15 Internships at Nonprofits for High School Students
Discover 15 rewarding internships at nonprofits designed for high school students. Gain valuable experience while making a difference in your community.
If you’re a high school student thinking about a future in business, getting practical experience early can help you figure out if this is the right path for you. Internships are one of the best ways to do that. They give you a chance to apply what you’ve learned in class to real projects and see how organizations operate behind the scenes.
Nonprofits offer a distinctive kind of business experience. You’ll get to see how mission-driven teams manage programs, work with budgets, handle outreach, and plan events. If you’re interested in social impact, these internships can also show you how business and service can come together to support a cause. Along the way, you’ll build useful skills and explore career options that go beyond the private sector.
To help you explore what’s out there, here’s a list of 15 nonprofit internships for high school students!
15 Internships at Nonprofits for High School Students
Cost: Varies according to program, financial aid available
Location: Remote! You can work from anywhere in the world.
Application Deadline: Deadlines vary depending on the cohort. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November).
Program Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.
Eligibility: Students who can work for 10-20 hours/week for 8-12 weeks. Open to high school students, undergraduates, and gap year students!
Ladder Internships is a selective, 8-week virtual internship program for high school students who want real experience working with fast-growing startups. You’ll be matched with a company based on your interests - from AI and deep tech to health, journalism, marketing, and more and work on meaningful projects alongside your manager and a dedicated Ladder Coach. Startups in the program are typically raising over $1 million and moving fast, so you’ll be contributing to real work, not just shadowing. You’ll meet weekly with your team, get feedback, and present your work directly to the company. Past interns have built machine learning models, designed go-to-market strategies, and developed UI for fintech platforms. Apply here.
2. Bank of America Student Leaders Program
Location: Local nonprofit placements nationwide + Washington, D.C. summit
Cost/Stipend: Free to participate; paid internship at local nonprofit wage rates
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; 300+ students selected from nearly 100 communities annually
Dates: 8-week summer internship (35 hours/week) + week-long summit in Washington, D.C. (July 21-26)
Application Deadline: January 15
Eligibility: Current high school juniors or seniors; must be legally authorized to work in the U.S.; must be able to participate in both the full internship and D.C. summit
Bank of America Student Leaders is one of the most hands-on, paid summer internships you can get as a high school student. If you’re a junior or senior, you’ll spend 8 weeks working 35 hours a week at a local nonprofit, earning money while building real leadership and professional skills. At the end of the summer, you’ll head to Washington, D.C., for a week-long, all-expenses-paid leadership summit, where you’ll meet other Student Leaders from across the country and dive into how nonprofits, government, and businesses tackle big community issues.
Cost: Varies according to program. There is need-based financial aid.
Location: This program is 100% virtual, with live, interactive workshops
Program Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including summer, fall, winter, and spring
Application Deadline: Varies according to cohort. You can access the application link here!
Eligibility: The program is currently open to all high school students
The Young Founder’s Lab is a real-world start-up boot camp founded and run by Harvard entrepreneurs. In this program, you will work towards building a revenue-generating start-up that addresses a real-world problem. You will also have the opportunity to be mentored by established entrepreneurs and professionals from Google, Microsoft, and X. Apart from building the start-up itself, you will also participate in interactive classes on business fundamentals and business ideations, workshops, skill-building sessions, case studies, panel discussions, and more.
4. Teens in Public Service Internships (TIPS)
Location: Greater Seattle area
Cost/Stipend: Free to participate; $2,800 stipend for the 10-week hybrid track and $4,200 for the 11-week in-person track
Dates: Late May–early August
Application Deadline: March (annually)
Eligibility: High school students ages 15–19 enrolled during the internship year; must attend three mandatory May trainings
TIPS matches you with a nonprofit in the Greater Seattle area based on your interests, like youth services, healthcare, or the environment. You’ll take on leadership-focused projects that make a real impact. You’ll earn a stipend, join professional development workshops, attend a leadership training day, and become part of the TIPS alumni network. Internships focus on ethical leadership, social justice, and service learning.
