Foundation R&D Intern

Foundation Research & Development Intern

Narrative Arts is seeking a paid Foundation Research & Development Intern to help strengthen our institutional fundraising pipeline. This is a semester-long position for a student interested in nonprofit development, philanthropy, research, social justice, arts and culture, journalism, media, rural communities, public health, civic engagement, or community-based work.

Schedule: 8–10 hours per week for approximately 14–15 weeks
Compensation: $20–$25 per hour
Location: Remote, with preference for students based in North Carolina
Internship period: Late August through early December, with flexibility to align with the academic calendar of Duke, UNC, NC State, UNCW, and other North Carolina colleges and universities.

About the Internship

Narrative Arts works at the intersection of storytelling, media, arts, journalism, community engagement, and social change. The intern will work closely with organizational leadership to identify and research potential private foundation and institutional funding opportunities.

This is not a grant-writing position. The focus is on research, analysis, funding intelligence, and building a strong pipeline of prospective funders.

The intern will learn how nonprofit organizations identify funding opportunities, understand philanthropic ecosystems, evaluate funder alignment, and use research and AI tools to support fundraising strategy.

Responsibilities

The intern will:

• Research private foundations and other institutional funding sources.
• Identify new funding opportunities, application cycles, and deadlines.
• Evaluate how potential funders align with Narrative Arts’ mission, programs, geography, and strategic priorities.
• Review foundation websites, grant databases, annual reports, 990 tax filings, and other public sources.
• Research different philanthropic ecosystems, such as journalism, arts and culture, rural communities, public health, civic engagement, democracy, youth media, and social justice.
• Prepare concise internal briefings explaining important funders, trends, opportunities, deadlines, and potential alignment.
• Build and maintain an organized pipeline of prospective foundation funders.
• Distinguish between high-priority prospects, longer-term relationship opportunities, and funders that are unlikely to be a fit.
• Track research, deadlines, contacts, funding interests, and recommended next steps.
• Use Narrative Arts’ existing research systems, AI tools, databases, and shared organizational resources to make fundraising research more efficient.
• Participate in regular conversations with organizational leadership about findings and funding strategy.

Essential Skills

We are looking for someone who:

• Is a strong online researcher and enjoys finding and connecting information.
• Can read information from multiple sources and summarize the most important findings clearly.
• Has strong written communication skills.
• Is organized and attentive to detail.
• Can manage research projects and deadlines independently.
• Is comfortable working with spreadsheets, shared documents, databases, and online research tools.
• Is interested in learning how AI can be used responsibly for research and nonprofit development.
• Can evaluate information critically rather than simply collecting links or search results.
• Is curious about how foundations, nonprofits, philanthropy, and social-change organizations operate.

Minimum Requirements

Applicants should:

• Be currently enrolled in a college or university program.
• Be able to commit approximately 8–10 hours per week for one academic semester.
• Have reliable internet access and be comfortable working remotely.
• Have strong research and writing skills.
• Be comfortable learning new digital and AI-assisted research tools.
• Be able to communicate regularly with a small remote team.

Previous fundraising or grant-writing experience is not required.

Especially Helpful

We encourage applicants with an interest in one or more of the following:

Social justice, arts and culture, journalism, nonprofit media, rural communities, public health, community storytelling, civic engagement, democracy, youth media, philanthropy, communications, public policy, or nonprofit management.

Knowledge of North Carolina communities and institutions is helpful but not required.

What You Will Learn

This internship provides practical experience in nonprofit development and institutional philanthropy. The intern will learn how to:

• Map a philanthropic funding ecosystem.
• Identify and qualify foundation prospects.
• Understand foundation giving patterns and priorities.
• Read and use foundation 990s and other philanthropy research sources.
• Assess alignment between a funder’s priorities and an organization’s work.
• Build and manage a nonprofit fundraising pipeline.
• Produce concise funding intelligence for organizational leadership.
• Use AI and digital research tools as part of a professional development workflow.

By the end of the semester, the intern will have contributed to a substantial portfolio of researched funding prospects and helped identify the strongest opportunities for Narrative Arts’ future fundraising efforts.