Spring 2026 SFP Campaigns and Communications Intern

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) is a high-caliber strategic policy institute that informs and shapes public policies to reduce poverty, promote equity, and build opportunity. It has a national reputation for conducting rigorous research and analysis, developing evidence-based policy ideas and strategies, shaping a broad array of policy debates at the federal and state levels, and influencing policy outcomes on a range of critical issues. It focuses on improving the lives of people with low or moderate incomes and examines how policies affect particular groups, including Black, Indigenous, and other people of color; immigrants; people with disabilities; and LGBTQ+ people. CBPP is known for its unique capacity to blend rigorous, timely analysis with effective communications that enable policymakers and the media to make use of its work.  

The State Fiscal Policy (SFP) team conducts research and analysis of tax and budget developments in states, with a focus on how they affect low-income families and individuals. Areas of research include budget and tax reform, taxes and economic development, anti-poverty programs and tax policies, criminal justice, higher education, K-12 education, and immigration. SFP also coordinates and assists a nationwide network of state-level fiscal policy organizations. 

The SFP Campaigns and Communications Intern will support two teams on the larger SFP team: Campaigns and Communications. The Campaigns team supports the advocacy and campaign strategies of groups in the State Priorities Partnership (SPP) and other state-based organizations, while the Communications team supports the communication strategies of those groups. 

The intern will play a critical role in the work of both teams by researching and tracking key state and federal policy action; attending and reporting on meetings of partners, allies, and other related organizations; and completing other special projects. The intern will also be responsible for writing biweekly newsletters; posting content for our online community; tracking media mentions; and assisting with prospect research, grant reports, event planning, and database management. 

 Qualifications:  

• Strong interest in CBPP’s mission and the issues it works on; interest in community engagement, politics, and social change; and a desire to gain issue campaign and/or advocacy experience.  
• Prior experience in one or more of the following areas: 

• Political or issue-area campaigns, advocacy, and/or community organizing;
• Government, political science, nonprofits, and/or social work; and
• Communications or journalism.

• Strong writing, research, and organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to work independently and meet deadlines.  
• Demonstrated interest in economic and/or racial equity and the role of public policy in achieving greater equity. 
• Experience with Excel.
• Education: current undergraduate students or recent graduates. High GPA strongly preferred.    

Successful interns will have a commitment to CBPP’s mission to improve the well-being of low- and moderate-income people and advance racial equity.   

To expand the diversity of voices that speak with authority in federal and state policy debates, CBPP’s internship program identifies highly motivated candidates — particularly those with experience with communities that are underrepresented in policy debates — with a demonstrated interest in working on public policies that affect low-income and diverse communities and have implications for racial equity.

International students are welcome to apply. The Center does not provide financial sponsorship for visas or work permits. You must have documentation of work authorization for the U.S. AND a U.S. Social Security number, as of the start date of the internship, to be employed by the Center.

Application Deadline: March 13, 2026, 11:59 p.m. ET        

Internship Start Date: June 2, 2026