Applications for the next round of the Human Rights Internship Fund will open in Spring 2025.

The Carr Center's Human Rights Internship Fund helps Harvard Kennedy School students gain valuable real-world experience by financially supporting summer internships focused on human rights issues. The program is open to first-year HKS graduate students who secure internships at public, non-profit, or private organizations working on human rights and justice issues, both domestically and internationally. In exchange for funding, selected interns will share their experiences and insights through blog posts, videos, and audio interviews.

The program welcomes applications from students pursuing internships both domestically and internationally. Any first-year Kennedy School MPP, MPA-ID, or MPA (two–year) student is welcome to apply. The minimum internship duration is eight weeks, allowing you to gain in-depth experience and make a meaningful contribution to your chosen organization.

Please reach out to the Carr Center with any questions regarding summer internship funding.

How to Apply

All HKS students should submit their application via the OCA common application portal.

Applicants for Carr Center Human Rights Internship Fund should provide the following materials:

  • A one-page proposal: A one-page proposal should include a description of the organization, the project, and its relevance to human rights.
  • Your resume
  • A writing sample: Please provide a sample of your written work of no more than 3 pages. The topic of this writing sample need not be related to this application, but should demonstrate your ability to organize and communicate ideas in a thoughtful and persuasive manner. Relevance to a topic related to human rights would be a plus.
  • Budget: within Common Application