9 Non-Profit Internships for High School Students
If you are interested in non-profit career options and/or gaining hands-on professional experience, these programs provide invaluable opportunities for you! These 9 non-profit internships, which include hospitals, some government organizations, museums, and more, provide an immersive experience with a public service component. By participating in a non-profit internship, you will have the chance to take a deep dive into service-oriented career fields with the guidance of non-profit experts!
Participation in a non-profit internship while you’re in high school can also be a significant boost to your college applications. More and more, colleges and universities are looking for students who demonstrate a passion for lifelong learning and community engagement. Non-profit work reflects your willingness to engage with the world in meaningful ways and your dedication to academic and professional exploration.
Many colleges and universities have missions that include community service and civic responsibility, a quality you can show through completing a non-profit internship. You’ll also acquire unique experiences and insights for your essays and interviews, setting you apart as a more holistic candidate and making you more attractive to prospective colleges!
Ladder Internships is a selective start-up internship program for ambitious high school students! In the program, you work with a high-growth start-up on an internship. Start-ups that offer internships range across a variety of industries from tech/deep tech, AI/ML to health tech, marketing, journalism, consulting, and more. You can explore all the options here on their application form. Ladder’s start-ups are high-growth companies on average raising over a million dollars. Past founders have included YCombinator alums, founders raising over 30 million dollars, or founders who previously worked at Microsoft, Google, and Facebook. In the program, interns work closely with their managers and a Ladder Coach on real-world projects and present their work to the company. Here is the application form.
Interns are offered one-on-one training in communication, time management and other such valuable skills and will also have the opportunity to attend group training sessions with other interns in their cohort. The virtual internship is usually 8 weeks long.
Cost: $1990 (Financial Aid Available)
Location: Remote! You can work from anywhere in the world.
Application deadline: Deadlines vary depending on the cohort
Program dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year
Eligibility: Students who can work for 10-20 hours/week, for 8-12 weeks. Open to high school students, undergraduates and gap year students!
2. Teens in Public Service Internships (TIPS)
TIPS provides paid internship opportunities at non-profit organizations in the Greater Seattle area. All of their internships are chosen because they provide practical work experience and education about ethical leadership. They have a variety of nonprofits you can choose from including youth development organizations, medical/hospital facilities, and environmental groups.
You’ll be expected to be available for 6-8 weeks during the summer, and you’ll be compensated at Seattle’s minimum wage for a maximum of 160 hours. Duties and responsibilities vary depending on your placement, but you can expect a heavy focus on leadership, hands-on experience, public service, and social justice. You’ll also be connected to the TIPS alumni network, attend multiple workshops, and a leadership and development training day. You’ll need to submit a written application and a letter of recommendation. Top applicants then move on to a formal interview.
Location: Multiple locations throughout the Greater Seattle area. Some opportunities are a combination of in-person and work-from-home.
Cost: None, up to a $3,200 stipend provided
Application Deadline: March of the application year
Program Dates: Varies by location, but students need to commit to 6-8 weeks between June and August
Eligibility: You’ll need to be aged 15-19 and enrolled in high school. You’ll also need to commit to 3 mandatory training dates in the May before your summer of internship
EnergyMag is a non-profit organization dedicated to energy storage. They work to increase the share of renewable energy in the world and help others learn about the energy storage industry. Their internship is focused on research and analysis skills in fields of science and business.
They offer half-time and quarter-time internships. For a half-time internship, you can expect to work 20 hours a week during the summer for 2-8 weeks. Quarter-time internships run year-round for 1-9 months and you’re expected to work approximately 8 hours per week. Duties for interns vary by skill and education level, but you’ll likely be asked to research and analyze a specific company, market, or technology. The organization assigns you a mentor and your research findings will be published on the EnergyMag website.
Location: Virtual
Cost: None, unpaid
Application Deadline: Rolling application deadline
Program Dates: 2-8 weeks during the summer for half-time interns. 1-9 months for quarter-time interns. Quarter-time internships run year-round
Eligibility: Must be a sophomore, junior, or senior in high school, have at least one honors science or English class, and a GPA over 3.25
DOROT is a non-profit focused on intergenerational relationships. They offer two four-week sessions at their Manhattan location. They only select 20 interns per session and each session has a different focus. For 2024, the first session focuses on social justice and Jewish communal connections. The second session focuses on an intergenerational theater program.
