2026 Summer Internship at the Center for Freethought Equality

Summer Internship Program
Center for Freethought Equality 

Internships Available: One full-time paid internship available
Dates: June 1st – August 7th 2026, 10 weeks for 35 hours a week
Location: Interns must reside in DC and work at least 3 days per week (Mon, Weds, & Thurs) from our Dupont Circle offices
Compensation: $6,300 for the summer
To Apply: Visit this link: https://forms.gle/djbkE7BbGCjo1j1b8

Who You Are: 

You’re a college student who’s deeply dismayed by the state of the world right now. Trump and his Christian Nationalist cronies are dismantling our freedoms and trying to divide America, choosing who they think matters and counts and who doesn’t. You want to do more than fight back: you want to help elect the next class of leaders fighting to protect our democracy.

You’re hungry for a summer job that will teach you to be a leader on the values you care about, where you’ll be put to work on substantive projects and help build a movement for people like you: driven by a deep belief in human dignity and human potential, and deeply committed to reason, science, and compassion as the guideposts for your own life and who we elect to office.

You’re also a no-job-too-small person who wants to be put to work and learn about all the facets of running an effective nonprofit working to change the world – from the fascinating and innovative to the boring and messy.

Does that sound like you? Good. We’ve been waiting.

Who We Are: 

Hi! Nice to meet you. We’re the Center for Freethought Equality, the advocacy and political arm of the American Humanist Association.

Humanists believe in people. We believe that people have inherent worth and dignity, without needing to be saved or redeemed. We believe that people can do anything as long as we live in a society where people are free to think freely and pursue rational truth. And we believe the highest good is to help other people live lives of freedom and flourishing.

The Center for Freethought Equality is the humanist community’s 501(c)(4) that fights the radical religious right in Congress and legislatures across the country, and makes the moral case for progressive public policy. We also get atheists, agnostics, “nothing in particular”, and humanists elected to office, and then we work with them once they get there. We care about public schools, sexual and reproductive health, LGBTQ rights, civil liberties, and more.

And we’ve got hella work to do.

The Role: 

We designed our summer internship program to help a college student interested in church-state separation and building positive secular communities develop their skills and leadership, explore a career in the secular space, and contribute your expertise and vision to our movement.

The policy intern will work full-time in our office in DC for 10 weeks.

You will have the opportunity to:

  • Meet with all CFE (and AHA) staff members to learn more about different work functions and career paths in the nonprofit policy world, including 1:1 mentorship sessions with our Executive Director.

  • Work on small teams and collaborate directly with a senior staff employee at CFE, receiving mentorship and feedback from a seasoned leader in the secular space.

  • Work on substantial projects for CFE, focused on the 2026 election, though you should also expect significant time (up to but no more than 50%) spent on administrative work.

  • You may also have the opportunity to work on cross-departmental projects and group projects with interns working for the AHA, and attend free events in DC as guests of CFE/AHA – these are all TBD, but very possible.

Requirements:

Non-negotiable

  • Ambitious and driven: You dream big for yourself and the places you work for, aiming high, working hard, and always asking “What can we do better?”

  • Intrepid and fearless: You’re comfortable with failure, unafraid of rejection, and always up to (thoughtfully, strategically) court a little controversy.

  • Creative and open: You see possibilities others don’t, aren’t afraid of divergent thinking, and are described as “bursting with ideas.”

  • Responsible and action-oriented: Able to move quickly from ideas to action. You have a high output, meet deadlines, and finish what you start.

  • Strong verbal and written communicator, able to articulate complex ideas clearly.

  • Strong cultural competency, able to make people feel welcome and respected no matter their background or identity.

Super Helpful, A Big Plus 

(The successful applicant will absolutely have some, but likely not all, of these):

  • Experience in the humanist/secular movement space, or adjacent movements like Unitarian Universalism, whether as an intern, volunteer, or group member. (Enthusiasm and willingness to learn the culture of these spaces is an absolute must). 

  • Experience related to election work (e.g., volunteering on a campaign, etc.)

