Impact Internships

Pilot Program For Summer 2025!

Support the mission of a nonprofit working in environmental sustainability or social impact and develop important skills that will advance your career. With funding support from CESR, you can identify an issue you care deeply about and use your time and talents to make a difference.   

CESR will provide $7,000 in stipend support for up to four undergraduate students who qualify for an unpaid internship with a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit tackling tough environmental or social issues.

Application Deadline: April 21st

Both forms must be submitted by the deadline for your application to be considered.   

Intern Funding Application Nonprofit Supervisor Statement

Impact Internship Eligibility

 

 

Internship should be completed in Summer 2025.  

10 weeks in length for 40 hours per week 

 

 

Internship must be with a registered 501(c)3 organization (a nonpartisan registered nonprofit) in the U.S.

 

 

Internship must be in-person and utilize a student’s business skills.

 

 

Internships with the nonprofit should be unpaid. 

CESR would provide a $7,000 stipend to the student, if selected, to enable this work.

What is an Impact Internship?

Listed below are some examples of impactful internships with nonprofit organizations that a Leeds student might propose:

Habitat for Humanity: Student intern might help rebuild North Carolina homes destroyed by Helene while also applying business skills to develop a recommendation for the local organization’s leaders on how to streamline operations and optimize relief efforts. 

Denver Basic Income Project: Student intern might apply quantitative analysis to study the impact of providing a guaranteed income to families and individuals experiencing homelessness in Denver, CO. 
 

 

Accion: Student intern might assist low-income small business owners in Texas in accessing credit to manage and grow their businesses, insurance to protect against fire and climate disasters, and other financial services. 

Protect Our Winters: Student intern might engage multiple stakeholders and develop a recommendation for the organization on how to protect public lands in Colorado from the impacts of climate change. 

Crafting your Impact Internship

The timeline to develop internships for this pilot program is very short.  We suggest reaching out to an organization as early as possible to start the discussion. Applicants must have a written agreement from a registered nonprofit by the deadline to be considered.   

Stuck on how to find a nonprofit or how to start the internship conversation? Look at the examples below!

Identify a nonprofit working on an issue you care deeply about. Databases like CharityNavigator and GuideStar, can help you identify organizations by issue area, size, and state. 

 

Reference the University of Washington and Princeton toolkits for designing an internship that supports both your development and the nonprofit’s work.

If you would like additional help brainstorming nonprofits to approach based on your interests, email Sarah Arney.