The ideal summer internship matches community needs with student passions and skills. Research-focused opportunities and projects involving data analytics tend to be popular with students. Internships generally run 8-10 weeks for 35 hours/week. The University requires that all students receive a stipend to help equalize access to opportunities; students can access various funding sources to support stipends. The following internship programs welcome proposals from community partners, although not all requests for interns can be fulfilled. 

Princeton Internships in Civic Service

PICS works most closely with nonprofits, hospitals and government agencies. Students apply to the Community Partners on offer and the Partners are able to review resumes, interview students, and select their candidates to whom they would like an offer extended. After matching with a Community Partner, each undergraduate student receives an Alumni Mentor who will work closely with the student and Partner through the summer. Funding for internships comes from various sources, including the University, alumni donations, and Community Partners themselves. While funding from Community Partners is welcome, it is not expected.The window for submitting applications typically runs from August through late September/early-October. Contact [email protected].

Princeton RISE (Recognizing Inequities and Standing for Equality)

Undergraduate summer internships in nonprofit organizations engaged in racial justice and anti-racist work, ranging from addressing educational inequities to environmental justice. RISE is actively looking to expand partnerships in the fields of criminal justice, immigration law, health, and STEM fields. Summer stipend fully funded by Princeton University. RISE students work 35/hours per week and spend an additional 5 hours/week on cohort discussions and activities. The window for submitting applications to host a RISE intern typically runs from August - early November. Contact [email protected].

Faith-Based Summer Internships/Office of Religious Life

The Faith-Based Internship Program reflects the Office of Religious Life’s understanding that the religious, moral, professional and academic lives of students are intricately intertwined. Each student is placed in an organization that approaches religion differently: students can work for a secular agency that partners with religious groups and learn about religion, or students can work with a religious non-profit that is faith driven which provides an opportunity to deepen one’s faith or learn about another.

Our office supplements the internship experience with a framework for engaging in the workplace through our contemplative prompts, debrief calls, and speaker series. Our hope is that students will not only view Faith-Based Internships as a platform for developing professional skills, but also for broadening their perspectives and networks.

School-year (September-May) volunteer projects can be one-time, regularly scheduled, or projects that students can work on asynchronously according to their own schedules. Princeton University student volunteers are typically unavailable during the final two weeks of the semester corresponding to reading period and finals, and when the University is on break. (See the Academic Calendar for dates.) Requests for volunteers are filled according to student interest and availability.

November - Month of Service 

Students, staff, and faculty are available to volunteer individually and in large groups for one-time programs and projects. Faculty and University staff with supervisor approval can volunteer during the month of November as part of their work day. Opportunities for direct interface are especially popular (e.g. helping at a nursery school or food pantry).

Faculty and Staff Volunteers

Local non-profits can contact the Office of Community and Regional Affairs for possible inclusion in the Community Volunteer Listserv, a clearing house for one-time volunteer opportunities geared toward University employees. 

Off-Campus Federal Work-Study  

Princeton encourages students to work in community service areas including education, health care, civic education, and literacy training. Registered 501c3 employers who are interested in hiring federal work-study students should contact the Student Employment office via email at [email protected] for details.

GradFUTURES

GradFUTURES Fellowships/Internships provide host organizations with the expertise of graduate students in conjunction with meaningful project deliverables; graduate students benefit from an opportunity to apply discipline-specific skills, gain interdisciplinary project team experience,  and contribute to a nonprofit organization's social-impact mission. Host organizations work closely with the Graduate School to determine the learning outcomes and professional development goals for these immersive experiences. Fellowships last for a mutually agreeable and predetermined number of hours/weeks during the summer or academic year. The Graduate School at Princeton University provides the fellow with a stipend to fund this immersive experience. 

Nonprofits, government agencies, and other employers interested in being part of the University’s Campus Recruiting Program can contact Seeta Hayban [email protected] at the Center for Career Development for more information.

Project 55 Fellows

The Princeton Project 55 Fellowship Program provides public interest organizations with extraordinary recent graduates for 12-month full-time positions with the aim of instilling in all fellows a greater awareness of critical social issues, a deeper understanding of their capacity to bring about change, and a lifelong commitment to justice and equity. 

Fellows bring creativity, skills, and energy to their roles, and Project 55 provides them with wrap-around support, including professional development training. Organizations are responsible for providing meaningful work, attentive and supportive supervision, and paying Fellows’ salary and benefits.

Approximately 40% of Fellows stay in their placement after their Fellowship concludes, and some have stayed with their organization for more than a decade.

Contact: Kimme Carlos, Executive Director 

Partner on Academic Research

Inspire students and gather the latest research by collaborating with the Program for Community-Engaged Scholarship (ProCES) at Princeton University.  Collaboration with ProCES typically occurs through courses, summer internships, or independent student research. Partnering with ProCES begins with a conversation to learn about what information or data would be most helpful to further your organization's mission and work. To start that process, contact program coordinator Maria Lockwood at [email protected].

Develop and Pilot Innovative Solutions

Tiger Challenge places a strong emphasis on problem framing, which is integral to design thinking—a methodology that nurtures empathy, creativity, collaboration, and open-mindedness. This approach unfolds both within and beyond the classroom, spanning multiple years and pathways. Our students and advisors actively engage with complex societal issues in partnership with nonprofit and government organizations. Through a fusion of human-centered design, the development of social business models, and the principles of community-engaged scholarship, our teams strive to create enduring innovations across diverse realms such as education, healthcare, sustainability, social justice, and civic engagement.

