The LEAD Internship Program
Investing early. Leading with love. Building what’s next.
Where Leadership Takes Root
The LEAD Internship Program offers rising college sophomore students a paid, 10-week summer experience in philanthropy and social impact. Students work at host organizations across Chicago—foundations, nonprofits, and mission-driven companies—and participate in weekly learning sessions on leadership and navigating their careers, philanthropy practices, and creating lasting change.
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A program of The CAFE Group, LEAD is designed to change who sees philanthropy as a career option, who gets welcomed into the field, and who helps shape its future. We support students where they are with care, curiosity, and community—while offering organizations a high-quality structure for hosting and mentoring rising talent.
Why LEAD
Matters
Philanthropy is meant to be love in action—a way of resourcing the people, ideas, and communities that carry us forward. But access to leadership, opportunity, and influence still flows through long-established networks—and that flow is structural, not incidental.
Even with the best of intentions, the sector often reinforces the same relationships, assumptions, and channels of capital—social and financial alike.
LEAD is the future of philanthropy in practice.
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We start early, connecting students to meaningful work and to each other, mentors, and the values that guide how they lead, wherever they choose to go.
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LEAD alumni pursue all kinds of professional paths. What matters most is that they finish their summer with:
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A clearer understanding of how power moves.
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A sense of responsibility to community,
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And a growing network they can draw on and pour back into.
Whether LEAD alumni use that social capital inside philanthropy or beyond it, they go on to lead in reflection of what they've learned.
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How they show up,
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What they fight for,
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and who they bring with them.
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That's the long game. And that's the future we're building together.
The LEAD Intern Experience
LEAD interns are hired directly by participating organizations—foundations, nonprofits, and other mission-driven partners across the Chicago area. Each intern works up to 40 hours a week and is supported by a manager at their host organization.
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But what makes LEAD different isn’t just where interns work—it’s how they grow. In addition to their placements, interns take part in a CAFE-led learning series that runs throughout the summer.
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The experience is designed to spark reflection, build community, and offer a deeper understanding of social impact beyond the job description.
A Hands-On Summer
Over the course of 10 weeks, LEAD interns:
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Attend weekly sessions on leadership, identity, and equity in practice
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Explore power, money, and purpose—and how each shapes the work
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Connect with a network of leaders, mentors, and peers across the city
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Receive coaching and support to navigate professional spaces with confidence
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Get an inside look at how philanthropy operates, including real-world exposure to strategy and grantmaking decisions
The days are full, the conversations are real, and the relationships last.
No two internships are alike, but every LEAD intern leaves with a stronger sense of who they are, what they care about, and how they want to lead in the spaces that matter most to them.
What We've Built So Far
Since launching, LEAD has created meaningful early career experiences for hundreds of students in cohorts that are 85+% young people of color. We've sparked lasting relationships between future leaders and the organizations building a more just future.
Behind these numbers are stories of growth, insight, and connection.
OUR SERVICES
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Funders: Step In. Lead Forward
LEAD exists because funders believed in its promise. It grows because people continue to invest in what works.
If you’re ready to help build a more equitable and imaginative philanthropic sector, your partnership can move that vision forward.
Your support funds student stipends, underwrites program costs, and helps us scale what’s possible for students and mission-driven organizations alike.
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