Partners Internship Program
About the program | Information for Students | Information for Organizations | 2009 Sites |
2009 Important Dates | 2009-2010 PIP Information
The Student Application Deadline has passed this year. Students and organizations interested in internships for Summer 2010 should refer to the document describing this year’s selected sites and projects, and should keep these dates in mind.
About the program
The Partners Internship Program (PIP) provides internship grants to nonprofit organizations in Minnesota, North Dakota and northwestern Wisconsin. Each recipient organization hires an undergraduate student who manages a project designed by the agency. Interns are paid to work full time for 400 hours (10 weeks) during the summer months.
Twenty nonprofit organizations all over the region are awarded PIP grants each summer and twenty students from the region are hired to work on their projects. HECUA coordinates the recruitment of organizations and student interns, supports the development of PIP projects, facilitates experiential learning for organizations and student interns, and coordinates seminars at the beginning and end of the internships.
PIP seeks to advance the nonprofit sector and to benefit communities and students. The program is guided by the following objectives:
- To provide students with job experience in the nonprofit sector that is substantive and valuable and that furthers personal, educational, and professional growth
- To promote student interest in employment or other forms of participation in the nonprofit sector
- To assist nonprofit organizations in engaging students and volunteers more effectively through project-based work
- To encourage projects that will have a positive and lasting impact in communities in which the nonprofit works
2009 Sites
Organization |
Location |
Project Overview |
| All Parks Alliance for Change | Saint Paul, MN |
Mobile Home Park Research Intern: Intern will conduct research on mobile park home demographics and ` closure risks and compile a report along with GIS maps of park sites to disseminate to policy makers, housing and low-income advocates. |
Bemidji, MN |
Health and Fitness Intern: Intern will implement activities and programs for Club members to promote healthy living as a part of the Fit City initiative. | |
Burnett County Restorative Response, Inc. |
Siren, WI |
Restorative Justice Program Intern: Intern will develop a Community Service Committee in Polk County to identify work sites for participating criminal offenders based on best practices from an existing successful Restorative Justice program. |
Moorhead, MN |
Money Smart for Young Adults Program Intern: Intern will be trained as an instructor for a youth 1 financial literacy program and will then market the curriculum and recruit and lead sessions for area youth. | |
St Paul, MN |
Community Art Project Intern: Intern will engage the community in planning and implementing a summer community art project as a part of the Annual Hmong Art and Music Festival. | |
Dickinson, ND |
Environmental Marketing and Outreach Intern: Intern will create a marketing and outreach plan to inform area farmers and land owners about sustainable agricultural and crop management practices. | |
Mankato, MN |
Community Engagement Intern: Intern will develop a blueprint for volunteer outreach and community engagement in a newly formed Habitat chapter. They will recruit community leaders and volunteers to establish an area Chapter Board that will oversee the new Habitat chapter in Watonwan County. | |
Duluth, MN |
Website Development Intern: Intern will design and implement an online environmental education curriculum for pre and post activities for Hartley Nature Center field trips entitled “The Classroom Wrap”. | |
Minneapolis, MN |
Community Arts Outreach-Intern: Intern will work in developing and implementing partnerships between Highpoint and North Minneapolis arts organizations and public schools to develop art programs for 13-18 year old students. |
|
Little Canada, MN |
Tribal Land Acquisition Research Intern: Intern will identify existing federal lands available for sale and will help determine the benefits to regional tribes in considering federal land transfers in expanding their existing land base with recovery of Indian land as the long-term goal. | |
Minneapolis, MN |
Arts Programming Intern: Intern will design and implement six weeks of programming focused on the arts for a summer youth program and at the end of the summer will evaluate the program and create a plan for future implementation. | |
Perham, MN |
Survey Design Intern: Intern will develop a survey instrument and determine the best method for surveying customer satisfaction for a young organization serving low-income families who have recently gone off cash assistance from the MFIP. | |
Grand Forks, ND |
Health and Wellness Intern: Intern will work with residents in identifying instructors, topics, and materials to expand and strengthen the Health and Wellness program. The intern will also create a resources binder with class information and an implementation plan for the Mission to use in the future. | |
