Spring 2026 Graduate Intern, Internal Operations- Affiliate Support and Nationwide Initiatives

The ACLU seeks a Graduate Intern for their Affiliate Support and Nationwide Initiatives Department's (ASNI) Internal Operations Team of the ACLU New York National office. This internship is hybrid.

Qualifying applicants must currently be matriculated Graduate students and must be based in the U.S. for the entire duration of the internship.

The Team:

The Affiliate Support and Nationwide Initiatives Department (ASNI) builds state capacity and strengthens and maintains the connections between the ACLU and its network of 54 state affiliates and the 1,500 staff who work out of the state offices. Their work constitutes an unparalleled bulwark in the defending and advancing of civil liberties and civil rights. The Department staff lead efforts to share knowledge, talent, and skill across the organization, building the next generation of civil rights leaders and positioning the organization for future challenges. The Internal Operations team supports ACLU Affiliates nationwide by streamlining operational functions within Affiliates, especially as they connect with operational departments in the national organization. The team also supports operational processes within the ASNI department, including managing annual surveys, supporting budgeting processes, and organizing information and file sharing. Finally, the Internal Operations team also leads on in-person events for National and Affiliates as well as manages the Grants-to-Affiliates program.

What You’ll Do:

The Intern position within the Internal Operations team will support data analysis, operational processes within the team and the department, and provide project coordination support.

Your Day to Day

This internship provides a unique opportunity to actively contribute to EDIB initiatives on a nationwide scale.

• • Data Analysis: Collect data from lists of ACLU vendors and consultants – cleaning and transforming raw data for analysis and ensuring data quality and hygiene. Help department manage collaborative spreadsheets, keeping them socialized and updated with the necessary cadence.
  • Update ASNI & Affiliate Resources: Update Affiliate Board Member contacts, budgets, and listservs.
  • Intranet Content Creation: Maintain and update content on "the HUB," our intranet platform. Specifically, information as it pertains to the ACLU’s 54 Affiliates.
  • Project Coordination:
    • Assist in project coordination and the maintenance of the ACLU event project plan
    • Attend critical meetings regarding deliverables, milestones, and roadblocks
    • Draft follow-up summaries and communications, documenting key learnings
  • Resource Management: Organize and maintain resource banks within department shared drive, ensuring structural integrity, quality, and accessibility for those within ASNI.

What You’ll Bring:

• Graduate student with knowledge of operations, administration, or nonprofit management
• Word, PowerPoint and Excel proficiency
• Interest in Operations, Project Coordination, and Administration
• Ability to break down complex tasks into smaller sections
• Attention-to-detail, ability to double check one’s work to ensure accuracy and completion
• Ability to utilize discretion and judgment when analyzing information and elevating issues for manager to review
• Comfort using Excel to synthesize and generate analysis

Future ACLU-ers Will:

• Be committed to advancing the mission of the ACLU
• Center and embed the principles of equity, inclusion and belonging in their work by demonstrating commitment to diversity with an approach that respects and values multiple perspectives
• Be committed to work collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and conflict

Internship Logistics:

• Location: Our internship program offers a limited number of remote or hybrid intern positions. This internship is part-time and hybrid from our NY National office.
• Time Commitment: Part-time (20 hours/week)
• Internship Duration: Part-time internships span 12 consecutive weeks. This internship has a start date of: January 12th or January 26th
• Stipend: A stipend is available for students who are lawfully authorized to work. Arrangements can be made with educational institutions for work/study or course credit.
  • Below are the stipend rates:
    • $20/hr for undergraduate students or equivalent experience
    • $24/hr for graduate and law students or equivalent experience

Why the ACLU:

For over 100 years, the ACLU has worked to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States. Whether it’s ending mass incarceration, achieving full equality for the LGBTQ+ community, establishing new privacy protections for our digital age, or preserving the right to vote or the right to have an abortion, the ACLU takes up the toughest civil liberties cases and issues to defend all people.

Our Commitment to Accessibility, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Accessibility, equity, diversity, and inclusion are core values of the ACLU and central to our work to advance liberty, equality, and justice for all. For us diversity, equity and inclusion are not just check-the-box activities, but a chance for us to make long-term meaningful change. We are a community committed to learning and growth, humility and grace, transparency and accountability. We believe in a collective responsibility to create a culture of belonging for all people within our organization – one that respects and embraces difference; treats everyone equitably; and empowers our colleagues to do the best work possible. We are as committed to anti-oppression and anti-racism internally as we are externally. Because whether we’re in the courts or in the office, we believe ‘We the People’ means all of us.

With this commitment in mind, we strongly encourage applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status and record of arrest or conviction, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

The ACLU is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual with a disability and need assistance applying online, please email benefits.hrdept@aclu.org. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request accommodations for the interview process.

In order to be considered for this position, all candidates must formally submit an application. The ACLU does not accept unsolicited calls or emails from candidates regarding their application status.