[2026 Summer Internships] What Works Cities Curriculum Intern

Organization: Results for America

Role: 2026 Summer Intern Location: Remote; flexible, within the United States

Organization Overview

Results for America (RFA) helps government leaders find, fund, and implement solutions that work to accelerate upward economic mobility and improve lives. We work with federal, state, and local government decision-makers to increase their use of evidence and data in budget, policy, and program decisions.

At Results for America, one of our flagship initiatives is What Works Cities (WWC), a Bloomberg Philanthropies–funded initiative that helps city governments across the country improve residents’ lives by using data and evidence effectively to tackle pressing challenges. To accomplish this, we work directly with city leaders and staff through coaching and implementation support, a range of online and in-person learning opportunities, and a growing professional network. This support is guided by What Works Cities Certification, the first-ever international standard of excellence for data-driven, well-managed local government.

What Works Cities Certification assesses cities based on their data-driven decision-making practices, such as whether they are using data to set goals and track progress, allocate funding, evaluate the effectiveness of programs, and achieve desired outcomes from contracts with outside vendors. The program also measures whether cities are publicly and transparently communicating about their use of data and evidence. By aspiring toward Certification and implementing the best practices outlined in the program’s criteria, cities across the country are more effectively delivering results for residents. Since our launch in 2015, we have helped more than 300 cities make progress on their most pressing issues, from health and public safety to homelessness and blight.

Now in its 10th year, What Works Cities is entering an exciting new phase. The initiative will continue scaling across North, Central, and South America, surpassing the milestone of 100 Certified cities while also exploring other regional markets. WWC is also developing innovative ways for cities to engage and build capacity from those just beginning their Certification journey to those deepening their work as Certified cities.

Program Overview

RFA’s 2025 summer internship program will run for approximately 10 weeks, from Tuesday, June 2 - Friday, August 7, 2026. Over the course of this internship, all interns will be immersed in RFA’s programmatic and policy work by supporting one of RFA's innovative teams in achieving their strategic goals. Interns will work on various projects during their time at RFA, while also enjoying a range of learning and professional development opportunities.

Interns will work virtually and will be expected to use their own laptop equipment. Interns will be assigned RFA email addresses for the duration of their summer internship.

Team Overview

The Curriculum team supports WWC’s learning ecosystem by strengthening the organization, accessibility, and alignment of learning resources to certification criteria. This work helps ensure cities can more easily navigate and engage with the supports most relevant to their needs, improving the effectiveness of learning experiences and enabling cities to build, implement, and sustain strong data and evidence practices.

The team’s work also supports more equitable access to high-quality resources across cities at different stages and aligns with broader curriculum development and organizational priorities.

Internship Responsibilities - Scope of Work

The intern will support the Curriculum team in strengthening and organizing WWC’s learning ecosystem by conducting a comprehensive audit of self-serve resources, mapping offerings to certification criteria, and identifying gaps to inform more structured, accessible, and criteria-aligned learning pathways for cities.

They will conduct resource inventories, support content tagging and organization, map offerings to certification criteria, and assist in identifying gaps and opportunities. They will work closely with the Curriculum team, with regular check-ins and guidance to ensure alignment with project goals and team priorities, and may support additional curriculum-related projects as needed.

Deliverables include a completed inventory of self-serve resources; a criteria-aligned tagging framework; draft learning pathway maps; and a summary of key gaps and recommendations. Deliverables will be completed over the summer term, with interim progress updates and a final summary report at project conclusion.

Internship Reporting Relationship

• Associate Director of Curriculum Design & Management, Christina Wagner

Internship requirements

RFA offers summer internships to individuals who are at least 18 years old and who have:

• Excellent written, verbal, and listening communication skills;
• Proficiency with GoogleSuite and Microsoft Office Suite
• Alignment with Results for America’s mission and vision

Summer Intern applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States. RFA is not able to sponsor or otherwise support employment authorization in the United States, including F-1 student visas, now or in the future, for this internship position.

Pay Rate

Individuals with 1-4 years of postsecondary education or relevant work experience in government or nonprofit organizations will be paid $27/hour.

Individuals with 5 or more years of postsecondary education or relevant work experience in government or nonprofit organizations will be paid $32/hour.

Precise weekly work schedules/hours will be determined in coordination with the Intern’s supervisor.

Summer Interns are not eligible for RFA benefits.

How to Apply

• To apply for this summer internship, please complete and submit all information in the application/application link.
• Summer Intern applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States. RFA is not able to sponsor or otherwise support employment authorization in the United States, including F-1 student visas, now or in the future, for this internship position.