Communications Intern

Position Title: Communications Intern 

Department: Strategic Engagement 

Reports to: Kevin Corcoran, Strategy Director 

Location: Intern works 40 hours a week with three days in the Indianapolis office. 

Internship Duration: Monday, May 12 to Friday, Aug. 8, 2025. 

Compensation: $19 to $21 / hour for an undergraduate. 

                              $20 to $24 / hour for a graduate student or a recent graduate. 

                              Free on-site parking is included. 

Schedule: Work hours are typically 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., scheduled in consultation with the supervisor. 

Lumina Foundation is an independent, private foundation in Indianapolis committed to making opportunities for learning beyond high school available to all. We envision higher learning that is easy to navigate, delivers fair results, and meets the nation’s talent needs through a broad range of credentials. We work toward a system that prepares people for informed citizenship and success in a global economy. With an endowment of nearly $1.5 billion and offices in Indianapolis and Washington, D.C., Lumina has a passionate and committed staff that values candor, collaboration, and connection. Learn more about our values here. 

Purpose 

The intern will participate in person and virtually in Strategic Communications team discussions and meet individually with members to receive and report on assignments, contributing to an experienced team that enhances the foundation’s leadership and effectiveness in driving social change for the benefit of individuals and society. We commission audience, public narrative, and message-framing research that informs a unique approach in philanthropy to influence the actions and beliefs of change agents. We target narrow, influential audiences to shift long-term perspectives through compelling stories. We educate a broader public by supporting independent journalism that shapes public opinion and other journalists’ reporting. We measure our effectiveness by monitoring reach, engagement, and shifts in attitudes and beliefs, discourse, and national news coverage. 

Responsibilities 

The intern will assist team members with: 

• Content Creation: Writing and editing opinion pieces, speeches, talking points, and web pages. Overseeing advertising copy. Creating, reviewing, and editing posts for digital and social media. Assisting with video production, from shooting 4K video on an iPhone to participating in video production in a state-of-the-art on-site studio. Incorporating students’ voices in our storytelling through interviews.
• Digital Strategy: Overseeing digital and social outreach campaigns initiated internally and by external full-service marketing and communications firms. Increasing the depth and breadth of our e-newsletters.
• Grantmaking: Assisting with multi-year grants supporting the work of public and nonprofit newsrooms nationally and regionally and through journalism training.
• Media Outreach: Handling media outreach, including story pitching and related research for C-suite executives, crisis response preparation, responding to journalists’ inquiries, and overseeing media training. Writing news releases and reviewing third-party reports completed with Lumina’s financial support.

The intern will create, co-create, lead, and manage various projects, emphasizing a core set of tasks that can be initiated and completed within 12 weeks. Our work cuts across the foundation, bringing interns into contact with diverse colleagues in state and federal policy, programmatic strategy involving community colleges, public colleges and universities, and minority-serving institutions such as historically Black colleges, research, evaluation, and data analysis, and impact investing. 

Education and Experience  

• A student enrolled in a bachelor’s, master’s, or Ph.D.-level program or a recent college graduate.
• Preference will be given to applicants with majors in communications, broadcasting, digital media, English, journalism, marketing, or public relations.
• With a cover letter and resume, please submit three lightly edited writing samples drafted by you unassisted.

Qualifications 

• Continuous access to high-speed internet when working remotely.
• A commitment to advancing equity in education, ending barriers to learning after high school for Black, Hispanic, Latino, and Native American students, and unjust educational outcomes related to race, ethnicity, household income, and geography.
• Strong communication, research, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively and handle multiple projects simultaneously.

Work Environment and Physical Demands 

• Work is performed in an office environment, mostly sedentary.
• Able to use technology necessary to monitor news media, track outreach, manage social campaigns, and produce high-quality video content.
• Travel occurs infrequently but could include overnight stays to support external meetings and events.

This summary describes typical intern responsibilities. It is not exhaustive and is subject to change. 

Accepting Applications- Jan. 15 to Feb. 14 

Interviews – Feb. 17 to March 2 

Internship Period: May 12 to Aug. 8