5. EnergyMag Remote Internship
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Free to participate; unpaid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified; rolling admissions
Dates: Half-time (20 hrs/week for 2–8 weeks in summer); Quarter-time (8 hrs/week for 1–9 months, year-round)
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: High school sophomores, juniors, or seniors with at least one honors-level English or science class and a GPA above 3.25
The EnergyMag Remote Internship provides high school students with the chance to do independent research on energy storage and renewable energy. You’ll be paired with a mentor and assigned a topic focused on analyzing specific companies, markets, or technologies in the clean energy sector. Your final report gets published on the EnergyMag platform, so your work contributes to public knowledge around the energy transition. The internship is flexible, with both summer-intensive and year-round options.
6. DOROT Summer Internship Program
Location: Manhattan, NY
Cost/Stipend: Free to participate
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 12 to 20 interns per session
Dates: Session 1 – June; Session 2 – July
Application Deadline: Rolling through June 1
Eligibility: Rising sophomores, juniors, or seniors who can commute to the Manhattan site
The DOROT Summer Internship Program immerses high school students in intergenerational community service with a focus on social impact. You will engage with older adults through workshops, theater-based activities, games, and discussion groups that are designed to build connection and understanding. Each session has a specific theme. One is focused on social justice. The other centers on intergenerational theater. After completing the summer portion, you will be expected to contribute 15 hours of volunteer work during the following school year.
7. CLARIFY News Youth Program
Location: New York, NY
Cost/Stipend: Free to participate; $2,000 stipend for summer, $500 for fall
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive
Dates: Summer – Early July to mid-August; Fall – Sept to Nov (2 days/week)
Application Deadline: May 24 (summer); September 9 (fall)
Eligibility: NYC high school students entering junior or senior year, and graduating seniors
The CLARIFY News Youth Program gives you a hands-on introduction to public service journalism through an internship hosted by City Limits, New York’s oldest nonprofit investigative news outlet. You will build skills in reporting, research, interviewing, and writing while working in teams to produce stories that may get published. The summer session is full-time for four days each week. The fall session runs part-time after school. You will be mentored by professional journalists and work on real civic issues affecting New York City. The program includes a stipend and offers the chance to publish your work.
8. California Science Center Community Teen Interns
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Cost/Stipend: Free to participate; interns are paid $17.28/hour
Dates: School year (7–10 hrs/week) + Summer (35 hrs/week)
Application Deadline: Opens in August (check website for updates)
Eligibility: Current high school sophomores or juniors with a minimum 2.0 GPA; must live or attend school within 1 mile of the California Science Center
California Science Center Community Teen Interns is a paid internship program that offers an in-depth experience for students interested in STEM and science communication. As a Community Teen Intern, you will be trained in inquiry-based learning and work as a guide at the museum. You will lead hands-on STEM activities and help with designing exhibits and educational programs. The internship runs year-round. During the school year, you work part-time. In the summer, you work full-time. You will receive mentorship and training while gaining experience in public engagement, education, and exhibit development.
9. Samuels Family LA-HIP Internship Program
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Cost/Stipend: Free to participate
Dates: In-lab internships will start on Monday, June 16, and end with the Science Symposium on August 1
Application Deadline: February 7
Eligibility: Rising juniors from underrepresented backgrounds in medicine
Samuels Family LA-HIP Internship Program is a year-long opportunity that combines college prep with hands-on biomedical research. During the school year, you’ll take college-level biology, get SAT prep, and receive personalized support for your college applications. In the summer, you’ll work full-time in a research lab at The Saban Research Institute, guided by professional scientists. You’ll learn lab techniques, write a scientific abstract, and present your findings at a research symposium. You’ll also receive a stipend, Metro pass, and meals during the summer.
