.C.

The Max S. Baucus Institute has received an endowed gift of $1 million from the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation that enables 10 UM students to intern in congressional and policy-related offices in Washington, D.C., every summer.

Two other gifts to the Baucus Institute from Lee Freeman and Tony James also will provide start-up funding to grow the institute programs focused on public service.

This past summer, five UM students comprised the first cohort of Baucus Leaders to intern in Washington, D.C. The interns were placed in the offices of Sen. Steve Daines, Sen. Jon Tester and Rep. Greg Gianforte, as well as the offices of the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

With the gift from the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation, the Baucus Leaders program now will double the number of UM students interning in the nation’s capital every summer.

“We’re so grateful that this support from the Washington Foundation will build student leaders who want to follow in Ambassador Baucus’ footsteps of engaging in meaningful work to benefit society,” says Paul Kirgis, UM law school dean.

“The Baucus Leaders program directly aligns with our goal to open doors for young people to help them to realize their dreams,” said Mike Halligan, executive director of Washington Foundation. “The opportunity to work with public officials at the national level on issues of critical importance to the country, while at the same time gaining an understanding of the importance of public service, cannot be overstated.”