The Weinberg Foundation embarked on its first formalized internship program this summer and the results, both to the Foundation and to the interns, were outstanding.  Both interns had graduate level and work experience before coming to the Foundation but were looking to learn more about the field of philanthropy.  We have taken this interest and fueled it with projects on issues related to caregivers for older adults, youth homelessness, affordable housing for families, affordable housing options for the disabled in addition to learning about our grant process by working with the program directors to
review grant applications from the request stage to the recommendation to our board.

 In their own words, each summer intern reflected on their experience.

• Sheila Matano stated “All in all, working at the foundation for the past couple of weeks has been a great experience.  I was challenged to think differently and to explore different ideas; I have come out on the other side more hopeful and enlightened and the experiences here will definitely help shape some of the decisions I make throughout my career.”
• Kate Sorestad said “Coming to the Foundation has been an amazing opportunity to see the power of a dynamic, committed, focused group of people.  Being involved in so many aspects has provided me a perspective that will be invaluable as I begin my career. I feel very lucky to be able to combine so many of my interests, goals and past experiences into one endeavor.”

As I was privileged to work with both interns, I too share these sentiments above about being challenged to think differently, being more hopeful, and thinking differently about the career I have been so fortunate to be part of at the Foundation.  I think we were all appreciative of the opportunity to teach someone new to the philanthropic field about our work.  When starting to explain funding goals, processes, and assumptions to those early in their career, it forces us to slow down and reflect on our work.  That one benefit might be worth the internship program overall, but we’ve also benefitted from all of their contributions and we look forward to continuing the program in the fall.

If you are interested in interning at the Foundation in the future, watch our “employment opportunities” page and/or sign up to follow us on Twitter and Facebook when we announce our next request for applicants.