10. Aspire Volunteer Program – Aspire! Afterschool Learning
Location: Arlington, VA
Cost/Stipend: Free to participate
Dates: Year-round; separate after-school and summer sessions
Application Deadline: No formal deadline
Eligibility: High school students who can commute to a South Arlington location
Aspire Volunteer Program is a hands-on opportunity for high school students to support elementary and middle school learners in a nonprofit educational setting. During the school year, you’ll help with homework and mentor students in reading and math. In the summer, you’ll assist with STEM and arts projects tied to the camp theme. You’ll build skills in teaching, leadership, and youth engagement while making a real impact in your community. This is a strong fit if you’re interested in education, service, or nonprofit work.
11. The Department of Translational Neuroscience
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Cost/Stipend: Free to participate
Dates: May 30 to July 3
Application Deadline: February 14
Eligibility: High school students aged 16 or older
Department of Translational Neuroscience High School Internship is a four-week summer program at Barrow Neurological Institute. You’ll work in one of nine medical research labs, alongside scientists and mentors, on active neuroscience projects. You’ll learn lab techniques, analyze data, and evaluate scientific literature. If you’re more interested in non-research roles, you can apply for internships in marketing, publications, or the Barrow Foundation team. The program includes a final symposium where you’ll present your work.
12. JSSA High School Internship Program
Location: Greater Washington, D.C. area
Cost/Stipend: Free
Dates: 12–16 hrs/week over summer (June–August), length varies by placement
Application Deadline: Open January
Eligibility: Any high school student in the National Capital Region must commit to 12–16 hrs/week and complete the application + interview.
JSSA Internship Program offers placements for high school students at nonprofits focused on mental health, aging, disability, and community support. You’ll assist with data analysis, outreach, report writing, and help design and deliver workshops on mental health topics. You’ll also join case consultations, attend departmental meetings, and explore how nonprofit services work across different teams. You’ll gain mentorship through a structured intake and interview process, earn service-learning credit, and connect with the JSSA alumni network.
13. Changing The Present High School Community Engagement Internship
Location: Remote
Cost/Stipend: Free; Eligible for school/community service credit
Dates: Flexible, year-round
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Open to high school students who can commit ~3–4 hours/week
Changing The Present Remote Internship is a flexible, virtual opportunity for high school students who care about social impact. You’ll promote charitable giving by creating nonprofit gift registries, running social media campaigns, and partnering with student clubs. You can also build and lead campus chapters, engage with educators, and help schools and nonprofits raise funding. You’ll develop skills in communication, digital marketing, and leadership.
14. Enterprise for Youth Internship Program
Location: San Francisco, CA
Cost/Stipend: Free to join; paid $20/hour + $125 for Job Readiness Training
Dates: Internships typically start mid-June; 12 hours/week for 6 weeks
Application Deadline: Varies by cycle; early summer applications begin in spring
Eligibility: High school students, especially those in partner SF schools
Enterprise for Youth Internship Program connects high school students with paid internships in fields like nonprofit, business, tech, climate, healthcare, retail, and small business. You’ll start with a paid Job Readiness Training that covers resume writing, interview prep, and workplace skills. After training, you’ll earn $20/hour while interning for 75 hours over 6 weeks. You’ll also attend weekly professional development workshops, get support from a job coach, and join career panels. You’ll build skills in teamwork, communication, and goal-setting while gaining real experience in the workplace.
15. Youth Ambassador/Advocate Internship – The Borgen Project
Location: Remote (U.S., U.K., and Canada)
Cost/Stipend: Unpaid; eligible for school credit
Dates: 3-month duration; start dates available year-round
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: High school students and above; suitable for those with limited availability
The Borgen Project Youth Ambassador/Advocate Internship is a remote, three-month opportunity for high school students who want to help fight global poverty. You’ll spend about four hours a week organizing fundraising campaigns, contacting government leaders, and raising awareness in your community. You’ll build skills in communication, advocacy, and campaign management. You can also earn school credit, and the flexible schedule makes it easy to balance with school and other commitments. New programs start every month.