Social Justice Research and Evaluation Internship

2025 Social Justice Research and Evaluation Internship 

Strength in Numbers Consulting Group is seeking 1-2 rising second year master’s students or recent graduates who have interest and experience in using qualitative and/or quantitative research and evaluation in the service of social justice. You will gain valuable applied research and evaluation experience in public health and nonprofit administration with applications related to service provision, activism and philanthropy (grantmaking). Internships are paid ($23 per hour) and exceptional performers may be asked to join our team long-term, though we cannot currently guarantee the availability of an open position at the end of the internship period.  

We are looking both for interns interested in social justice research in general and those who have interest or experience in LGBTQ+ mental health, research on digital platforms, and outreach to young communities of color.

Opportunity Statement 

People of color, researchers with nontraditional backgrounds, immigrants, people with disabilities, people with diverse gender identities and expressions, people of all ages and others from marginalized groups are strongly encouraged to apply. Strength in Numbers takes our commitment to hiring people from the communities most affected by our work very seriously.  

Who WE are… 

Strength in Numbers is an LGBTQ+-led research and philanthropic strategy organization. We pride ourselves on providing excellent mentorship, quality of life and stable and predictable working hours for all staff at all levels. Our practice includes collaborations with a wide variety of marginalized groups, particularly those with intersecting experiences of oppression (e.g., low-income youth of color, young children and ethnic minorities in the developing world, transgender women engaged in sex work). We are a diverse, collegial community. 

• We serve organizations and programs designed to benefit LGBTQ+ people, people of color and other groups who experience marginalization and oppression. 
• We have a shared value for producing on-time and excellent work, while also recognizing people as people. In practice, what that means is that we have predictable, reasonable working hours, excellent benefits, and strive to always ensure that our workplace is equitable, just and worker-focused. 
• We value existing expertise and want to help grow the knowledge and skills evaluators bring in new and unexpected directions.

Our philosophy centers consultation with the groups affected by the social issues and social programs we research and evaluate. Community members have substantive input into our approach to projects, including helping to build research questions, selecting methods, and interpreting data. Our quantitative work is rigorous, and we are meticulous in assuring that findings are action-oriented and clearly expressed.  

Who YOU are… 

The ideal candidate has a passion for social justice and believes in the power of data to help activists, service providers, and grantmakers improve their practices and translate their work for a wide variety of audiences.  

• You have demonstrated your commitment to social justice through spending one or more years doing part-time or full-time volunteer or paid work in social services, activism or applied research that benefits marginalized people
• You take pride in producing high quality work and hold yourself and others to high standards
• You are proactive, self-motivated, meticulous, and detail-oriented with a strong work ethic
• You can effectively and efficiently work on multiple projects, both independently and collaboratively with a team to meet deadlines consistently
• You can manage your own time and take ownership of duties and responsibilities
• You remain calm and graceful when under pressure and when faced with challenges
• You have a positive attitude, respectful demeanor, and a strong sense of humor
• You have a burning desire to learn and grow and actively seek input and feedback from others

Responsibilities  

This role will provide the intern an opportunity to put their “hard” skills to practice as they work on one or more projects which they will feel a sense of ownership over. The intern will also develop “soft” professional skills that they may not have an opportunity to learn in school, such as how to talk to clients and community members about research questions and tools or how to present complex concepts in accessible ways. Research interns may: 

• Clean and analyze survey, administrative and/or publicly available data in R, following the norms and practices developed by Strength in Numbers to assure work is transparent, replicable, on time and excellent (training is provided)
• Create user-friendly data representations in graphical and written form (e.g. graphs, maps, with explanatory text)
• Oversee and conduct rigorous data checking of the work of other quantitative analysts
• Observe and take notes for interviews, focus groups and other consultations
• Analyze qualitative data using Dedoose or other software
• Conduct or assist in conducting literature reviews
• Provide administrative support for research projects, including help in scheduling, organizing spreadsheets and other duties as required.

While interns should expect to work on a variety of projects, there are two specific focus areas for which we especially hope to recruit: 

• LGBTQ+ youth of color out-of-school programming and mental health services.
  • Digital outreach to LGBTQ+ youth of color seeking health services.

Additional Requirements 

The internship will take place between June3rd – August 22nd, with training taking place during the first week. Applicants should expect to be in the office 9:30am–5:30pm Tuesday and Thursday and are welcome to be in the office up to five days per week. Our office is located in Downtown Brooklyn. Interns can work either three days per week (approx. 20 hours) or five days per week (approx. 35 hours). Unfortunately, we cannot currently accommodate students who require alternate schedules.  Preference will be given to candidates intending to commit to full-time hours throughout the duration of the internship.

Compensation 

Interns are paid $23/hour, for either 20/hours/week (part-time) or 35/hours/week (full-time). 

To Apply 

Please submit a single .pdf with your resume/CV and a cover letter (max 2 pages), to jobs@strengthinnumbersconsulting.com with the subject line: “Last Name, First Name – 2025 Social Justice Research and Evaluation Internship.”

Please note that, unfortunately, we are unable to accept internship applications from those who need additional work authorization at this time.

Please address the following in your cover letter: 

1. Why you want to take part in this internship and why you think you are a good candidate.
2. Your interest and experience with social justice activism, service provision or both.
3. Describe a research project that you did for a class, work experience or volunteer project. Tell us what the research question was, the role you played in answering or helping to answer the question and one thing you learned or found interesting about the process.
4. Please indicate if you prefer a three-day per week schedule or a five day-per week schedule, any other commitments you have this summer (vacation, thesis writing, another job) and any accommodations you may request to make this internship work for you if selected.
5. Two references, ideally one academic and one professional.

Applications are due no later than Friday, April 4th. 

Interviews will take place in mid-April, with decisions by early May. After reviewing initial applications, candidates will be invited to a 30-minute virtual interview as the first step. In the next stage, candidates who advance may be asked to provide a work sample, which will be followed by a final in-person interview.