2027 Arts Action Fund Internship
Washington, DC, DC
Internship
Arts Action Fund
Student (High School)
Arts Action Fund Internship
Reports to: Arts Action Fund, Managing Consultant Team: Arts Action Fund
FLSA Status: Non-Exempt Employment Type: Student/Intern
Session: Summer (late May – mid August) Location: DC Based or Remote
Session: Summer (late May – mid August) Location: DC Based or Remote
Pay Rate: $18.40 per hour. – This internship is intended for educational benefit; we support receiving school credit for participation.
Application Deadline: The application portal will close on January 3, 2027, 3:00 pm ET.
Who We AreApplication Deadline: The application portal will close on January 3, 2027, 3:00 pm ET.
Americans for the Arts is the nation's leading arts advocacy organization. We mobilize advocates, produce trusted research, and secure bipartisan wins that protect funding and expand arts access nationwide — work we've been doing for more than 65 years. We advance the people, organizations, and systems supporting arts and culture across America through advocacy, research, and national convening. We envision a nation where freedom of creative expression is upheld as a fundamental human right, where arts and culture are woven into the fabric of civic life, resourced in every community, and accessible to everyone.
An Overview of the Arts Action Fund Team
Led by an Interim Executive Director, the Americans for the Arts Action Fund (AAF) team mobilizes grassroots advocates to advance pro-arts public policy and civic engagement nationwide. As a 501c4 nonprofit membership organization subsidiary of Americans for the Arts (AFTA), the AAF dedicates 100% of its time, resources, and grassroots engagement to ensuring arts-friendly policies are adopted at the federal level.
The team oversees membership growth and grassroots advocacy programming, ArtsVote voter education initiatives and federal policy education. While operating independently, the team works closely with the Government Affairs, Research, and Communications teams at AFTA to align legislative strategy, policy analysis, and public messaging. The overarching goal of AAF is to strengthen bipartisan support for the arts, expand grassroots civic participation, and mobilize a national network of informed arts advocates and voters.
The AAF is currently comprised of Interim Executive Director and Managing Consultant. The AAF Intern will support membership engagement, advocacy programming, and civic participation initiatives during a critical midterm election cycle. This role will help expand the capacity of the team while providing meaningful exposure to nonprofit advocacy, electoral engagement, and national arts policy strategy.
An Overview of the Role
The Arts Action Fund Intern plays a critical role in supporting the organization’s grassroots advocacy, membership engagement and updates, and Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV) education efforts. The intern will be exposed to the intersection of nonprofit leadership, federal policy education, and political engagement within a 501c4 advocacy organization. Upon completion of the program, the intern will have greater insight into national arts advocacy strategy, grassroots mobilization, and GOTV engagement in a federal midterm cycle.
Participation in this program provides the opportunity to attend our annual conference, in Atlanta June 7 – 11, 2027, and working across teams to learn more about the arts and culture field and support advocacy and policy related initiatives.
The desired outcome of this internship is to understand how advocacy and elections shape cultural policy.
Key Responsibilities
Political Engagement Exposure
- Support preparation of materials related to candidate surveys and congressional voting records, and midterm election planning.
- Support development of ArtsVote voter education materials and election cycle engagement strategies.
- Assist in research and preparation of resources tied to the Arts Policy Vote and voter mobilization efforts.
- Contribute to planning and execution of virtual civic engagement programs and voter education webinars.
- Assist in engaging and growing the Arts Action Fund’s national membership network.
- Make updates to membership information in the Salesforce database.
- Support membership communications, renewal outreach, and engagement strategies.
- Help track member participation in advocacy alerts, policy votes, and ArtsVote activities.
- Assist with summarizing federal actions impacting the arts.
- Conduct research to support Arts Action Fund programming and rapid-response advocacy efforts.
- Support planning and execution of Arts Action Fund communications, briefings, and advocacy activations.
- Participate in cross-departmental meetings with Americans for the Arts to understand alignment between c3 and c4 strategies.
- Contribute to strategic projects tied to membership growth and the 2027-2028 election cycle.
Candidates are encouraged to apply, even if they do not possess all the experience and skills listed:
- A commitment to advancing the AAF mission, with a commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility and a passion for arts, research, arts advocacy, civic engagement, public policy, and non-profit advocacy.
- Current undergraduate or graduate student, or recent college graduate, in fields such as public policy, political science, communications, arts administration, nonprofit management, or related disciplines.
- Strong writing, proofreading, and research skills, with the ability to translate complex policy information into clear, accessible language.
- Experience or interest in GOTV campaigns, advocacy initiatives, grassroots organizing, or voter engagement efforts.
- Comfort working with digital tools and platforms, including Canva and Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and major social media platforms; familiarity with CRM systems, email marketing tools, or website management is a plus.
- Ability to manage multiple projects, meet deadlines, and work both independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment.
- Strong interpersonal skills and a customer-service mindset that ensures all advocates and stakeholders feel valued and respected.
- A desire to gain firsthand experience in national arts advocacy, federal policy education, and electoral engagement during a midterm election cycle.
Eligibility:
- High school graduates, current college students, mid-career professionals, and those looking to transition to a new career field in the arts and culture ecosystem.
- Must be eligible to work in and reside within the United States
- Must be available to work between 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. ET, Monday – Friday (37.50-hour work week) and commit to participating for the full 12 weeks program.
- Ability to attend in-person AFTACON 2027 in Atlanta, Georgia, June 7 – 11, 2027. Travel and lodging cost are fully covered as part of your participation in the internship.
- The program is scheduled to run for a 12-week period. We anticipate the program to begin in Summer 2027, starting in late May and concluding in mid-August.
- There is the potential for flexibility in the start and end dates, depending upon the ideal candidate and team needs.
- This is internship can work remotely or from our DC based office.
- We have a 7.50-hour day Monday - Friday, for a total of 37.50 hours work week.
- You will be provided with a laptop and other equipment in support of the internship.
- In person dress code is business casual.
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