The Public Interest Law Foundation at Columbia, Inc. (PILF) is an independent, not-for-profit organization founded by members of the Columbia Law School community in 1980. PILF is privately funded and raises money through events, donations, and membership dues to support and promote the practice of public interest law at Columbia Law School and across the country. PILF distributes money raised as community grants to non-profit organizations offering legal services and to Columbia Law School's Guaranteed Summer Funding program, which supports students seeking to work for public-interest organizations during the course of their studies.