Internships at the Tax Foundation
Currently accepting applications for spring 2010 and summer 2010 internships.
Note: Law students should apply for our clerkship program.
Send questions to internship [at] taxfoundation.org. No phone calls please.
About the Tax Foundation
Since its founding in 1937, the Tax Foundation has been looked to for its non-partisan and principled research and analysis of tax issues at all levels of government. Best known for our annual calculation of "Tax Freedom Day," we work to raise economic awareness among taxpayers, lawmakers, and media.
While there are a number of Washington, D.C.-based public policy groups today that cover a broad range of policy issues, only the Tax Foundation provides a principled voice on the impact of tax and fiscal policy at the federal, state, and local levels.
About Our Internship Program
The Tax Foundation offers a unique internship program designed to introduce undergraduate and graduate students to tax policy principles, and apply them in assessing and advancing public policy. Working directly with our staff in various areas of tax policy, interns gain valuable professional experience.
While data entry and routine tasks are part of the internship, the majority of the work is substantive. Interns are afforded flexibility to attend events, lectures, and seminars around Washington, D.C. As a non-partisan research institution, we encourage interns to develop a broad sense of our principles and find innovative ways to contribute to our mission.
The Tax Foundation is happy to work with outside fellowship programs to host interns, and to assist in arranging for school credit.
Examples of Intern Projects
Past interns, with the assistance of our staff, have researched and published commentaries on policy in newspapers and journals, assisted in micro simulation models of tax changes, and posted on our tax policy blog. Examples include:
- Justine Lam (2004) authored an op-ed, "Don't Let the Cigarette Tax Hurt the Poor," which was published in the Contra Costa Times.
- Nicole Akar (2004) was quoted in an editorial on tax exemptions in the Florida Times-Union.
- Sara Cseresnyes (2006) co-authored an op-ed, "Soda Tax the Wrong Way to Curb Obesity," which was published in the Denver Post.
- Adam Creighton (2007) authored a tongue-in-cheek op-ed, "Taxing Obesity: A Modest Proposal," which was published in The American.
- Will Luther (2008) prepared a study on film tax credits published in-house and distributed to state legislators and activists across the country.
- Sarah Larson (2008) organized logistics for summer conferences and authored 10 blog posts on many topics.
- Robert Schmidt (2008) assisted with international corporate taxation research, and compiled a case study analyzing tax increment financing in Chicago.
- Jack Mountjoy (2009) was interviewed by the Mike Siegel radio show in his home state of Washington about Oregon tax increases.
- Kiran Sheffrin (2009) authored an op-ed, "Game Misconduct: St. Louis Widens Jock Tax," published in the Boston Herald.
- Micah Cohen (2009) co-authored with Kiran an op-ed, "Solving California's Budget Problems," published in his hometown paper, the San Diego Union-Tribune.
- David Splinter (2009) published blog posts on D.C. tax issues, and helped launch a dynamic graphs project at the Tax Foundation.
- Zhannur Ashigali (2009) studied Tax Freedom Day for Kazakhstan.
- Andre Dammert (2009) co-authored a piece with Tax Foundation President Scott Hodge on corporate tax rates in the OECD countries.
The Tax Foundation offers great flexibility to initiate projects and topic ideas. Some projects can involve working closely with staff members; others offer a great deal of independence.
Internship Areas:
Federal Projects interns work with our team of economists with emphasis on data analysis. Economics interns should be comfortable with mathematics and statistics and computer coding skills are a plus.
Development interns support our fundraising activities, including communicating with current and potential donors, and maintaining records and databases.
State Projects interns conduct policy analysis, research major state fiscal issues, and contribute to our efforts to report and comment on current state tax topics.
Media Relations interns draft and revise press releases, assist in arranging media interviews and answering request for information, and substantively contribute to our podcast and video efforts.
Applying
To apply, please e-mail your unofficial or official transcript and one-page resume to internship@taxfoundation.org, and include in the body of the e-mail or as a separate attachment the answers to the following questions:
- 1. Contact information (name, e-mail address, telephone number)
- 2. Term of internship (for example: "summer 2009," "February-April," etc.)
- 3. Availability: part-time / full-time
- 4. Rank your internship preferences (for example: "Media Relations-1, Development-2," "both Policy and Economics," etc.)
- 5. Describe relevant experience which would be beneficial to an internship. (Examples can include experience with economics, mathematics, statistics, computer coding, research, writing, fundraising, Excel, PowerPoint, database management, etc.)
- 6. How do you hope to benefit from a Tax Foundation internship? What areas of work interest you? (No more than 500 words, please.)
- 7. What are your short-term and long-term career goals? (No more than 500 words, please.)
- 8. How did you hear about the Tax Foundation's internship program?
Tax Foundation internships are available year-round and applications are considered on a rolling basis. (Applicants for summer internships are advised to submit their materials no later than April 15.)
Internships are located at our office in downtown Washington, D.C., and are unpaid. We are committed to responding to completed applications within 4 weeks of submission.
Attached Files
- Tax Foundation Internship Program, PDF, 522.7 KB
