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 📰 NEWS: Flywheel Fund Continues to Redefine Choice and Reduce Student Debt for Talented Law School Students

Giving students more
power over their careers.

The Flywheel Fund for Career Choice is a new nonprofit designed to give students more power to choose career paths that inspire them—by easing the burden of costly loan repayment. Our first initiative is a pilot project created in collaboration with Stanford Law School* and open only to member of its classes of 2025 and 2026. If you are interested in helping to create a Flywheel Fund for your school please email us at info@flywheelfund.org.

About The Fund

Together, we can reshape legal education and practice by connecting donors, students, and graduates in a virtuous circle of giving back and giving forward—we call this the flywheel effect.

For Students

As a Flywheel Fellow, your tuition and expenses (up to $170,000) will be covered upfront. If you graduate and go on to earn less than $100,000, you’ll owe zero repayment. If you earn more, you’ll make repayments based on your income, building the Fund and powering future generations of Fellows.

For Donors

Philanthropic contributions will fund our pilot program cohort of 20 students, seeding a self-sustaining fund by year 13. At 15 years, we project that each donor dollar will generate more than $3.50 for the fund, increasing every year. This means every dollar has an impact.

For the Future

The debt burden of a legal degree can limit diversity of law school applicants and restrict the range of career choices for graduates. We seek to create a future in which more law school graduates are empowered to choose a career path that inspires them and moves the world forward.

Why We Exist

1 in 3

1 in 3 new lawyers chose a career path different from what they initially expected because of loans.

37%

37% say they chose a job that pays more money “instead of a job I really wanted.

Source: ABA Young Lawyers Division, 2020 Law School Student Debt Survey Report

The Flywheel Effect

Our three sources of revenue ensure that the Fund should always be receiving payments that can fund future Fellowships.

1

Initial philanthropic contributions start the flywheel moving, by funding the initial Fellowships.

2

Payments by Fellows create ongoing revenue for the Fund and finance future Fellowships.

3

Finally, payments by Stanford Law School will ensure the fund is partially replenished for Fellows earning below $115k, following graduation.

“I’m proud that Stanford has been a leader in establishing and improving efforts to support diversity among our students and in the careers they are able to pursue.”

— Jenny S. Martinez, Richard E. Lang Professor of Law, Dean of Stanford Law School

Our Partners