Intern, Government Relations and Public Policy

YMCA of the USA is offering a flexible internship for current college students to work in the Washington, DC, Government Relations and Policy office late May - early August 2026. The intern works most closely with the federal government relations staff but can also expect projects related to state advocacy topics. 

The intern reports directly to the Manager of Youth Development Partnerships and Policy but interacts with everyone on the Government Relations team. This internship is a great opportunity to learn about the practice of lobbying, coalition building, grassroots advocacy and communication, the role of national advocacy in a federated system, and issues that impact the Y and the nonprofit sector as a whole.

Y-USA is committed to providing the intern with a stimulating and educational work environment. At the conclusion of the internship, the intern will be asked to summarize the major projects on which they worked.

Work to advance an advocacy agenda that helps YMCAs across the nation strengthen communities. Duties may include:

•  Conduct research on topics related to the Y’s legislative priorities such as funding early care and education, out of school time, child nutrition, preventing chronic disease, promoting physical activity and tax incentives for charitable giving;
• Help with preparation for meetings with legislators, congressional staff and other stakeholders;
• Assist with drafting written materials such as policy briefs, fact sheets and weekly updates;
• Attend meetings, congressional hearings/briefings and other events related to the Y’s policy agenda and brief Government Relations staff;
• Assist in staffing events managed by the Government Relations team; 
• Assist with data requests; and
• Assist office manager with administrative tasks as needed. Administrative tasks will take up less than a third of the interns overall time.

• Applicants must have completed at least their freshman year of college
• Applicants must be based in Washington, DC from late May – early August 2026 
• A minimum of thirty hours/week is expected, with at least two days in the DC office each week.
• Submit a resume, cover letter and one writing sample (maximum 1,500 words) together in PDF format 
• The deadline to apply is March 15, 2026 at 11:59pm ET 
• Selected candidates should be prepared to participate in a virtual interview

Hourly rate: $18.27/per hour