Applications Now Available for Yawkey Nonprofit Internship Program

Under the terms of the new program, during the academic year BU students can intern at any Boston area nonprofit. Summer internships outside of Boston must fit within one of the Yawkey Foundations’ six key issue areas: health care, education, human services, youth and amateur athletics, arts and culture, or conservation and wildlife. Photo by Cydney Scott

A new Boston University program is offering an exciting opportunity for sophomores and juniors interested in the nonprofit field. Applications are now being accepted for the program, which will provide stipends for those who have lined up nonpaying internships with a nonprofit organization. The program is funded by the Yawkey Foundations, which pledged $10 million to BU in September to support students interning with local nonprofits.

The internships will be administered by the University’s Center for Career Development (CCD), which is housed in the newly named Yawkey Center at 100 Bay State Road. Students selected for the program will work closely with CCD staff during the course of their internship to set goals, discuss their progress, and write reflective essays.

“The program is intended to provide a living allowance stipend to students who want to be able to do unpaid internships at nonprofits, which can be difficult financially if they aren’t in a position to work for no pay,” says Eleanor Cartelli, CCD associate director for marketing and communications. “This program bridges that gap.” Accepted students will receive a stipend of $1,500 during the academic year and $3,000 for a summer internship.

Information sessions on the Yawkey Nonprofit Internship Program will be held over the next few weeks. The hour-long sessions are required for all applicants. The first application deadline is February 27, with a second application deadline (depending on whether there are still available awards) scheduled for March 20.

Named for the late Tom Yawkey, who bought the Boston Red Sox in 1933, and his wife, Jean, who owned the team until her death in 1992, the Yawkey Foundations have long supported improvements to health care, human services, and education. The Yawkey name can be found throughout Boston on hospital buildings, community centers, and most famously, on the street bordering Fenway Park.

Under the terms of the new program, BU students can intern at any nonprofit in the Boston area during the academic year. Summer internships outside the Boston area must fit within one of the Yawkey Foundations’ six key issue areas: health care, education, human services, youth and amateur athletics, arts and culture, or conservation and wildlife.

A pilot version of the program will launch this summer, with up to 12 applicants receiving funding. The aim of the program is eventually to have 80 to 100 sophomores and juniors enrolled each year.

Students can apply on the CCD website, and must also attach a résumé and answer short essay questions. A complete list of requirements can be found here. Among the requirements:

• Applicants must have a GPA of at least 2.5.
• Students must have attended two CCD workshops before applying: the career directions workshop (which introduces students to the career development cycle and helps them think about maximizing their time at BU and what they will do outside BU) and the self-discovery workshop (which helps students clarify their interests, values, and skills, and identify a plan of action for choosing a major and career), as well as the Yawkey Nonprofit Internship Program information session.
• Students must secure their own internship.
• Internships may be completed during fall or spring semester of sophomore year, during the summer following sophomore year, or during fall or spring semester of junior year.
• During the academic year, students must work 120 hours at their internship; in the summer, students must work a minimum of 300 hours.

The Yawkeys had a long relationship with BU dating to the early 1950s, when BU played all its football games at Fenway Park, and Terrier quarterback and baseball standout Harry Agganis (SED’54), “the Golden Greek,” signed with the Red Sox as a first baseman.

Interested in applying for a Yawkey internship? Information sessions will be held at the CCD; find this week’s times here. The first application deadline is February 27; a second application deadline (if positions are still available) is on March 20.