Tom Carpenter Grassroots Activist Fellowship
The Tom Carpenter Grassroots Activist Fellowship
Upon Tom’s retirement, the Board of Directors created a fellowship in Tom’s name to continue his legacy and inspire positive change in the world.
The Tom Carpenter Grassroots Activist Fellowship provides funding for summer legal internships at Hanford Challenge. It supports students who share Tom’s passion for the environment, dedication to grassroots activism, and support for the underrepresented.
The Fellowship awards stipends of $5,000-$7,000 per student. We hope to support the work of Hanford Challenge and alleviate some of the financial burden faced by these aspiring activists during the summer months.
About Tom
Tom Carpenter spent four decades organizing, litigating, and leading policy oversight in the nuclear field, much of it devoted to Hanford. He was an attorney, a graduate of Antioch School of Law, and has a Masters in Organizational Design and Renewal from Seattle University.
Tom worked as the Director of the Nuclear Oversight Campaign for the Government Accountability Project from 1985 to 2007. He founded Cincinnati Alliance for Responsible Energy (CARE) and served on the Cincinnati Mayor’s Environmental Advisory Council. Tom founded Hanford Challenge in 2007 and was the Executive Director until he retired in 2022.
Through his work at GAP and Hanford Challenge, Tom has visited dozens of nuclear sites in the U.S. and Russia and hosted many international conferences.
Tom has represented numerous whistleblowers at various nuclear sites around the nation, including at commercial and military nuclear production facilities, such as Hanford, Los Alamos, Knolls Atomic Power Lab, Pantex, Lawrence Livermore, Fernald, Mound, and others. He has authored numerous reports and articles on the effects of nuclear production on workforce health and safety and the environment, and established environmental sampling programs at Hanford, Los Alamos, and Russian nuclear sites.
How to Apply:
Law students may send a cover letter and resume to info@hanfordchallenge.org for summer legal internships. In the subject line, please include “Application for Tom Carpenter Fellowship.” Thank you.
For questions, you may email info@hanfordchallenge.org.
Want to donate to the fellowship?
To contribute to the Tom Carpenter Grassroots Activist Scholarship Fund, you have two options:
1. By Check: Send a check payable to Hanford Challenge to the following address: Hanford Challenge P.O. Box 28989 Seattle, WA 98118, and put “Tom Carpenter Fellowship” on the memo line.
2. Online Donation via Patagonia: Click on this link to access the Donation Page set up by Patagonia for Hanford Challenge. As a Patagonia grantee, Hanford Challenge benefits from Patagonia covering 100% of the transaction costs for donations.
On the donation page:
Choose the amount you’d like to contribute.
Check the box that says, “I’d like to make my donation a gift.”
Enter Tom’s name and use the email address info@hanfordchallenge.org.
Provide your personal information.
Enter your payment details.
Complete the process and you are done. Thank you!