Fall 2024 Undergraduate Internships

The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law is a nonpartisan law and policy institute that seeks to improve the systems of democracy and justice in the United States. We work to hold our political institutions and laws accountable to the twin American ideals of democracy and equal justice for all. The Brennan Center’s work ranges from voting rights to campaign finance reform, from ending mass incarceration to preserving Constitutional protections in the fight against terrorism. Part think tank, part advocacy group, part cutting edge communications hub, we start with rigorous research. We craft innovative policies. And we fight for them – in Congress and the states, in the courts, and in the court of public opinion.

We are seeking interns to provide administrative and clerical support to staff in our New York office in the following programs/departments:

• Democracy
• Development
• Justice
• Liberty & National Security
• Information Technology
• Finance
• Communications (Brennan en Español, Creative, Digital, Event and Editorial)

Responsibilities: All interns will assist with general administrative, research and clerical work for the Brennan Center, including filing, photocopying, answering phones, shipping, and mailing, coordinating meetings, drafting routine correspondence, and covering the reception desk. Additionally, there will be opportunities to attend and observe substantive meetings, events, and conversations on program work.

In addition to administrative and reception duties, specific responsibilities for each department include (look to direct posting for more information):

• Democracy (NY or DC) – providing support for litigation, assisting in the research for and rollout of reports, and aiding the program’s advocacy efforts in Voting, Money in Politics, Fair Courts, and Redistricting.
• Development (NY) – assisting in event organization; conducting prospect research; assisting in donor correspondence; updating the fundraising database; preparing mailings to donors; and supporting the individual giving and foundations teams.
• Justice (NY) – Tracking developments in criminal justice; building lists of key stakeholders; conducting background research; assisting with report research, editing, and rollout; and administrative support.
• Liberty & National Security (NY or DC) – conducting research on program issues, such as surveillance, religious and racial profiling, and counter-terrorism initiatives; copy-editing and cite checking research papers, blogs, op-eds, or other materials; assisting with scheduling, mailing publications, and maintaining contact lists.
• Information Technology (NY) – providing help-desk support and proper documentation of all incoming issues and resolutions; user-level software support; and upgrade, repair, and replace computers/printers as needed.
• Finance (NY) – working closely with Controller/Accountant on account analysis, reconciliation, and presentation preparation for the annual Audit; assisting in processing payables and receivables; and backing up Accounts Payable staff, after learning software and systems.
• Communications (NY)
  • Brennan en Español  – Help the BEE team with research for different projects, including our newsletter. Write social media messaging and assist with social media posting. Contribute to videos for our social media platforms, including helping with writing scripts, and editing and recording of videos. (Experience on-camera is a plus but not required.) Fluency in both English and Spanish is required. 
  • Creative – Produce still and motion graphics for digital channels; extensive image and archive research; research on Brennan Center issues to develop engaging graphics; support development of institutional, campaign, and brand videos/graphics; motion and still research, cataloging and organization of visual assets; maintaining multimedia archive: graphics, images and video.
  • Digital – Participate in marketing, communications, and digital team meetings and strategy discussions; work with staff to create and post content on the website and social media including creative process coordination; work with staff on campaign marketing, promotion plans, and email production and testing; conduct research on social media and digital campaign trends and best practices; gather data and create reports on the effectiveness of ongoing online marketing campaigns; assist with digital advertising.
  • Events and Editorial – Editing content for the website; reviewing longform reports prior to publication; assisting with graphics development for web stories; brainstorming content across platforms; monitoring traffic; providing research assistance for explainers; helping script videos.

The internships are only open to current undergraduate students.

The Brennan Center is committed to advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the workplace. We continuously work with our staff to find new ways to increase diversity and to build and cultivate an inclusive and equitable work environment, where everyone can be their true self and feel a strong sense of belonging. As such, we seek to hire interns who have a commitment to and/or experience with diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Hours: Approximately 10 - 20 hours per week

Pay: $17.50 per hour

Duration: September - December 2024

To Apply: 
Please visit https://brennancenter.applytojob.com/apply/ and upload all materials requested to the specific internship(s) you would like to apply for.
No phone calls, please.

Application Deadlines: July 8th, 2024

If you have difficulty with the online system, you may send your application by e-mail to: brennancenterjobs@nyu.edu with “Fall 2024 [DEPARTMENT HERE] Internship” in the subject line, after registering in the online system. Applying through our website is strongly preferred.

Note: The Brennan Center is committed to public health and to the safety and wellbeing of our colleagues and visitors. As such, we have adopted a policy requiring all employees working in the New York and Washington, DC offices to be vaccinated against COVID-19, including having a booster, or to meet the legal guidelines for an exemption.