Internship Program

Texas Public Policy Foundation provides young conservatives with the opportunity to work with the best free-market thinkers in the country. Our experts research a wide range of different policy areas, and those topics influence not just Texas but the entire country.

Staff members and invited guests share their time, knowledge, and experience with each intern class through a series of discussions that illustrate the range of ways that policy changes the world. All of our interns leave our Foundation with a solid understanding of our work, and with tangible skills they can use in the future.

The Foundation hires interns in a wide variety of areas – fundraising, communications, film, events, and law. We also consider specialty interns, such as accounting, or interns whose course schedules don’t fall into the traditional semester models (like winter blocks).

Before you apply, please familiarize yourself with our work by reading our most current research, commentary and policy analysis.

The Ideal Candidate

Our internship class is generally made up of current students, recent graduates, or students between semesters who are flexible, project-oriented self-starters. The most successful applicants can exemplify personal responsibility and the entrepreneurial spirit, and have good research, writing, and interpersonal skills.

Successful interns understand our principles of liberty, personal responsibility, and free enterprise, believe in an individual’s right to do business free from big government, and are excited to reshape public policy in Texas and around the world.

FAQs

Is this a paid internship?

Fall and Spring interns are given a stipend of $1000. Summer interns are given a $1500 stipend.

Interested in an even more extensive learning opportunity? The Texas Public Policy Foundation partners with Stand Together Fellowships to place full- and part-time Fellows and Interns in our Internship program for the best combined programming the Liberty Movement has to offer. Visit the Stand Together Fellowships website to learn more!

What are the start and end dates for each semester? 

Fall 2026 — August 31st through November 20th

Spring 2027 — January 18th through April 23rd

Summer 2027 — May 24th through August 13th

Fall 2027 — August 30th through November 19th

How do I apply?

Applications for our program should include a cover letter, telling us your story and including the semester you’re interested in interning, as well as your résumé, and a work sample if available. Applications should be submitted using button on this page or this link.

For questions regarding the program and/or the application please reach out to Zach McCue via email at [email protected].

What are the application deadlines for each semester? 

Summer — April 1
Fall — July 30
Spring — October 30

Internship Types & Descriptions

Policy interns will be assigned to one of the Foundation’s policy campaigns and work directly with a center director or policy analyst. Interns will meet with policymakers, engage in regular policy discussions, conduct in-depth research, and receive extensive feedback on written products. Outstanding writing may be selected for publication as a blog post, op-ed, or policy brief.

The Development interns will support the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s fundraising efforts and work closely with the development team to help research prospective donors, learn the grant writing process from start to finish, prepare for donor engagement events and meetings, and other administrative, communications, and donor management work, as needed. Development interns should be customer-service focused and have a strong ability to plan, organize, prioritize, and multi-task.

Communications interns will be part of daily conversations surrounding the Foundation’s podcast, video productions, graphic design, traditional and digital media reach, and general TPPF communications activities. They will have the opportunity to learn first-hand how our marketing and digital campaigns work to expand our beliefs of liberty, personal responsibility, and free enterprise. Interns will work with our Digital Director to track analytics, update the website, monitor social media, and make recommendations for expanding our online community. They will also have the opportunity to network with media professionals, attend staff meetings, and participate in premier TPPF hosted events. The Texas Public Policy Foundation’s communications teams is responsible for releasing the esteemed Cannon newsletter on a daily basis, as well as managing press for our prominent clients and releasing new research and commentary from our nationally recognized campaigns and policy experts. Interning with the TPPF communications team is a way to learn, expand one’s knowledge of local policies and governance, and make lasting relationships. Please note, if applying for the graphic design internship be sure to attach a link to your portfolio when applying.

The Film & Media interns will work with TPPF’s communications team and associate filmmaker to assist with various video and audio projects such as theater event recordings, studio news hits, statistics gathering, video distribution and uploading, music and footage sourcing, podcast recording, and editing. This intern should be a self-starter, inquisitive, and have a working knowledge of Premiere Pro and Adobe Audition. Media interns will be involved in the creative directing of a series of high-end productions that TPPF is producing and assist in the onset production. TPPF has sizably increased its production assets and capabilities over the years. Notably with the addition of the Red Gemini 5K, high-end editing equipment, lights, screens, and production gear.

The Journalism Intern will work at the intersection of public policy and media, gaining firsthand experience in investigative reporting and multimedia storytelling. As a TPPF intern paired with a seasoned mentor from the Associated News Service, they will conduct in-depth research, craft compelling news stories, and participate in live editorial meetings to understand the fast-paced news cycle. This unique role combines rigorous journalistic inquiry with hands-on learning in a real-world newsroom environment, allowing the intern to develop skills in interviewing, fact-checking, and digital content creation. The mentorship partnership ensures that emerging talent receives personalized guidance, preparing them for a successful career in journalism while advancing the public discourse on policy and governance.

The Operations intern will learn how non-profit public policy foundations are structured and operate. The intern will have the opportunity to learn how to work with outside vendors, plan and coordinate office events, engage in the hiring process, and much more! An excellent Operations intern should be able to multi-task, communicate effectively, and stay organized. Interns will be responsible for providing office coverage, answering calls and directing inquiries to the appropriate staff member, performing data entry tasks, preparing shipments and mailings, and work on special projects as assigned. While interns are expected to perform daily administrative tasks, there are opportunities to work on long term projects, depending on the changing needs of the Texas Public Policy Foundation.

All interns get to attend “Philosophy of Freedom,” an internal class on the philosophical underpinnings of the liberty movement, taught here by our experts, as well as 1 year of no-cost membership to our Liberty Leadership Council (LLC)!

Interns will be responsible for providing office coverage, answering calls and directing inquiries to the appropriate staff member, performing data entry tasks, preparing shipments and mailings, and work on special projects as assigned.”