Post Type
2026 Summer Fundraising & Development Intern
Location: CA-Based – San Francisco
Internship Timeline: The summer program begins the Tuesday after Memorial Day. Summer interns commit to working full-time for 10 weeks (Monday through Friday, 7.5 hours/day).
Stipend: $5000
Build community power to advance racial & economic justice this summer at one of California’s leading civil rights law firms!
Public Advocates, a non-profit law firm and advocacy organization, challenges the systemic causes of poverty and discrimination by strengthening community voices in public policy and achieving tangible legal victories advancing education, housing and transit equity, and climate justice. Since 1971, Public Advocates has focused on “making rights real” across California by collaborating with grassroots groups representing people of color, immigrants and low-income individuals to achieve strategic policy reform, enforce civil rights, and support movement-building.
Our Mission
Public Advocates, a non-profit law firm and advocacy organization, challenges the systemic causes of poverty and discrimination by strengthening community voices in public policy and achieving tangible legal victories advancing education, housing and transit equity, and climate justice. Since 1971, Public Advocates has focused on “making rights real” across California by collaborating with grassroots groups representing people of color, immigrants and low-income individuals to achieve strategic policy reform, enforce civil rights, and support movement-building.
Development Intern Program
Our Internship Program exposes students to the diverse strategies of our impact work in an environment designed to help them develop as public interest attorneys. The fundraising and development intern will be supervised by the Director of Philanthropic Engagement, who has primary responsibility for giving constructive feedback in a positive learning environment.
Anticipated fundraising and development projects include:
- Obtaining the latest data pertaining to California indigency statistics and other metrics that support our proposals to funders
- Proofreading/copyediting proposals/reports
- Researching potential law firm and corporate donors
- Drafting/editing appeals for law firms and individual donors
We value applicants with a demonstrated commitment to public interest work.
The summer program begins the Tuesday after Memorial Day. Summer interns commit to working full-time for 10 weeks (Monday through Friday, 7.5 hours/day).
Public Advocates currently has a hybrid schedule and we expect all of our interns to be able to commit to working at least part time for 10 weeks in Public Advocates’ San Francisco office, with the acknowledgement that this could change if COVID-19 levels increase.
Living Allowance
Public Advocates provides a $5,000 living allowance (subject to taxes) to each summer intern who commits to and completes a 10-week internship. The allowance can be used to supplement any additional outside funding interns may receive.
How to Apply
Applicants should provide a cover letter explaining:
- Your specific interests and qualifications (please do not simply recap your résumé);
- Your experiences and commitment to working with low-income communities, communities of color, and immigrant communities;
- Your reasons for applying to Public Advocates;
In addition, include a résumé and writing sample.
Send your materials in ONE PDF or Word attachment to our Internship Program at [email protected].
We are currently accepting applications and plan to finalize our intern cohort by the end of March, 2026.
Diversity Commitment
Public Advocates is committed to fostering a diverse staff and diversity in the legal profession. We encourage all interested individuals to apply — especially Black, Indigenous and People of Color; women; people from low-income backgrounds; people with disabilities; people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender; and anyone belonging to any other federal or state protected category. Read our Diversity Vision Statement.