Summer 2026 - Intern, Advocacy & Partnerships

Summer 2026 - Intern, Advocacy & Partnerships

Vera's Advocacy & Partnerships department is responsible for coordinating the vision, strategy, and staff development across Vera's initiatives to pass legislation, change policy, and create change at scale. We work to ensure that the goals of our advocacy campaigns align with the people and communities most impacted by criminal justice and immigration policies, and we collaborate with movement and advocacy partners to produce the right knowledge and ideas needed to change policies and legislation at the right time.

Vera's advocacy department serves the following core functions :

• Providing state and local government and movement strategy guidance to Vera's national and place-based initiatives, with a focus on lobbying, campaigns, and coalition work; Vera Insights, a rapid response data and evidence team responsible for developing and producing data and knowledge to key partners and audiences;
• Federal policy expertise to lead Vera's advocacy strategies in DC; and
• Vera Action, an independent (c)(4) entity.

The learning goals of this internship include gaining insight into the issues affecting incarcerated individuals across the country, research learn and provide resources to incarcerated individuals and will learn about the various areas of the criminal legal and immigration reform that Vera's Advocacy Department works on to gain insight that will help the intern in choosing a career path in the field.

About the role :

1. Coordinate the backlog of communications from incarcerated individuals :

2. Assist with desk research and drafting written memos :

3. Help create and maintain internal information systems :

4. Other duties as assigned by Manager, but not limited to :

What qualifications are we looking for?

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities you'll bring :

Technical knowledge helpful for this role :

Location :

Please note this role will report to our Brooklyn, NY office. Vera employees adhere to a hybrid schedule and are in-office on an alternating schedule that generally amounts to 10 days per month.

Compensation and Benefits :

The compensation range for this position is $17.00 - $25.00. Actual salaries will vary depending on factors including but not limited to experience and performance.

Application Process :

To receive further consideration for this career opportunity, applicants are asked preliminary questions about logistics, their interest and qualifications. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional details about their experience via a phone screen / form in advance of an invitation for a virtual or in-person interview with the team. Some searches may explore scenarios during the interview process and / or an assessment prior to reference checks and a hiring decision.

Applications may also be faxed to :

ATTN : People, Place, and Culture / Summer 2026 - Intern, Advocacy & Partnerships Vera Institute of Justice 34 35th St, Suite 4-2A, Brooklyn, NY 11232 Fax : (212) 941-9407 Please use only one method (online, mail or fax) of submission. No phone calls, please. Only applicants selected for interviews will be contacted.

Vera is an equal opportunity / affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without unlawful discrimination based on race, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, prior record of arrest or conviction, citizenship status, current employment status, or caregiver status.

Vera works to advance justice, particularly racial justice, in an increasingly multicultural country and globally connected world. We value diverse experiences, including with regard to educational background and justice system contact, and depend on a diverse staff to carry out our mission.