NRDC Summer 2026 Graduate Internship

Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.

4d•$10,000•Hybrid

About The Position

NRDC is a non-profit environmental advocacy organization. We use law, science, and the support of 3.1 million members and online activists to protect the planet's wildlife and wild places and to ensure the rights of all people to clean air, clean water, and healthy communities. NRDC was founded in 1970 and our people helped write some of America's bedrock environmental laws, including the Clean Water Act and many of the implementing regulations. Today, our team of more than 700 lawyers, scientists, economists, policy advocates, communications experts, and others work across the United States and the globe from our offices in Beijing; Chicago; New Delhi; New York; San Francisco; Santa Monica; and Washington, D.C. We are looking for graduate interns who can commit working full-time for up to 10-weeks in Summer 2026 at one of NRDC’s US-based offices (Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Santa Monica, or Washington, D.C.) Our interns play an active role on the front lines of the environmental movement. Over the course of an internship, NRDC interns work with lawyers, scientists, or policy analysts in different program areas and amass experience that they could not have obtained anywhere else. Interns also have access to various events to enhance their NRDC experience. NRDC graduate interns may support or work on: Conducting literature reviews on relevant policy topics Drafting initial outlines or talking points for advocacy campaigns Conducting research on relevant laws, regulations, and case precedents to support legal opinions Researching best practices and case studies on equity-focused policies Tracking timelines and deliverables for projects, using project management tools like Asana Creating reports or dashboards for department heads and/or leaders, using tools like Excel or Power BI You can find examples of work by our interns on our Careers Page.

Requirements

Must be currently enrolled in a graduate program
Interest in a wide range of environmental and social justice issues
Strong written and verbal communication skills
Creative and resourceful
Able to work independently and collaboratively, including working with people with different social identities than their own (including race, gender, sexual identity or orientation, age, socioeconomic status, and disability)
Commitment to NRDC’s mission, values, and DEI principles

Responsibilities

Conducting literature reviews on relevant policy topics
Drafting initial outlines or talking points for advocacy campaigns
Conducting research on relevant laws, regulations, and case precedents to support legal opinions
Researching best practices and case studies on equity-focused policies
Tracking timelines and deliverables for projects, using project management tools like Asana
Creating reports or dashboards for department heads and/or leaders, using tools like Excel or Power BI