The Cleveland Foundation Summer Internship Program gives local college students and recent grads an opportunity to work with Greater Cleveland nonprofit and public sector organizations during an 11-week paid summer internship. 

All internships are full-time experiences, paid at a rate of $15 per hour.  

The Cleveland Foundation is working closely with internship host sites to conduct internships safely during the COVID-19 pandemic. In line with the ongoing guidance of public health officials, a variety of internship formats will be available, including virtual and hybrid.  

All majors and fields of study are welcome to apply. Host organizations and projects can benefit from the experiences of students across diverse areas of interest, including (but not limited to) the arts, community and economic development, environmental studies, creative writing, the humanities, nonprofit management, and many more. 

We are pleased to introduce the organizations that will be hosting interns this summer:

• City of Maple Heights – The City of Maple Heights is a majority-minority southeastern suburb of Cleveland incorporated in 1915. The intern will primarily focus on implementation of the City’s new Exterior Maintenance Grant in addition to collecting ArcGIS field data and assisting with record retention.
• Cleveland Kids’ Book Bank – The Cleveland Kids’ Book Bank fosters literacy and a love of reading by distributing free books to children in need through collaboration with community partners. An intern will help to build and maintain a robust summer program event schedule as well as to support the organization’s Volunteer Ambassador Program to expand reach at community events.
• Cleveland Neighborhood Progress – Cleveland Neighborhood Progress (CNP) is a local community development funding intermediary with more than 30 years of experience investing in community revitalization work in the City of Cleveland. During their 11-week experience, an intern will assist CNP in its efforts to deliver comprehensive economic and community development support to community development corporations and small businesses located within Cleveland’s southeast and surrounding neighborhoods.
• DigitalC – DigitalC, through its empowerCLE+ Wireless Internet Service Provider (WISP), is providing affordable, reliable high speed Internet service to Cleveland households in its least connected neighborhoods. As a Digital Navigator, an intern will assist community members with adoption, digital literacy training, surveys, devices and general technical support.
• East End Neighborhood House Association – East End Neighborhood House is one of Cleveland’s oldest settlement houses. Today, East End primarily serves the Buckeye/Woodhill neighborhood, providing a safe space for the community, top-quality childcare, after school programs, and a senior center. Working as part of the team, an intern will help to create, organize and expand the organization’s Marjorie Hall-Ellis Institute to include young adults.
• Equality Ohio Education Fund – Equality Ohio is the statewide LGBTQ+ education and advocacy organization working to change hearts, minds, and laws in service of creating an Ohio where people are welcome, affirmed, and flourishing. The intern will assist with organizing outreach and education opportunities advancing LGBTQ+ equality in Ohio, working alongside the Regional Organizer to support fieldwork in northeast Ohio.
• Fairfax Renaissance Development Corporation – Fairfax Renaissance Development Corporation (FRDC) is a nonprofit community development corporation serving primarily low to moderate income urban residents in the Fairfax neighborhood in Cleveland. FRDC provides various programs and services for the Greater University Circle area including housing and housing maintenance programs; advocacy, community building, and organizing; and planning and technical assistance. An intern will be involved in FRDC’s neighborhood stabilization efforts intended to catalyze development in the community.
• FRONT Exhibition Company – FRONT International: Cleveland Triennial for Contemporary Art is a region-wide exhibition of contemporary art and the expression of a three-year engagement by an international team of artists, curators, and scholars with the creative resources of Northeast Ohio. Working directly with staff, Cleveland residents, and educational partners at Cleveland Public Library, an intern will help to coordinate and implement a rigorous summer calendar of activities across the city.
• Geauga County Public Library – The Geauga County Public Library provides library services to residents of Geauga County. It includes five full-service branches, a fleet of Mobile Services vehicles that serve rural areas and community centers, and an Administrative Center. In support of the Partners of the Geauga County Library Foundation group launched in 2020, an intern will recruit and coordinate volunteers, communicate the mission of the partners to the public, plan events, and engage in community outreach.
• Help Foundation, Inc. – HELP Foundation’s mission is to empower individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities through residential, day support, vocational and summer education programs to choose services and opportunities as respected members of the community. HELP is seeking an intern to assist with the launch of HELP Harvest and specifically the Grab & Go Café at the new Cleveland Foundation headquarters.
• HOLA Ohio – Based in Painesville, HOLA Ohio has a mission to improve quality-of-life opportunities and empower the Latino community through outreach, education, civic engagement, entrepreneurship and skills development. HOLA is an award-winning nonprofit organization which works with Latino, immigrant and farmworker families across the state. An intern will assist HOLA program staff to establish, plan, and sustain HOLA’s programming at the new Hispanic Community Center, opening spring 2022. The intern will work with HOLA staff, members of the Latino community, program partners, and the general public, gaining a deeper understanding of the Latino and immigrant experience while making a meaningful difference in their lives.  
• Linking Employment Abilities & Potential (LEAP) – LEAP is an agent of positive change, working to advance participation and equality in society for people with disabilities in Northeast Ohio. LEAP serves people with all types of disability in the areas of youth transition, employment, public benefits access, home and community-based services, health related prevention and diversion, and social engagement and recreation, by providing education, skill development training, and peer mentoring by staff with disabilities. An intern will support LEAP’s summer youth employment program and be fully involved in the development and execution of the Youth Leadership Forum sponsored by the Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities.
