Grant Research Intern

Summer 2026 Grant Research Internship

Location: Hybrid (Austin, TX)

Part-time (10-17 hours/week) | Compensation: Students (Earning Class Credit):: $825 stipend

Solving Youth Homelessness - Together

At LifeWorks, our mission is to solve youth homelessness through housing, mental health, education, and workforce programs. We believe every young person deserves a place to call home, a sense of belonging, and the support to pursue a life they love. Our team walks alongside youth on their journeys toward stability and independence, always centering their voices and strengths. 

About the Internship

LifeWorks is seeking a Grant Research Intern for the Summer 2026 semester. This role will be responsible for analyzing the social networks of potential donors and creating relationship maps to identify personal connections between LifeWorks and these potential donors. This role is ideal for someone from a data science or social science background who is comfortable analyzing and synthesizing information from numerous sources of data.

Key Responsibilities 

• Stakeholder Identification: Identify key stakeholders associated with potential funders. Examples include founders, trustees, and program officers at charitable foundations. Potential data sources include industry-standard donor databases (e.g., Candid, GrantStation), IRS tax returns, and information gathered through general web searches, which may include AI-assisted queries.
• Social Network Analysis: Analyze the key interests and social networks of potential donors through analysis of their presence on professional networking platforms (e.g., LinkedIn), social media accounts, general media and publicity, and additional research methods.
• Relationship Mapping: Identify where potential donors’ social networks overlap with LifeWorks’ board members, key staff, and existing supporters to identify where existing LifeWorks’ staff and supporters have direct connections to potential donors or connections to key people within potential donors’ social networks.

What You’ll Gain

• Experience using multiple tools and research methods to analyze complex, messy data sources to develop clear and actionable insights.
• An understanding of nonprofit fundraising strategies, focused on early identification and cultivation of potential funders.
• Experience working on cross-functional teams bringing together staff from various disciplines and backgrounds to achieve common goals.

Who We’re Looking For

• A current student in data science, social science, or a related field.
• Experience conducting research projects, particularly working with complex and messy data sets and/or developing tools to gather and organize information from numerous web-based sources.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook). 
• Familiarity with AI-assisted research tools a plus.
• Strong organizational and time management skills, with the ability to prioritize tasks and meet deadlines.   
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.   
• Self-starter with a collaborative spirit.
• Discretion in handling confidential information.
• Enthusiastic, proactive, and eager to learn.