Interns are required to commit to the full 4 weeks of their session, Monday-Thursday, 10am-4:30 pm. Each intern receives their own schedule, but you can expect to participate in workshops and art-based projects with seniors, lead intergenerational discussion groups, play games, and design and run intergenerational discussions and activities. Interns for both programs are expected to be available for 15 hours of volunteer work during the academic year following their internship.
Location: Manhattan, NY
Cost: None
Application Deadline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis from December to June 1 of the application year
Program Dates: The first session normally runs through June and the second session normally takes place in July
Eligibility: Must be a rising sophomore, junior, or senior in high school and able to commute to your internship location
CLARIFY is the City Limits Accountability Reporting Initiative for Youth. They are the oldest non-profit investigative news agency. Their summer internship is a training program for high school students interested in public service journalism. They focus on real-world work, civics, and writing experience in their internship. You can expect a heavy focus on developing your research, writing, and interviewing skills. You’ll also work in teams with other interns and your work has the potential to be published.
Summer interns work four days per week from 10am- 4pm while fall interns work two days per week from 4:30pm-6:30pm. The program is highly competitive and you can get all of the details here.
Location: New York, NY
Cost: None, $2,000 stipend provided for summer interns. $500 stipend provided for fall interns
Application Deadline: May 24, 2024 for summer internships. September 9, 2024 for fall internships
Program Dates: Summer session runs for six weeks from the beginning of July to the middle of August.
Eligibility: This program requires that you are a NYC high school student entering your junior or senior year in the upcoming academic year. Graduating seniors are also eligible
This program is an intensive work experience for students who have a passion for STEM and related fields. You’re expected to work 7-10 hours a week during the school year and 35 hours a week during the summer. You receive training on inquiry-based learning techniques, serve as a guide or facilitator for museum patrons, lead STEM activities, and assist with the development of future floor programs and exhibits.
This competitive non-profit program is a great fit for students who are passionate about STEM and public relations.
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Cost: none, pays $16.78 an hour
Application Deadline: The application deadline for 2024-2025 hasn’t been posted, but the application will open in August
Program Dates: The program runs through the academic year and then through the summer
Eligibility: Must be currently enrolled as a high school sophomore or junior with a minimum of 2.0 GPA. Must reside or go to school within a one mile radius of the California Science Center
This is a comprehensive year-long internship that combines biomedical research with college counseling guidance. As an intern, you have access to college level didactic instruction in biology, SAT prep classes, and college application workshops. You’ll also perform cutting-edge biomedical research experiments under the mentorship of scientists at The Saban Research Institute of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles during the summer before your senior year.
If you’re looking for an internship that provides support and guidance for college prep alongside professional, hands-on STEM work experience, this could be a great fit!
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Cost: None
Application Deadline: Application are open yearly from November to February
Program Dates: Fall semester of your junior year through the summer before your senior year
Eligibility: Must be a rising junior with a strong interest in STEM and identify as an underrepresented minority in medicine
This is a great program if you’re passionate about youth programs and education. There are two programs: the after school volunteer program and the summer volunteer program. As an after-school program volunteer, you’ll earn community service hours while helping 3rd-8th graders with math, reading, and other homework. As a summer volunteer, you’ll assist with tutoring support and special projects around STEM, art, and the yearly camp theme.
This program offers a lot of hands-on experience and shows strong civic engagement.
Location: Arlington, VA
Cost: None
Application Deadline: None
Program Dates: Year round
Eligibility: Must be an enrolled high school student able to commute to one of three south Arlington locations
This four-week summer internship is designed to provide high schoolers with exposure to professional scientific research through hands-on lab experience and the use of cutting edge technology. They offer internships in nine different medical labs, and the program has a significant mentorship component. If you’re interested in the work BNI does, but want an out-of-lab experience, you can also look into their marketing, publications, or Foundation internships.
You can expect to work in your lab on real projects. You’ll also focus on developing your scientific analysis skills and learn to evaluate scientific literature. The combination of scholastic skills and real-world experience makes this internship a strong choice if you’re passionate about the biological sciences.
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Cost: None
Application Deadline: April 1 of the application year
Program Dates: Usually the beginning of July through the beginning of August
Eligibility: You must be 16 years or older to participate
One other option - Lumiere Research Scholar Program
If you’re interested in pursuing university-level research, you could also consider applying to one of the Lumiere Research Scholar Programs, selective online high school programs for students founded with researchers at Harvard and Oxford. Last year, we had over 4000 students apply for 500 spots in the program! You can find the application form here.
Also check out the Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation, a non-profit research program for talented, low-income students. Last year, we had 150 students on full need-based financial aid!
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a PhD student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.
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