ZSR Announces 2015 Non-Profit Internship Program Participants Nineteen students awarded paid summer internships to explore the nonprofit sector

The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation has announced the participants of its 2015 Non-Profit Internship Program.

The Foundation believes it is important for college students to secure paid summer internships with nonprofit organizations in order to pave a pathway to future employment in the sector and offer a training ground for the next generation of nonprofit leaders.

In an effort to diversify the pool of aspiring, young nonprofit professionals, the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation’s Non-Profit Internship Program (NPIP) awards up to twenty students with paid summer internships and matches them with organizations the Foundation has funded across the state. Many other internships in the nonprofit sector are unpaid, which poses a considerable barrier to students who cannot afford to work without pay for the summer. 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.

“We established the Non-Profit Internship Program as a way to provide college students with an introduction to the dynamic work nonprofits are doing in communities all across the state,” said Leslie Winner, executive director of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation. “Our hope is that by removing financial constraints that might prevent them from gaining exposure to this sector, students will walk away with the experience and credentials they need to better position themselves for a potential career with a nonprofit organization after graduation.”

Students are selected through a competitive application process. Eligible students must be: enrolled full time in a four-year college or university; a resident of North Carolina or an out-of-state resident attending an institution in North Carolina; and receiving a Pell grant during the academic year in which they submit the application. Eligible host organizations are all based in-state and are current or recent ZSR grantees.

Internships offer a range of exposure and skill-building opportunities in the areas of research, community outreach, public policy, communications, fundraising and social media.

This year, 34 organizations and 85 students from 29 colleges and universities applied.

The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation established the Non-Profit Internship Program in 2011.

Below are the organizations that were selected this year and their 2015 summer interns: