Summer internships offer a crucial pathway to future employment. Several studies have shown how employers prefer hiring recent graduates with relevant work experience. However, many internships are unpaid, making it difficult for some students to participate in such opportunities. With additional obstacles, such as securing affordable housing and finding transportation, these barriers can create serious hurdles for students, especially low-income students, when it comes to gaining work experience in their areas of study.

In an effort to address these challenges and provide students with experience in the nonprofit sector, the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation (ZSR) established the Non-Profit Internship Program (NPIP) in 2011. NPIP provides paid, summer internships to Pell grant-eligible college students in North Carolina and matches them with nonprofit organizations across the state. Today, NPIP has expanded thanks to the support of additional local, state and national foundations including Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation, Democracy Fund, Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust, Foundation for a Healthy High Point, The Winston-Salem Foundation and Weaver Foundation.

This year, NPIP is offering 39 paid summer internships to eligible students. The deadline to apply is Monday, February 12^th at noon.

For more information or to APPLY, please visit www.zsr.org/grants-programs/non-profit-internship-program.

Together we can continue to build a strong nonprofit sector for generations to come.

José F. Oliva

José F. Oliva is a Fellow with the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation. He also serves in Governor Cooper’s Advisory Council on Hispanic/Latino Affairs. José moved from Guatemala to Greensboro in 2011 where he attended Doris Henderson Newcomers School and Greensboro College Middle College. He received his undergraduate degree in political science and economics from Guilford College.