Yawkey Program: Previous Internship Sites
Frequent Internship Sites
More than 300 employers have hosted Yawkey Interns since the program launched, with some participating year after year. The following nonprofit organizations have hosted 5 times or more.
Yawkey Foundation Areas of Giving
Qualifying internships for the Yawky Program must be unpaid internships at nonprofit organizations with missions that align with one of these 6 areas.
Health Care
Access to high-quality health care, particularly for those disadvantaged members of the community, was an issue of great importance to Tom and Jean Yawkey. The Yawkey Foundation continues this legacy by supporting organizations that provide health-care services to the neediest residents in our communities. Learn more about
their work in health care.
Sample Previous Organizations
Student Perspective
“The most rewarding aspect of my experience was getting a real view of what practicing medicine in Hawaiʻi is like. I was able to find a meaningful connection wherever I went during this internship; from watching a live birth in the hospital that I was born in, to having a “talk-story” session with an orthopedic surgeon who operated on multiple of my family members, or watching a heart valve replacement surgery at the same hospital my grandma had her heart valve replaced, there is something special about gaining experiences in a place that you call home and can make a personal connection with.”
Kylie Yamauchi, CAS’22
Hawai’i Pacific Health
Read more about Kylie’s experience on our blog
Education
Tom and Jean Yawkey valued the importance of education and understood its ability to change lives. They supported scholarship programs for disadvantaged youth and established several scholarship programs at colleges and universities to help young people reach their educational goals. Learn more about
their work in education.
Sample Previous Organizations
Student Perspective
“Leading my sector of the financial department has allowed me to bolster my leadership skills such as delegating tasks, leading discussions, and creating enriching presentations to give guidance to my directors, as well as the board members of each chapter across the US. Learning and experiencing the values and culture that our organization cultivates has [also] made me a better employee, teammate, leader, and person. Overall, this experience has been amazing and I am excited to continue working with Hearts for the Homeless International in the future.”
Jacob Rose, QST’24
Hearts for the Homeless
Read more about Jacob’s experience on our blog
Human Services
Tom and Jean Yawkey never forgot the importance of caring for others, particularly children and struggling families. Some of the areas of focus for the Yawkey Foundation’s initiatives in human services include food and shelter, children at-risk, children with special needs, mentoring, youth violence prevention, and disadvantaged adults. Learn more about
their work in human services.
Sample Previous Organizations
Student Perspective
“After completing my internship, I truly realized how valuable non-profit work is for under-served populations and for those with precarious legal statuses in the United States. I hope to go to law school in the future, and my legal outreach experience towards the end of the internship really helped solidify my passion for this work.”
Hadeel Abuktaish, CAS’22
International Institute of New England
Read more about Hadeel’s experience on our blog
Youth and Amateur Athletics
Tom and Jean Yawkey were committed to providing athletic opportunities for young people who otherwise may not have access to recreation programs. The Yawkeys recognized that team sports, particularly baseball and softball, build important social skills such as cooperation, sharing, and discipline.
their work in youth and amateur athletics.
Sample Previous Organizations
Student Perspective
“The work I was given was challenging and I felt supported knowing that I always had someone to call when I need support. While this experience hasn’t made me conclude on what field or career I want to pursue, it gave me an understanding of youth serving nonprofits and more clarity that I know that whatever position I am in, I want to have meaningful work that has a positive impact on others (as cheesy as it sounds). The mentorship I’ve had at the club is phenomenal and I felt that I deepened connections I already had.”
Kaye Chin, CAS’23
Mid-Peninsula Boys & Girls Club
Read more about Kaye’s experience on our blog
Arts and Culture
Tom and Jean Yawkey supported cultural institutions and organizations in the community that enriched the lives of children and families by inspiring curiosity, creativity, and a life-long sense of wonder and appreciation for the world around them.
their work in arts and culture.
Sample Previous Organizations
Student Perspective
“Interacting with living artists and discussing their art with them was a dream. This made me feel good about the work that I was doing in class as I was able to apply the critical seeing skills that I had learned and apply them to real-life work.”
Priscilla Bright, CAS’23
The Guild of Boston Artists
Read more about Priscilla’s experience on our blog
Conservation and Wildlife
Tom and Jean Yawkey had an enduring appreciation for nature and a desire to protect our natural resources. Their gift of more than 20,000 acres of shorefront land to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources is their most enduring legacy in conservation.
their work in conservation and wildlife.
Sample Previous Organizations
Student Perspective
“I learned the importance of talking to others in the field about their organizations rather than just researching online. By meeting with potential speakers for events, I got a deeper understanding of their organizations mission and the unique work being done. I saw how multi-faceted environmental work is and how it spans multiple careers and fields. After this internship I want to explore these different facets to see which one could be a possible future career. After talking to people doing incredibly innovative work, I gained more insight into how important and relevant it is today.”
Anna Yingst, CAS’22
Environment Colorado
Read more about Anna’s experience on our blog
Find Previous Employers in Handshake
Use Handshake to learn more about these organizations, including upcoming events and posted positions.
Once you log into Handshake, check out this collection of unpaid internships posted by nonprofits or this collection of previous Yawkey Internship sites.
The Yawkey Nonprofit Internship Program is made possible by a gift from the Yawkey Foundation.