Become a Zero Hunger Intern
The Zero Hunger Internship matches college students and recent graduates with Washington, D.C.-based organizations working to address hunger. Over the course of your 10-week internship, you will develop your professional and leadership skills and expand your subject knowledge through on-the-job training, the Hunger Center’s leadership development curriculum, and a summer seminar series. After completing the internship, you will be ready to advocate for an end to hunger.
Adding Capacity
Zero Hunger Interns are placed at host organizations that work to end hunger. As an intern, you will complete a 10-week work plan designed by your host organization that focuses on program implementation, policy, advocacy, research, development and fundraising, or communications. With a commitment to learning and growth, interns make substantive contributions to their host organizations in a short period of time.
Through this internship I learned about all the hard work that goes into creating culturally relevant, accessible, and nutritious school meals for 30 million+ children everyday across the United States.Lauryn White (Summer 2023), placed with USDA.
Paid Learning Opportunity
As an intern, you will benefit from on the-job-training at your host organization and the Hunger Center’s leadership development curriculum. Interns also attend a five-part Summer Seminar Series with panels, workshops, and simulations, covering domestic and global hunger, the forces that drive hunger, and effective remedies. Zero Hunger Interns support each other’s learning and growth as they progress through the summer, learning together. Finally, at the end of the summer, you will give a presentation on the state of hunger in your hometown community and propose solutions to end it.
Through this internship I learned my role in the fight to end hunger and more specifically what antihunger advocacy looks like in a global development policy context.Olivier Bradley (Summer 2023), placed with InterAction
Field-To-Policy Connection
Addressing the disconnect between policy and direct-service is a crucial step to ending hunger. We select interns for their commitment to ending hunger: in their home communities, interns are involved in local anti-hunger efforts and campaigns to improve food security for people all over the world. The Zero Hunger Internship will show you the connections between your experience with local solutions to hunger and federal anti-hunger policy, and teach you how advocacy and policy can be pathways to long-lasting, large-scale change.
The Zero Hunger internship is a golden opportunity for personal and career growth. Going into it, I thought I knew everything about hunger and food insecurity because of my own lived experiences. But this internship taught me that there was much more to learn by taking in the experience of others. The internship prioritizes learning as a group over an individual, allowing for meaningful connections. Zero Hunger unites individuals from different backgrounds with similar goals, thus allowing for a chance to learn more from each other above other thingsKyle Pico (Summer 2022), placed with International Food Policy Research Institute
Learn More
On Wednesday, December 11, we hosted an info session for prospective applicants all about the Zero Hunger Internship, covering the basics of the program, what to expect, how to apply, and more.
Join Us
Ready to learn about hunger and develop as a leader?
Applications to join the summer 2025 class of Zero Hunger Interns have closed. We will begin accepting applications for the summer 2026 class later this year.
Join Us
Ready to learn about hunger and develop as a leader?
Applications to join the summer 2025 class of Zero Hunger Interns are now open. We will be accepting applications through January 13, 2025.
Read our guide for prospective applicants to learn more about the internship, including selection criteria, application timeline, benefits, and much more.
Once you've read the guide, start your online application using the link below.
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