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 $16 per hour.
We are pleased to introduce the organizations that will be hosting interns this summer and announce that the deadline to apply for the program has been extended until Feb. 15. Apply now!
2023 summer interns will be placed at:
ASM Materials Education Foundation – Established in 1952, the ASM Materials Education Foundation provides for the advancement of scientific and engineering knowledge through its support of education and research. A summer intern will serve an integral role in the organization’s development and outreach work while developing a deeper understanding of philanthropy.
Bike Cleveland – Bike Cleveland is creating a region that is sustainable, connected, healthy and vibrant by promoting bicycling and advocating for safe and equitable transportation for all. An intern will be joining a team that envisions a network of well-designed bikeways and walkways that allow all people to safely navigate our communities and beyond and that believes biking, walking, and access to public transit should be convenient, safe, used by a majority of people, and a source of Cleveland’s pride.
Building Hope in the City – Building Hope in the City is a faith-based organization that partners with local congregations, people and organizations to strengthen urban neighborhoods in Cleveland. The organization’s key efforts include refugee and immigrant integration, affordable housing and community development in Cleveland’s Clark-Fulton and Stockyards neighborhoods, social enterprise ventures and job creation, and training and capacity-building. In the summer, an “Impact and Exploration” intern will focus on Rally CLE, a micro grant process for grassroots leaders in the Clark-Fulton, Brooklyn Centre and Stockyards neighborhood.
Burten, Bell, Carr Development, Inc. – Founded in 1990, BBC is a nonprofit community development corporation with a mission to empower citizens and revitalize blighted and underserved communities. BBC has a wealth of neighborhood planning and engagement experience serving the Central, Kinsman and Greater Buckeye neighborhoods. An intern will be primarily responsible for two projects related to Historically significant locations in our service area: Shaker Square and Kingsbury Run/Sidaway Bridge.
The City Club of Cleveland – The City Club of Cleveland works to strengthen democracy through conversations of consequence. One of the nation’s great free speech forums. The City Club convenes 90+ forums a year ranging from politics and policy to arts and culture. A summer intern is needed to archive the speaker book library and move forward projects related to marketing and branding.
City of Shaker Heights – The City of Shaker Heights has a national reputation for being an early, planned Garden City suburb and continues to be applauded for excellence in both planning and implementation. An intern would work predominantly within the Planning Department which plans for the City’s future by facilitating redevelopment, planning and implementing beautiful public spaces and world-class amenities, and supporting vibrant commercial areas and neighborhoods. It also administers the zoning code and provides support for planning studies on a wide variety of topics, including comprehensive/strategic planning, transit-oriented development, bicycle/pedestrian planning, traffic studies, public art, streetscape and parks.
The Cleveland Transformation Alliance – The Cleveland Transformation Alliance’s (CTA) mission is to ensure every student is engaged in high-quality, equitable education. CTA provides Cleveland families with the information, tools and support they need to find and commit to their best-fit public school. The summer intern will work directly with the family engagement manager to assist with communicating with families about school quality and options.
DANCECleveland – DANCECleveland’s mission is to bring the passion and verve of contemporary and modern dance to the hearts and minds of Northeast Ohioans. And intern will work under the artistic & marketing director and executive director to provide project management for the annual Community Dance Day, a large-scale community engagement event which includes free dance and movement classes followed by a showcase of local youth dancers.
Down Syndrome Association of Northeast Ohio – The mission of the Down Syndrome Association of Northeast Ohio (DSANEO) is to provide support, education and advocacy for individuals with Down syndrome, their families and communities. DSANEO is the primary resource for families and communities regarding Down syndrome, where all people with Down syndrome are accepted, included and empowered. For the summer, DSANEO is seeking an intern to assist with the Buddy Walk, a nationally branded event that celebrates individuals with Down syndrome in the community attended by over 4,000 walkers and volunteers.
Famicos Foundation – Famicos Foundation’s mission is to improve the quality of lives in Greater Cleveland through neighborhood revitalization, affordable housing, and integrated social services. The organization owns and manages over 850 affordable housing units for those most in need—seniors, low wage-earning families, the chronically homeless, and people with disabilities – and acts as an anchor for the majority-Black neighborhoods of Glenville, Hough, and St. Clair-Superior, providing social services, affordable housing, and neighborhood revitalization efforts. Famicos Foundation is seeking an intern to complete a National Register of Historic Places nomination for the Grantwood Allotments Historic District in Glenville.
Geauga Growth Partnership, Inc. – GGP leverages the power of partnerships to develop and provide unique programs and networking activities for civic and business leaders, managers and workforce, educational partners, and students to enhance and sustain a thriving community and promote Geauga County as a premier place to live and work. The mission of the organization is to enhance the economic climate in Geauga County by attracting new business, supporting existing businesses, and preparing the workforce of the future. An intern will be responsible for assisting in the coordinating and execution of GGP’s high school Incubator Program and premier fundraising event, HomeGrown Geauga.