  • A history of activism for causes you care about

  • Experience as a team member and leader of student groups on campus

Compensation and Logistics:

Dates: This 10-week internship runs through June, July, and the first week of August (June 1 – August 7).

Pay: You will work 35 hours a week and will be paid a stipend of $6,300. You’ll be paid in three monthly installments (June, July, August). If your school provides internship funding, your stipend from CFE will be reduced by the amount of support your school provides

Hours: Interns are expected to work 9am-5pm Monday-Friday, with an hour for lunch to be taken whenever you prefer. You will also have 3 hours of “Flex Time” you can take off each week. You can use it for anything you like: to lengthen lunch, take off early on Friday afternoon, for appointments, etc.

Paid Time Off: We will provide paid days off on June 19th (Juneteenth) and July 4th.

Work Location: Interns are expected to work in CFE’s offices near Dupont Circle at least 3 days per week – Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. On Wednesdays and Fridays interns may choose to work from the office or remotely. The office is a short walk from the Farragut West and Dupont Circle Metro stations, and MetroBus stops right around the corner.

Hiring Process:

You can start by applying here: https://forms.gle/djbkE7BbGCjo1j1b8

We like to share our full hiring process for transparency. However, please note that all parts of this process, including timelines, may change.

Stage 1: Application + Resume (Applications open through February 13th) 

You’ll fill out an application that includes some basic personal information and several short answer questions. You’ll also provide a resume and a writing sample.

Stage 2: Interviews (Week of February 23rd) 

We’ll invite 3-5 applicants to a 45 minute interview, where you’ll speak with at least 2 members of our team, including someone from the department you’d be most likely to be matched with.

We will aim to make offers to applicants by March 9th so that you have adequate time to make travel arrangements to DC.

Organizational Overview:

Policy

We fight for public policy that defends humanist values – that every person deserves to live with dignity, and that we all deserve the freedom to choose our beliefs and the way we live our lives. We’re one of the most respected and effective organizations in the country advocating for church-state separation – and our movement grows every time people see us fighting for them. You’ll work closely with CFE’s Policy and Political Director, Rachel Deitch, an experienced leader in moving the needle on federal and state policy issues from church-state separation to reproductive rights.

Examples of substantial projects might look like: Conduct research for fact sheets and talking points about church-state separation issues to be shared with Members of Congress, help design a training for humanists who want to run for local office, write messages encouraging our members to call and email their state legislators on priority issues.

Examples of administrative work might look like: Maintain our state legislative tracker and congressional scorecard, cold outreach to local and state elected officials to identify humanists serving in elected office, delivering messages to Congressional offices

FAQs:

Can I take on other work outside of this internship? 

As long as it doesn’t interfere with your work at CFE, you should feel free to do whatever you like outside of work hours, including taking on additional part-time work.

Will CFE help me find housing? 

We are happy to share tips on how to find housing, but we can’t secure housing for you. However, there are lots of programs that provide affordable housing for summer interns in DC.

What if I have planned travel (family vacation, conference, etc) and can’t make the exact dates specified in the application? 

We are open to flexible arrangements, including having you work slightly different dates or work slightly less than ten weeks and prorating your stipend. Please apply and share your situation.

Can I work remotely? 

We require interns to be in Washington, DC for the duration of the program. All interns must work on-site at CFE’s headquarters near Dupont Circle at least three days a week – Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Wednesday and Fridays you can choose to work remotely or come into the office.

What are the dress code expectations? 

CFE’s office is casual. You can wear anything that would not get you thrown out of Applebee’s. Please bring 1-2 business outfits for special events (lobbying Congress, attending an event, etc).

Will I receive formal feedback?

Your supervisor will offer a formal midpoint review in early July, highlighting strengths and areas for improvement. You’ll receive plenty of feedback along the way!

Is CFE’s office accessible? 

Unfortunately, there is no way to access the AHA’s offices without stairs. We will make an exception to the remote work policy for applicants who are not able to use stairs.