• Organic Connects – The mission of Organic Connects, a 501(c)(3) established in May 2017, is to promote opportunities for engaging youth and families from urban communities with nature. This engagement focuses on environmental justice, recreation, stewardship, education, and workforce development to increase diversity within the green industry. Additionally, by uplifting cultural history and acknowledging social barriers, Organic Connects aims to reframe the current environmental movement narrative.
• Pregnant with Possibilities Resource Center – Founded in 2015, Pregnant with Possibilities Resource Center provides culturally-competent sexual education to youth, increases positive birth outcomes for women, and empowers all with goal setting and family planning strategies. An intern will help with program analytics and evaluation documentation as well as work directly with the community health coordinator to assist pregnant and parenting clients.
• Arts Impact – Arts Impact partners with Cleveland area schools and community organizations to provide high-quality arts experiences for youth. The organization was founded in 2002 as Progressive Arts Alliance and just recently changed its name to Arts Impact to better reflect its work and plans for the future. An intern will support Arts Impact’s 20th Anniversary Celebration event planning and implementation, primarily through development and marketing.
• Starting Point – Starting Point is a nonprofit organization working to ensure that high-quality learning opportunities are available to every child in northeast Ohio, regardless of where they were born, their race or their zip code. Starting Point connects children, youth, and families to high-quality childcare, pre-school and out-of-school time opportunities; provides trainings and technical assistance to child care programs; and leads efforts to increase the quality and availability of childcare. An intern will have the opportunity to undertake projects related to organizational development and to support Starting Point’s strategic planning process.
• The Jarvis Gibson Foundation – While addressing education as being the foundation of building success, many youth experience barriers of which are out of their control. The Jarvis Gibson Foundation has developed objectives to address these social determinants to assist in removing barriers such as lack of education around mental health, awareness of opportunities to educate on preparation for after high school (college and trade programs), financial literacy, sex education, substance abuse, and economic development. An intern will assist with grant writing, communication with current/potential funders and sponsors, and creating marketing and program content; creating, managing, and growing website and social media content; and supporting the establishment of an annual fundraising gala.
• The Literacy Cooperative – The Literacy Cooperative’s (TLC) mission is to work to advance literacy by raising awareness of the issue, promoting effective public advocacy, and fostering a delivery system with maximum impact on our region. TLC is leading efforts to develop a local literacy-focused family-learning continuum of services. An intern will support the development efforts of TLC through donor and prospect research as well as support the work of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
• The May Dugan Center – Founded in 1969 as a multi-service center to provide wraparound services to low-income individuals and families in the Cleveland area, the May Dugan Center helps people enrich and advance their lives and communities through six core programs: Counseling and Community Services, Trauma Recovery Center, Education and Resource Center, Moms First, Food and Clothing Distribution, and the Senior Wellness program. In total, MDC’s programs and services reach over 10,000 people throughout Greater Cleveland annually. The primary work of an intern will be to support MDC’s Food Distribution activities, a program which has more than doubled its impact during the pandemic.
• West Park Kamm’s Neighborhood Development – West Park Kamm’s Neighborhood Development (WPKND) serves Ward 17 in the West Park neighborhood on Cleveland’s far west side. WPKND’s mission is to cultivate a neighborhood where the diverse needs of its people are met through community-building, stewardship, and development initiatives. Founded in 1977 to support local businesses and grow the Kamm’s Corners commercial district, the organization’s work has evolved to include engagement with residents, businesses, institutions, and visitors to elevate the quality of life in the community. In alignment with a two-year strategic plan, an intern will assist in the development of a long-term placemaking vision for the neighborhood’s important commercial nodes.
• Young Latino Network – The Young Latino Network (YLN) was founded in 2002 by a group of forward-thinking volunteers to empower the Latino/a/e/x community through leadership development and civic engagement. Their work has focused on building a pipeline of next generation Latino/a/e/x leaders in Greater Cleveland, bridging cultural and socioeconomic divides within the community, building political power through civic education and voter mobilization efforts, and creating a brave space for their community to show up as they are. YLN plans to onboard a summer intern to support civic engagement activities.
• Cleveland Foundation – The Cleveland Foundation is excited to join residents, nonprofit partners and community leaders as part of a larger movement of equitable growth and placekeeping efforts already underway across Cleveland’s MidTown and Hough neighborhoods. An intern will support the varied stakeholder groups involved in design, planning, and communications ahead of the opening of the Cleveland Foundation’s new headquarters in MidTown. The ideal candidate will be interested in learning more about community partnerships, project coordination, and building unique, vibrant community spaces.

The deadline to apply for the 2022 Cleveland Foundation Summer Internship Program is Feb 15, 2022. Learn more about the program and how to apply. And check out our blog to follow some of our former summer interns.