Lake Erie Ink – The mission of Lake Erie Ink is to provide creative expression opportunities and academic support to youth in the Greater Cleveland community. Founded in 2011 by two experienced English teachers, Lake Erie Ink responds to the need in our community for creative ways to support literacy both in and out of the classroom. An intern will design, implement and evaluate Lake Erie Ink’s teen programming as well as plan and manage the organization’s summer fundraiser.
LatinUs Theater Company – LatinUs Theater Company was formed by a group of concerned Hispanic leaders from different Latin countries who shared a common goal: a passion for arts and culture and a strong desire to improve the Hispanic community in the Clark-Fulton neighborhood area through the exemplification of the rich Hispanic culture, language, and traditions using the theater as a medium. A digital marketing and social media intern will work closely with staff to build awareness about the theater, shows and projects, and generate community engagement.
Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry – Founded in 1969, the mission of Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry (LMM) is to promote shalom (peace, well-being) and justice (right-relationships) through service and advocacy with those who are oppressed, forgotten and hurting. LMM works with people who are homeless, people who are unemployed, people with behavioral health needs, people involved in the criminal legal system, youth facing adversity and adults in need of guardianship. LMM Intern will assist with the planning, coordination and development of the agency’s 55th anniversary communications and events.
The LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland – The center enriches the lives of northeast Ohio’s diverse LGBTQ+ community through advocacy, support, education and celebration. The center is the leading LGBTQ+- focused agency in the region with the infrastructure and capacity to sustain wide reaching, comprehensive programming. An intern will support Pride in the CLE including the creation of an “Intern Guidebook” that captures the development and implementation of the event.
Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless – The Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless (NEOCH) exists to eliminate the root causes of homelessness while loving our diverse community. We envision a society where everyone has a safe and stable place to call home, where they can also embrace their own power and dignity. The summer intern will design a self-guided historical tour of Cleveland, expanding NEOCH’s educational capacity, and increasing awareness of oppression and inequity in homelessness and housing systems.
Oh Sew Powerful, Inc. – OSPI engages the community through free, hands-on, imaginative programs by instructing and inspiring intergenerational participants to further their creative interests, resulting in positive effects on emotional and mental health, aging, and overall well-being. Exposure to creating, sewing, and crafting allows participants to explore artistic talents inside themselves, which may ultimately be used in an employment opportunity or as a therapeutic hobby. An intern will be engaged in projects related to Board development, marketing, and operations.
Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio – The mission of PPGOH is to provide, protect and expand empowered health care for generations of Ohioans. The organization’s advocacy team, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio (PPAO), supports this work by fighting and advocating for a person’s right to high-quality, affordable reproductive health care and education across Northeast Ohio and beyond, which allows PPGOH to provide critical services. A summer intern will support these efforts, learning and developing best practices in community engagement and organizing as well as effective models of 501c3-compliant public advocacy.
Recess Cleveland – Recess Cleveland builds healthy, active, and connected communities using recess, organized sports, and playful learning. Last summer alone, Recess Cleveland built over 160 pop-up park setups in 12 different neighborhoods and hosted over 6000 attendees of all ages through their our Restore Recess programming. An intern is needed to support these play events including marketing, social media, grant writing and reporting, and logistics.
Seeds of Literacy – Seeds of Literacy helps Greater Cleveland adults achieve their basic education and literacy goals. One-on-one tutoring is provided free of charge to students who are working towards their GED/High School Equivalency Test or seeking to improve their literacy skills. An intern will help research, analyze, and develop new strategies for reaching a broader audience, particularly as it relates to fundraising events and student-centric community outreach and recruitment.
Slavic Village Development – Slavic Village Development (SVD) is a non-profit community development corporation with over 30 years of experience in neighborhood development and community building in Broadway Slavic Village, a community of over 20,250 people in southeast Cleveland. Historically an ethnic, blue-collar community, Broadway Slavic Village has faced challenges in recent years from job loss and aging housing; the community is evolving into a diverse, affordable place for people of modest means to raise their families. SVD is seeking a highly motivated intern who will assist the Neighborhood Stabilization team with master planning activities during the summer of 2023.
Western Reserve Land Conservancy – Western Reserve Land Conservancy is the fiscal agent and chair of the Cleveland Tree Coalition (CTC), a collaborative group of public, private and community stakeholders that have partnered with the City of Cleveland to rebuild our urban forest. The coalition is striving to create a healthy, vibrant, sustainable, and equitable urban forest by working collaboratively to implement the Cleveland Tree Plan. An intern will support Reforest Our City (ROC), a program of the Western Reserve Land Conservancy whose mission is to increase Cleveland’s tree canopy by growing trees, advocating for existing trees, and engaging residents and volunteers.
