INTERN - Policy and Advocacy, Educate Texas

Communities Foundation of Texas • Austin, TX

2d • Hybrid

About The Position

Ahead of the Texas 90th Legislative Session, the Educate Texas Policy & Advocacy team seeks a highly motivated and research-oriented intern to help our organization’s legislative success. As a Policy & Advocacy Intern, you will play a critical role in strengthening Educate Texas’ evolving policy recommendations during the interim period through two primary projects. You will support targeted research synthesis and analysis to ensure our advocacy positions are informed by clear evidence, relevant data, and established strategic priorities. Through this work, you will help bridge research and advocacy - ensuring that our policy recommendations are not only evidence-based, but also clearly communicated and strategically framed for a variety of stakeholders.

Requirements

• Enrolled in a four-year accredited college, university, or graduate program with good academic standing.
• Basic understanding of working in a hybrid environment, workplace ethics, and effective communication.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite, including PowerPoint, Excel, and Word.
• Demonstrated strong organizational and planning abilities, with a track record of effectively coordinating, facilitating, and implementing projects in previous work or academic settings.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, along with the ability to analyze and synthesize information for effective problem-solving, are highly valued.
• A passion for nonprofit partnership in the community.
• Effectively model and demonstrate CFT’s core competencies, which include Collaboration, Impact and Problem Solving, Integrity and Accountability, Learning, and Internal and External Service.
• Must be authorized to work in the United States without visa sponsorship

Responsibilities

• The policy intern will compile and synthesize a landscape analysis of existing public research, data, and policy context to support Educate Texas’ legislative agenda, based on current policy priorities identified by the Policy and Advocacy team.
• The policy intern will translate key themes and data from the landscape analysis into advocacy-ready materials, such as talking points, visual collateral, or reusable templates, to support legislative engagement.
• The policy intern will gain hands-on professional development experience with the Policy & Advocacy team, including mentorship from team members, direct exposure to legislative operations, and a first-hand view into the policy-making process.
• Participate in knowledge-sharing opportunities with Educate Texas and policy partners, gaining the chance to exchange ideas, learn from experts in the field, and observe policy developments as they happen.
• This experience provides a deeper understanding of current legislative priorities, emerging trends, and collaborative approaches being used to address key education policy issues in real time

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Intern
• Number of Employees: 11-50 employees