Morton, MN |
Education Outreach Intern: Intern will develop a series of educational "traveling trunks" and curriculum on Renville County history for use in area schools. | |
Minneapolis, MN |
Healthy Local Food Education and Outreach Intern: Intern will visit three to five Minnesota communities to document “plates of food” which will highlight local foods and local food production. The summer will end with an exhibit at local coffee shops, community centers, libraries and museums as a part of a public educational campaign about local food issues. | |
Minneapolis, MN |
Recidivism Research Intern: Intern will research past participant recidivism rates to assess the success of restorative justice programs in decreasing the likelihood of offenders to commit further crimes and to evaluate the costs associated with restorative justice programs versus traditional criminal justice systems. | |
Fargo, ND |
Trail Education Intern: Intern will design an interpretive nature trail along the Red River and create educational curriculum to identify and interpret geologic and natural features of the site for 3rd-5th graders. | |
Rourke Art Museum |
Moorhead, MN |
Art Exhibition Intern: Intern will organize, design, interpret, and install an art exhibition focusing on regional Lakota, Dakota, and Anishinaabe cultures. |
Willmar, MN |
Multicultural Outreach Intern: Intern will develop and enhance relationships with Latino and Somali battered women in Kandiyohi County through outreach resources and online directories that will be used by Shelter House domestic violence and sexual assault advocates to better serve and empower victim/survivors. | |
St. Paul, MN |
Theatre Camp Intern: Intern will design and run a summer youth theatre camp and act as a stage manager for the summer Fringe Festival show. |
Information for Students
General Requirements for Student Eligibility:
- Undergraduates currently enrolled in any Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin college or university, or HECUA consortium member school
- Must be returning to school as an undergraduate student in the fall following the internship
- Cannot have previously participated in the PIP program
- Cannot be related to current staff at the organization
- Cannot be currently employed by the internship organization
- International students may be eligible, but must first check with home institution about working visa requirements
Please note:
Students apply directly to the host organization (NOT to HECUA) by mid-April.
Information for Organizations:
Please refer to the 2009 APPLICATION GUIDE (pdf) for more information about project and application requirements for the grant. HECUA staff are available to consult with you about your project to determine fit for the program. In addition, information sessions will also be held around the region during October and November of 2009- attendance is not required for applicants but can be very helpful.
Applications for Summer 2010 will be available in September 2009.
Eligibility for participation in summer 2010:- A nonprofit organization with 501(c)(3) or (4) status
- Located in Minnesota, North Dakota or northwestern Wisconsin: in the counties of Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Chippewa, Douglas, Dunn, Eau Claire, Rusk, Sawyer, St. Croix, Taylor, Vilas and Washburn.
- Not a recipient of a PIP grant in 2007, 2008, or 2009
- Not a government agency (federal, state, county, school district or township)
- Not a fundraising or public relations arm of above government agencies
- Not a college or university
Project Criteria for participation for past summers (refer to as example only):
- The project is significant for the organization and/or community.
- The project provides excellent opportunity for interns to learn and contribute.
- The project is feasible for an undergraduate student to complete in 3 months.
2009 Important Dates
| Monday, May 4th, 2009 | Organizations complete hiring decision, notify selected students |
| Friday, June 5th, 2009 | Pre-internship seminar for PIP interns (required) |
| Monday, June 8, 2009 | Intern starts placement at host organization |
| Friday, August 21, 2009 | Post-internship seminar for all PIP interns (required) |
2009-2010 PIP Information for Next Year (specific dates will be announced soon)
| mid-November, 2009 | Applications due to HECUA from nonprofit organizations |
| End of January 2010 | Awards to organizations announced, PIP sites posted for students |
| February – April | Recruitment of students to apply for PIP summer 2010 positions |
| mid-April, 2010 | Student application deadline (students apply directly to nonprofits) |
| early May 4, 2010 | Nonprofit hiring decisions completed, students notified |
| early June, 2010 | Pre-internship seminar for PIP students and supervisors (required) |
| June – August, 2010 | 10-week, full-time internship |
| late August, 2010 | Post-internship seminar for PIP students and supervisors (required) |
If you have interest in other short-term programs that we offer, use the following short-cuts:
| S-Civil Rights Movement | S-Ecuador and Bolivia |
J-Ecuador | J-Bangladesh | Partners Internship Program |
