Sagamore Institute Summer Internship

Sagamore Institute is committed to developing the next generation of young leaders with a creative vision to pursue the common good and advance human flourishing. We look for students with a passion for championing free enterprise, fostering individual opportunity, and expanding democracy. Sagamore’s internship program offers invaluable experience in rigorous public policy research complemented by robust professional development.

Highlights

• Although we offer special programming for our summer cohort, Sagamore hosts interns throughout the year.
• Interns partner with a Senior Fellow or staff member whose professional focus coincides with the applicant’s area of interest.
• Interns access professional development opportunities and partners covering current public policy issues.
• Interns tap into Sagamore’s network of scholars, staff, and community leaders.

Requirements

• Applications for our summer program are due by midnight on Monday, March 31. All other applications will be considered on a rolling basis.
• Applicants are ordinarily at least a rising sophomore; recent college graduates, master’s students, and law students are encouraged to apply as well.
• Applicants must be able to work at least one semester. Preference may be given to applicants who are interested in longer-term internships.
• International students authorized to work in the United States are also eligible.

Content Areas Include:

Citizenship

America’s strength lies in citizens working together. But too many of our conversations are marked by rancor and ideological divisiveness. Sagamore’s citizenship portfolio works to recover the ideals and practices of citizenship to preserve
our democracy—from the local level to the nation’s capital.

Opportunity

For too many families, the American dream feels out of reach. When people lack pathways to opportunity and good jobs, entire communities suffer. To build a better future for everyone, Sagamore’s Opportunity portfolio inspires innovation and intentionally cultivate environments where individuals from all backgrounds can pursue a life of purpose and meaning.

National Security

America faces a more complex and volatile threat environment than anything we have seen since the Cold War. At the same time, Midwestern leaders offer a hopeful vision for America’s positive impact around the globe and Hoosier companies and universities are forming the tip of the spear for high tech solutions in cyber, unmanned systems and tech-enabled diplomacy.

Impact Investing

The world has never experienced so much prosperity nor faced so many massive challenges. Sagamore created Commonwealth to harness the same entrepreneurial talent that creates wealth to create more opportunity for everyone to flourish. By operating Commonwealth’s impact investing business in tandem with a think tank, our team can identify the best ideas and produce new insights to guide best practices.

Justice Reform

The crisis of mass incarceration in the United States has led to an unprecedented bipartisan consensus for criminal justice reform. While promising, these reforms will only be fulfilled with innovative programs to help ex-felons return to communities as healthy citizens. Sagamore’s justice reform portfolio advances smarter policies and best practices for reentry.

Africa Rising

Once a continent seemingly dependent on aid, Africa has become one of the fastest growing economic regions in the world. Our years of involvement in the region have shown us again and again that true aid starts from the bottom up and not from the top down. By encouraging empowered economies rather than governmental dependency, people, regions, and nations are able to end generational cycles of aid dependency.