Student Intern Program
The Polk County Community Foundation Student Intern Program funds summer intern salaries for local organizations, offering youth hands-on work experiences that support both their development and community agency missions.
Funder: Polk County Community Foundation
Due Dates (Anticipated): June 2026 (2nd Quarter cycle) | September 2026 (3rd Quarter cycle)
Funding Amounts: Covers intern salaries for summer positions; typical competitive grant range is from under $1,000 to several thousand dollars per award.
Summary: Supports local organizations in Polk County, NC by funding summer intern salaries to provide meaningful work experiences for youth and strengthen community agencies.
Key Information: Organizations must have existing paid staff and internships must be well-supervised, challenging, and impactful.
Description
The Student Intern Program is a competitive grant initiative of the Polk County Community Foundation, designed to foster summer employment opportunities for local youth while supporting the capacity and mission of community organizations in Polk County, North Carolina and surrounding areas (including Landrum, SC). Grants are awarded to local nonprofits and community agencies to cover the salaries of student interns who will engage in meaningful, supervised work experiences during the summer. The program aims to benefit both the student interns—by providing professional development and hands-on experience—and the host organizations, by increasing their capacity to serve the community.
Intern roles in past years have included supporting arts centers, library programs, animal care, and client services. The grant is intended to ensure that internships are well-structured, offer real responsibility, and contribute to the organization’s special programs or projects.
