Program Intern
About The Position
The Mellon Foundation (“Foundation”) is a not-for-profit, grant making organization that believes that the arts and humanities are where we express our complex humanity, and we believe that everyone deserves the beauty, transcendence, and freedom to be found there. Through our grants, we seek to build just communities enriched by meaning and empowered by critical thinking, where ideas and imagination can thrive. The Foundation makes grants in four core program areas - Higher Learning, Arts and Culture, Public Knowledge, and Humanities in Place - and through its signature Presidential Initiatives. The Foundation seeks a Program Intern for our Public Knowledge program. Team/ Program Overview: Mellon’s Public Knowledge program supports the creation and preservation of the cultural and scholarly record—vast and ever-expanding—that documents society’s complex, intertwined humanity. The program works with archives and libraries across the US whose work is foundational to knowledge production and distribution in culture and the humanities. Our aim is to increase access to knowledge that helps to build an informed and engaged society. We also aspire to cultivate networks and sustainable knowledge infrastructure and to ensure that an expansive and inclusive landscape of stories are shared, preserved, and told. Position Summary: Reporting to the Program Associate, the Program Intern will participate in a hybrid (in-person and remote) role supporting the Public Knowledge program. The intern will get the opportunity to contribute to project development related to community memory and public libraries and gain experience in program documentation, qualitative analysis and the development of calls for proposals. This internship is ideal for a graduate student seeking an opportunity to gain exposure to philanthropy and a deeper understanding of the funding landscape for public libraries. Please note that the role is focused on grantmaking, program learning, and philanthropic strategy in support of libraries, rather than on practicing librarianship or providing direct library services. The internship has a start date in late May or early June 2026 and is available as a 10-week, full-time position.
Requirements
- Training in or immediate preparation for a library and information science graduate program, or program in the humanities or social sciences in the form of: 1) current enrollment in such a program; or 2) recent completion of a program in Winter 2025 or Spring 2026.
- A demonstrated interest in public libraries and community memory projects, programs and initiatives.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills.
- Excellent analytical, critical thinking, and organizational skills with the ability to exercise sound judgment, help problem-solve, and anticipate next steps.
- Flexibility and an enthusiasm for learning from mistakes.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
- Demonstrated interest in program and project management.
- Ability to be highly productive working independently and also as a member of a team.
- Demonstrated commitment to socially just, equitable, and community-driven approaches to research.
Responsibilities
- Conduct desk research in response to queries from Program Staff
- Attend convenings, local site visits, and internal planning meetings
- Take notes for meetings with internal and external partners
- Retrieve and analyze information from Mellon’s Fluxx database and grant records
- Draft planning materials and program documentation related to calls for proposals
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Intern
Number of Employees
101-250 employees
