ZSR Announces Non-Profit Internship Program Participants Funders join together to award twenty-seven students paid summer internships to explore the nonprofit sector

The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation has announced the participants of its 2016 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 to 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 twenty plus students paid summer internships and matches them with organizations the Foundation has funded across the state. Many 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 400,000 jobs to the state.

“We established the Non-Profit Internship Program in 2011 as a way to provide college students with an introduction to the dynamic work nonprofits are doing in communities all across the state,” said Maurice “Mo” Green, 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, we can help students gain the experience and credentials they need to better position themselves for a potential career.

This year, the Foundation is partnering with the Weaver Foundation, the Guilford Nonprofit Consortium, and the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation to offer five additional internships with nonprofit organizations. This has resulted in a total of 27 nonprofit internships offered in 2016.

“The Non-Profit Internship Program is a great way for funders to support the nonprofit sector,” said Kevin Gray, president of the Weaver Foundation. “We are proud to be a partner with the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation in helping to develop the next generation of nonprofit leaders in our community and across the state.”

“Supporting the Non-Profit Internship Program provides a special opportunity to not only expand our commitment to North Carolina’s nonprofit sector and foster the next generation of nonprofit leaders, but also the opportunity to collaborate with the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation and others who have come together to support this valuable program,” said Kathy Higgins, president of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation.

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 a recipient of a Pell grant during the academic year in which they submit the application. Host organizations – all of which are based in-state – must also meet a set of criteria in order to participate.

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

The Foundation hosted an orientation session for host organizations and their summer interns on May 26, 2016 in Raleigh at the NC Rural Economic Development Center.

This year, 48 organizations and 99 students from 27 colleges and universities applied.

Below are the organizations that were selected this year and their 2016 summer interns: