Research & Community Engagement Intern
Research & Community Engagement Intern
Reports to: Dir., Local Arts Agency Community
Team: Research Engagement & Equity in Research
FLSA Status: Hourly, Non-Exempt
Employment Type: Student/Intern
Session: Summer
Location: In-Person Hybrid or Fully Remote
Pay Rate: Hourly based on DC minimum living wage $17.95 per hour until June 30, 2026. Increased to $18.40 per hour effective July 1, 2026. This internship is intended for educational benefit, and we support receiving school credit for participation.
How to Apply: Click here to apply.
Application Deadline: The application portal will close at 3:00 pm ET March 31st
Who We Are
Americans for the Arts (AFTA) strengthens the arts from the ground up – supporting advocacy that empowers communities, develops arts leadership, and produces field-informed research. We shape national arts policy to reflect the realities and aspirations of artists, organizations, businesses, and communities nationwide. We champion the arts as a unifying and essential force in American life.
About the Research Team
The Research team is a trusted source of analysis, data, and information about arts and culture across the federal, local, and national arts and cultural ecosystem. This arts and culture field looks to the Research team for reliable data and storytelling produced from anchor projects that include the Arts and Economic Prosperity studies, national public opinion studies, and local arts agency field surveys.
The Research team supports the organization by working across teams with a focus on evaluation work with Programs, advocacy support for Government Affairs and Executive Office, and producing reliable data to support Marketing and Development.
The Research team is a three-person team comprised of a vice president of research, a senior director of research services, and director of local arts agency community engagement and equity research. The team values integrity, equity, accountability, rigor, relevance, non-extractive, and collaboration, which permeate throughout its work. We are ready to support a summer intern who has a desire to evaluate and measure the impact of AFTACON 2026, creatively and community centered.
An Overview of the Role
The Research and Community Engagement (RCE) Intern will help AFTA understand the impact of AFTACON 2026 — our national convention for arts leaders and advocates. This position will assist in survey design, support focus groups, and conduct follow-up conversations with arts leaders that capture both the numbers and the human stories behind the event. This internship offers hands-on experience in nonprofit program evaluation, showing how research informs strategy, equity, and advocacy in the arts sector.
Participation in this program provides the opportunity to attend our annual conference (AFTACON, June 2nd – 5th) and work across teams to learn more about the arts and culture field and support advocacy and policy related initiatives. This internship encourages the exploration of their local cultural institutions, offering a flexible schedule with hours that might fluctuate above and below our standard 37.50-hour work week.
The desired outcome of this internship is to have greater insight into how large-scale events are evaluated and how data can support meaningful change in communities.
Key Responsibilities
Research Support
- Gather and organize participant feedback,
- Support basic data analysis
- Help organize registration and participation data
- Support follow-up outreach with a small group of attendees
- Take and synthesize notes during focus groups or structured conversations
- Assist with post-event surveys and feedback collection
Data & Storytelling
- Identify themes in survey responses
- Help summarize findings into clear, accessible language
- Contribute to reports or presentations that share impact
- Explore the potential of leveraging AI tools to support data analysis
Professional Development
- Participate in team meetings and strategy discussions
- Maintain a reflective journal on your learning
Experience and Skills That Matter Most
Candidates are encouraged to apply, even if they do not possess all the experience and skills listed:
- A commitment to advancing the AFTA mission, with a commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility and a passion for arts, research, arts advocacy, public policy, and non-profit advocacy.
- Is pursuing (or recently completed) studies in arts administration, nonprofit management, public policy, sociology, education, or related fields.
- A passion, curiosity, and excitement to learn about impact and equity in research and arts and culture.
- Comfortable organizing information in Excel
- Strong communication skills and interest in translating data into clear and accessible language
- An independent self-starter who also enjoys being a part of a team.
More About the Internship
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.
- Able to work between 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. ET, working an average of 37.50 hours a week, for the duration of the 12-weeks program.
- Be able to attend in-person the AFTACON annual conference in Albuquerque, NM, June 2 – 5th.
Program Duration:
- The program is scheduled to run for a 12-week period. We anticipate the program to begin the second half of May and conclude mid-August.
- Depending on the needs of the team and intern there is the potential for your program to start before June 1st and end before or after August 31st, based on start date.
Work hours and office:
- We have a 7.50-hour day, for a total of 37.50-hour work week. However, there is flexibility based on personal need.
- Our core business hours are 10:00 am to 4:00 pm ET, Monday through Friday.
- In person dress code is business casual.