Over the last two decades, North Carolina’s demographics have shifted. In 1990, there were over 70,000 Hispanics/Latinxs in the state. Today, there are close to one million Hispanics/Latinxs in North Carolina. As we look into the future, it is expected that many cities and towns across the state will soon become majority-minority, which means that people of color will make up the majority of that place’s population. Despite these changes, the demographics of our leaders remain far from reflecting the diversity of state, especially in the nonprofit and public sector.
In an effort to support a new generation of future nonprofit leaders that embraces North Carolina’s diversity, 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. Through paid internships, NPIP is investing in the next generation of leaders and is addressing the dominant trend of unpaid internships, which has historically left behind many talented young people. NPIP aims to provide low-income youth and youth of color with meaningful opportunities that will allow them to explore, gain experience and thrive in the nonprofit sector and beyond.
In 2019, ZSR is partnering with the following state and national funders to provide 38 paid summer internships to eligible students: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation, Democracy Fund, Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust, Foundation for a Healthy High Point, Reidsville Area Foundation, and Weaver Foundation. Please share this opportunity with students who might be interested. The deadline to apply is Monday, February 11, 2019 at 12:00 p.m. (noon).
For more information or to APPLY, please visit www.zsr.org/grants-programs/non-profit-internship-program.
