Leadership Development
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Since 1999, the Cleveland Foundation summer internship has connected emerging professionals with career-launching opportunities in the nonprofit and public sector.
The program provides talented and diverse undergraduate students, recent college graduates and first-year graduate students an opportunity to work within Cleveland-area nonprofit and public sector organizations for an 11-week paid internship experience.
Program Objectives & Stats
- Expanding local organizations’ capacity to conduct important short-term projects
- Providing a full time, paid internship opportunity ($18 per hour) and meaningful career-related work experience
- Creating pathways to careers in the nonprofit or public sectors, particularly within Greater Cleveland
- Exposing interns to a broad range of nonprofit/public sector organizations, leaders, and partnerships, building their first-hand knowledge of the Greater Cleveland nonprofit community and public sector initiatives
- Facilitating opportunities to support alumni and empower local leaders – fostering connections, discussion, learning and collaboration within our region
305
Unique host organizations in Cuyahoga, Lake and Geauga counties since the program's inception
70%
Of interns continue to work in the local nonprofit and public sector
70%
Of interns remain in Cleveland
388
Interns since 1999
25
In 2024, the Summer Internship Program celebrated its 25th anniversary
How to Apply
Eligibility
- Be a college junior or senior in fall, a graduating senior in spring or first-year graduate student in spring – based on the current calendar year
- Attend a college or university in or be a permanent resident of Cuyahoga, Lake or Geauga counties
- Exhibit interest in the nonprofit or public sectors
- Applicants cannot be relatives of a member of Cleveland Foundation staff or the foundation’s board of directors.
Candidate Application
Applications are accepted via the application gateway. Existing account holders can sign in; new users should follow the prompts to create an account.
The application requires you to upload supporting documents for each mandatory field before submission.
The application requires a resume and up to two recommendation letters.
The application submission process can take up to 45 minutes to complete.
Host Organizations
The program provides a limited number of college students, recent graduates and first- year graduate students an opportunity to work in Cleveland-area nonprofit organizations or governmental agencies during the summer.
Eligibility
An organization should consider applying to host an intern if it:
Is located in Cuyahoga, Lake or Geauga counties
Can hire the intern as a full-time, temporary employee of the organization and provide the workspace, equipment and resources required to complete their work assignments (grant funding can support this)
Has an available staff member, with a vision for mentoring an emerging leader, to serve as the intern’s supervisor – offering support, learning opportunities and feedback throughout the summer
Has short-term meaningful project(s) that an intern could move forward as part of their work plan in approximately 11 weeks
Is open to providing feedback and engaging in ongoing communication with the Cleveland Foundation and/or other supervisors. There will be approximately five opportunities for supervisors to formally convene throughout the process.
Can complete an end-of-summer survey in lieu of a final grant report
Host Organization Application
The application is available through the Cleveland Foundation’s grants gateway. Those who have an account can sign in. New users should follow the prompts to create an account.
FAQs
What criteria are considered when making host site selections?
Up to 20 organizations are selected annually to host interns. First, organizations need to have a meaningful and robust project that an intern could move forward in 11 weeks and the capacity to offer ongoing supervision and mentoring.
Beyond this, to ensure the overall pool of host organizations is representative of the diversity of our region, the timeliness and urgency of the project, sector, skills required of an intern, geographical location, population(s) served and/or leadership may also be considered holistically.
If my organization was recently selected to host an intern or was not selected for a recent cycle, are we eligible to re-apply?
Yes, whether your organization hosted an intern last summer or has yet to be selected, you are welcome to apply. While it is not the main criteria used in selection, in the event of a particularly competitive cycle where the number of applications received far exceeds the budget available for the program, how recently an organization hosted may be considered.
What is the process for matching interns with organizations?
Intern candidates submit an application for the program. After an initial screening process, applicants conduct a semi-finalist interview with Cleveland Foundation staff and program alumni. At this stage, candidates review the position descriptions co-created with host organizations and provide their top choices according to their interests and skillsets.
At the final stage, host organizations receive application materials for at least two candidates and are asked to make final interview arrangements directly. Host organizations stay in communication with the Cleveland Foundation as they select and/or request interviews with additional candidates.
What are some examples of projects from recent summers?
Interns have been responsible for taking the lead on projects such as:
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creating informational displays for installation within neighborhood institutions, developing a volunteer manual, designing community outreach materials, and conducting a GIS survey of potential environmental sites
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finalizing and executing plans for key aspects of programming for an important anniversary
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conducting outreach to sponsors and coordinating logistics for an annual fundraising event
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researching, writing, and supporting the organization’s advocacy agenda
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expanding the capacity of a program through running reports, conducting research, and coordinating meetings between agencies and donors
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deepening an organization’s reach in the community by planning events, identifying and engaging with partners, and developing marketing content for their newly established newsletter and podcast