Internships

What we do, and how interns help

Policy Matters Ohio is a non-profit, non-partisan policy research institute with offices in Cleveland and Columbus. We create a more vibrant, equitable, sustainable and inclusive Ohio through research, strategic communications, coalition building and policy advocacy. We study and advocate for progressive policies that serve everyone—not just the wealthy and well-connected. Interns help make that work possible by increasing our capacity to develop and distribute research products, and to engage with communities, activists and other stakeholders.

The work of a Policy Matters intern

Intern projects are co-created with staff mentors based on interns’ areas of interest, background and skills. We offer two internship tracks:

Research interns work with our research staff to collect and analyze data and develop research products related to workers’ rights, progressive revenue & budget, sustainability and shared prosperity. Research interns finish the program with at least one publication to add to their resumé. Policy Matters research interns have authored briefs, co-authored major papers, published opinion pieces and letters to the editor in major local news outlets, and contributed to our blog. *Some projects require significant work with quantitative data, while others involve deep dives into databases of scholarly research and legislation. We try to pair interns with projects best-suited to their experience and skills. If one or the other especially interests you, please note that in your introductory email.

Communications and Outreach interns learn fundamentals of strategic communication and how to apply a messaging framework. Comms & Outreach interns help develop social media campaigns and conduct traditional media monitoring, and participate in release planning with research staff.  *If funding allows, we may recruit one person for the Communications track and another for Outreach. If one or the other especially interests you, please note that in your introductory email.

Our program

Our summer internship program runs from June 2—August 8, with some flexibility to account for individual schedules. Interns have formal relationships with at least two staff members: a mentor who is an expert in their area of work, and our program coordinator. The former develops projects, provides necessary skill training, feedback and technical expertise. The latter supervises the organization’s intern cohort (typically 4-6 interns), using our curriculum to help interns make connections among their individual work, the organization’s mission, and Ohio’s broader policy landscape. This approach lets us supplement interns’ career-oriented training in the work of a policy institute with opportunities to reflect on and process the experience, individually and among peers.

Qualifications

• All applicants should be comfortable using Excel and Word and have an interest in state-level public policy.
• Research interns should have some experience with statistics and analysis, and ideally are familiar with Stata or R.
• Communications & Outreach interns should be comfortable using Instagram and TikTok, and ideally are familiar with Canva, or Adobe design products.

To apply

First, get to know our work at policymattersohio.org. Then email Program Coordinator Ben Stein ([email protected]) with a resumé and writing sample of no more than five pages. (Select a piece of writing that represents what you believe is the kind of work we produce.) If you qualify for an internship, we will reach out to schedule an interview. Applications are considered on a rolling basis.