The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation recognizes that summer internships for college students represent a vital pathway to future employment in the nonprofit sector and offer a training ground for the next generation of nonprofit leaders. Yet, these opportunities are unfamiliar or out of reach for many young people, especially students of color and others who cannot afford an unpaid summer internship.
In an effort to diversify the pool of aspiring, nonprofit professionals, the Foundation established the Non-Profit Internship Program (NPIP) in 2011. Each summer, the program awards up to 20 students, enrolled in four-year colleges and universities across the state, paid internships at ZSR-grantee organizations. The program is also intended to expand opportunities for students to explore the nonprofit field, a sector that contributes 425,000 jobs to the state.
Many internships in the nonprofit sector are unpaid, which poses a considerable barrier to students who cannot afford to work or volunteer for the summer without pay or a stipend. Recognizing this financial hurdle, the Foundation provides two-thirds of a $3,200 summer stipend to the student, while the host organization provides the remaining one-third of the stipend. Students spend up to eight weeks with the host organization participating in a range of educational and skill-building opportunities including, but not limited to, research, community outreach, communications, fundraising and social media. Students are financially eligible to be Pell grant recipients.
The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation recently partnered with the Weaver Foundation and the Guilford Nonprofit Consortium to offer four additional internships with nonprofit organizations in the Greater Greensboro area. This will result in a total of 24 nonprofit internships offered in 2016.
If you are a funder and want to learn more about ZSR's Non-Profit Internship Program, visit our website and watch this video.
If you are a funder interested in participating, contact ZSR Fellow Keren Salim.
If you would like to talk with the President of the Weaver Foundation, Kevin Gray, to learn more about the organization's decision to sign onto NPIP, email or call 336-378-7910.