The Intern Foundry (IF) program is an intentionally designed partnership between the Foundry and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Honors Program to address the “brain drain” in Nebraska by pairing the University's highest achieving students with meaningful work-based learning opportunities addressing critical areas of high community need. By building the critical bridge between high-achieving talent and local organizations in need of capacity, the IF program helps build a strong pipeline of future talent capacity, and quality work needed to complete essential projects in Lincoln and Nebraska.
Connect high-achieving students with organizations to meet community need
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BUILD CAPACITYAddress critical areas of high community need
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BRAIN GAINDevelop stronger future talent, leadership, and volunteers
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MEANINGFUL WORKStudent-led, significant work-based learning
Meaningful Experiences
Interns and their matched organizations, whether they are non-profits, public sector organizations, or purpose-driven businesses, report that the experience was beneficial for all.
"Like similar organizations, we are very busy multitasking and wearing many hats. The fact that our intern is able to work independently, and has from Day One, is so valuable. Our intern has exhibited superior skills in project management, setting her our timelines and goals. Her independence allows us more time to focus on providing feedback, guidance, and experience enhancing transferrable career skills." -Participating Intern Foundry Supervisor
Critical Talent and Capacity
95% of participating nonprofits in 2022-2024 report that the talent and capacity provided by their intern was critical to the completion of essential projects.
"As a small nonprofit organization, the IF students add critical capacity and provide valuable support on some of our most pressing projects." - Participating Nonprofit Executive Director
Quality Work
100% of participating nonprofits in 2022-2024 report that the quality of the intern’s work in the Intern Foundry program was quality.
"As a new nonprofit, our intern is making a huge impact already. Her dedication, enthusiasm, and professionalism is invaluable. The research she has already provided is setting us up for long-term success!” - Participating Nonprofit Co-Founder
The IF program launched in 2022 with 9 students interning at 8 nonprofits, and grew to 30 students interning at 20 nonprofits in 2024. To date, 70 students have been served by the Intern Foundry program with new cohorts each semester.
Example Projects
For more examples of our work, please view our project description portfolio.
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Linked2Literacy’s annual EMpowerME event serves as an effort to collect $50,000 in funding for the organization through sponsorships and ticket sales. The role of the intern was to assist in the planning and organization of this vital event. Planning, marketing, communication, and execution were all crucial steps in the success of the event and a great baseline for any future endeavors of the intern.
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OutNebraskaAs OutNebraska worked to grow their resource directory to encompass resources from across Nebraska, the intern provided additional research and website updates. The intern was able to connect with a variety of existing organizations to grow their network throughout the project as they worked to help LGBTQ+ community members across the state in accessing resources to improve quality of life.