Produce and Promote Innovative Policy

Conceived during the pandemic and in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, SPIA-NJ exists to foster cross-fertilization among researchers, advocates, organizers, policymakers and elected officials. Based at Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs, SPIA in NJ supports students and faculty working with partners around New Jersey - principally in government and the nonprofit sector. Partnerships and collaboration are central to the endeavor. The goal is to produce research and analysis and to support outreach aligned with racial, social, and economic justice consistent with the principles of representative democracy.

Princeton University recognizes the important role that not-for-profit organizations provide in enhancing the quality of life of the Princeton area. In limited situations the Office of Community and Regional Affairs is able consider supporting requests for funding of initiatives that are underway in local entities. Requests for funding of local projects must be made in writing to the Office of Community and Regional Affairs. Letters should include a full description of the event or initiative and an outline of how the financial contribution would be put to use. Requests can e-mailed to [email protected] or sent via mail to: Office of Community and Regional Affairs, 4 Mercer Street, Princeton, New Jersey 08540.

Throughout the year, Princeton University collects furniture and other office equipment that University departments are no longer able to use. These surplus items are made available to qualifying charitable nonprofit organizations "as is" and free of charge through the Resource Recovery Program. To apply for the access for the program, please fill out the online application or e-mail your request to [email protected].

Space Rental

Rental access to University facilities is determined on a first come, first served basis for eligible organizations for one-off events. Campus-based groups and University (co-)sponsored programs have priority for space usage. Nonprofit organizations may request to host fundraisers on campus once every five years during academic breaks. Requests are reviewed on a first come, first served basis by a committee. Some fees may apply. To apply to host a fundraiser on campus, please contact Melissa Mercuro at [email protected].

Library Access

Community members can view and work with the collections at Firestone Library in person. Access is free but reservations are required. The Library is able to admit 25 visitors a day. The branch libraries, including the Stokes Library for public policy, are open to visitors without a day pass. Many librarians, with advanced notice, are also happy to meet with people from local non-profits who are doing research and might need advice on where to start. For more information, email [email protected].

Visitor Parking 

Visitors coming to the University on weekdays from 7 AM to 4 PM are welcome to park in Stadium Drive Garage. After 4 PM on weekdays and all day on the weekend, University visitors may park for free in any numbered and non-restricted parking lots.

Community Auditing Program 

Princeton University's Community Auditing Program (CAP) enables members of the community to audit University lectures as a "silent student" on a non-credit basis for $200 per course unless otherwise noted. Auditors must live in New Jersey or be within a 50-mile radius of Princeton University. On average, 125-150 classes are available each semester for auditing. No credit or certification is given for CAP classes.

Public Events and Lectures

Subscribe to the Uproar Newsletter for information on upcoming public lectures, performances, and other events of interest on campus.

Group Programs: Princeton University Art Museum

The new Art Museum building is under construction and anticipated to open in spring 2025. During this time, the Art Museum is offering an array of on-campus, local, and virtual programs for K–12 students, college students, adults, and seniors wishing to schedule group experiences. On-campus experiences are available Monday through Sunday and must be scheduled at least two weeks in advance. Local and virtual programs are designed to bring the Museum to groups of ten or more. Museum docents will travel to public spaces—e.g., community centers, local libraries, or schools—within a twenty-mile radius of Princeton University or organize a Zoom call with your group, wherever you are located. These programs must be scheduled at least one month in advance. To learn more or schedule a group program, please email [email protected].

Group Programs: Athletic Games

Blocks of free tickets to Princeton athletic events are available to nonprofit organizations via the Community Ticketing Program. Interested community partners can reach out to Andy Granozio at [email protected] to become a recipient of the program.

Science Outreach

Science Outreach facilitates mutually beneficial and sustainable relationships between Princeton University Science educators and researchers on the one hand, and local K-12 school districts, non-profit organizations, and community stakeholders on the other. Science Outreach serves as a nexus connecting faculty, students, and postdocs with youth, schoolteachers, nonprofit organizations, and the broader community with the goals of increasing engagement, participation, equity, and inclusion in STEM fields.  

Program in Teacher Preparation

Teacher Prep provides a number of programs for local teachers and schools including QUEST, a summer institute for K-12 math and science teachers; Teachers as Scholars and  Administrators as Scholars, seminar series for local teachers and school administrators on a variety of scholarly topics; Research-based Partnerships, field-based experiences that prepare teachers to develop instruction by engaging them with researchers in field science; and the New Jersey STEM Innovation Fellowship, a K-5 teacher-leadership program developed by Math for America (MƒA). The Princeton University Program in Teacher Preparation (Teacher Prep) also sponsors fully-funded summer student internships on education-related experiences in Mercer County.

Program in Continuing Education

Princeton’s Program in Continuing Education admits K-12 New Jersey teachers, in addition to qualified University-affiliated individuals, to enroll in undergraduate and graduate courses. Applicants must live in New Jersey or within a 50-mile commuting distance to campus. The program does not grant degrees or certificates.

Free Youth Programming 

Register for the YouthCampus mailing list to receive e-alerts about upcoming free programming for youth in the arts, sciences, literacy, and more for ages pre-K to high school. Email [email protected] to add yourself to the list.

Community House

Community House offers after school tutoring,  mentoring, and a summer camp for youth who live in the Princeton/Trenton area and are part of an underrepresented community. To learn more about eligibility requirements please email [email protected].