National Policy & Advocacy Intern

POSITION: NATIONAL POLICY & ADVOCACY INTERN 

LOCATION: REMOTE 

REPORTS TO: NATIONAL MANAGER, POLICY & ADVOCACY 

Schedule: 

• Summer, part-time: 10-12 hours per week for 10 weeks before 8/31/25 (max of 120 hours) 

• Summer, full-time: 40 hours per week for 10 weeks before 8/31/25 (max of 400 hours) 

ABOUT OUR ORGANIZATION 

LIFT is a national nonprofit on a mission to invest in families to break the cycle of poverty. We believe that racial and gender wealth gaps stem from structural inequities that keep them trapped in a cycle where poverty, like wealth, is passed from generation to generation. At LIFT, we interrupt the generational transmission of poverty by partnering with parents of young children to build well-being, financial strength, and social connections – or as we like to put it, Hope, Money, and Love. LIFT’s one-on-one coaching program empowers parents to set and achieve goals that put families on the path toward economic mobility – such as going back to school, improving credit, eliminating debt, or securing a living wage. In addition to coaching, LIFT parents also receive direct cash infusions to reinvest in their families and goals.   

LIFT is at an exciting moment in its organizational trajectory. We aim to scale our impact by 1) making continuous improvements to our direct service model, 2) partnering with health care, postsecondary education, early child development, and government organizations to deliver LIFT’s model and influence change in those systems, and 3) influencing policy through the amplification of the voices of parents living in poverty on issues impacting their lives and communities. We are looking for team players who thrive in a growth environment of continuous improvement; are committed to LIFT’s work to combat intergenerational poverty and expand opportunity for families; and uphold LIFT’s values of diversity, equity, excellence, hope, and relationships.       

*LIFT operates sites in Chicago, Los Angeles, DC, and New York. Currently, it operates as a hybrid work environment. We strongly prefer candidates who are close to a LIFT office and can regularly be present in any of the four LIFT offices.   

LIFT’s Policy & Advocacy department is the newest program, created to address the systemic barriers that impact members by elevating LIFT members’ voices and providing the tools and skills for members to be policy leaders. We seek interns who are interested in this work and. LIFT’s Policy and Advocacy team seeks a future nonprofit leader who is equipped to play an essential role in helping us continue to deliver critical services across the country and build out our systems change work. LIFT’s National Policy and Advocacy Intern will bolster the capacity of the Policy and Advocacy team and will play a critical role in our success by supporting several major projects as well as providing day to day operational support.  

AS A POLICY & ADVOCACY INTERN, YOU WILL: 

• Complete landscape analyses of policies, systems, and programs that impact members 

• Research and develop policy toolkits and resource guides for members, coaches, and staff 

• Develop reports, briefs, and thought pieces to elevate member voice and programmatic insights 

• Support the organization and execution of Policy & Advocacy programming and communications 

• Support member programming through research on relevant policy topics and development of training/event schema  

• Support operations in tracking and maintaining data input, summarizing reports, designing presentations, and policy updates 

• Collaborate with the Policy & Advocacy team to develop advocacy training materials and resources for members, coaches, and staff 

• Collaborate with the Policy & Advocacy and Evaluations teams to share insights from programmatic data, internally and externally  

• Collaborate with Policy & Advocacy team to support other projects as assigned 

OUR IDEAL CANDIDATE:  

• Is committed to LIFT’s mission and values 

• Is an undergraduate or graduate student with work experience, interest, and/or coursework in social work, economics, social sciences, or related fields 

• Preferably, has prior community service experience with low-income communities 

• Has strong research and writing skills, with attention to detail 

• Has proficiency in policy analysis and research 

• Has outstanding verbal and written communication skills 

• Has strong leadership and interpersonal skills 

• Has excellent time-management skills and an ability to prioritize and multi-task 

• Accepts and integrates feedback 

• Is committed to being a team plater 

• Is flexible, adaptable, and takes initiative even in ambiguous situations 

TO APPLY    
Please visit www.whywelift.org/careers to apply and submit a resume.