Host Organizations

Build capacity at your organization by hosting a Semester in the City or Semester for Impact Fellow.

College for Social Innovation partners with nonprofits, social mission businesses, and government agencies to provide internship placements for our Social Innovation Fellows participating in the Semester in the City and Semester for Impact program. Our goal is to match students to social impact internships that will be mutually beneficial and aligned with the student's interests and organization's needs. Mission areas of our host organizations include criminal justice reform, education, gender equality, environmental sustainability, and much more! Check out our growing list of past and present host organizations below.

Our application is currently closed and will reopen in the Spring of 2025.

Application

Thank you for your interest in hosting Social Innovation Fellows! Fellows are current undergraduate and gap semester students who will receive a full semester of credit for participating in our 15-week Semester in the City and Semester for Impact programs.

Through this application, we are seeking to understand how your organization would utilize and support one (or more) Social Innovations Fellow(s), and gather enough information to facilitate the best possible match. The bulk of the application pertains to your ideas regarding tasks and projects to which the Fellow will be assigned, and the designated mentor(s) identified by your host organization (to which we require a statement from).

We understand that circumstances may change between now and the start of the internship placement. Please complete the application to the best of your ability using your current information and thinking.

Becoming a Host Site

Eligibility & Requirements

College for Social Innovation places Fellows at nonprofits, government agencies, and social mission businesses. Organizations must commit to providing a dedicated mentor to supervise and support the Fellow for 30 hours per week. Learn more about mentoring below.

Internships Include:

  • 40% of time dedicated to a Special Project

  • 50% of time dedicated to the direct service work of the organization/department

  • 10% of time dedicated towards opportunities to shadow staff members and senior leaders, as well as participate in other learning opportunities such as staff or community meetings.

Organizations need to provide adequate infrastructure for assigned work (e.g. desk, computer access, etc.)

Cost

Host Organizations are asked to contribute a small host fee per fellow per semester:

A fee of $800 will cover a Semester in the City fellow’s T-pass and living stipend. The MBTA pass will work for Boston lines and buses, but will not extend to commuter rail or express passes.

To host a Semester for Impact Fellow, our fee is $595, which covers student expenses incurred by their internship.

If your organization is an excellent Host Organization candidate but cannot afford the Host Fee, please contact Kimara Merceron, Senior Manager of Internship Recruitment, at internships@collegeforsocialinnovation.org to learn more about opportunities for your organization.

If you are interested in hosting a Semester for Impact Fellow, contact Kate LaVigne, Manager of Operations for Semester for Impact.

Mentoring a Fellow

Becoming a mentor provides a unique opportunity to shape the next generation of changemakers. By guiding students through their internship experiences, you will share your expertise, insights, and passion for the social sector. This role will allow you to foster personal and professional growth in students as they engage with meaningful projects that address your organization's mission. Mentoring not only benefits students but also enriches your own understanding and perspective within the field, creates a vibrant exchange of ideas and experiences, and increases capacity within your organization.

Are you a current Mentor looking for resources and guidance? Click here and bookmark this page!

Who You’ll Host

Semester in the City

We are looking for Boston/Greater Boston based Host Organizations interested in hosting SITC Fellows.

This fellowship program gives undergraduate students the opportunity to spend a semester in Boston learning hands-on through well-supported internships in the social sector.

GAP - Semester for City 

We are looking for Boston/Greater Boston based Host Organizations interested in hosting GAP SITC Fellows.

This fellowship program gives students with a minimum of a high school diploma (between 18-26 years old) the opportunity to intern at a social impact organization during their Gap semester whether they are enrolled in college or not.

National Taiwan University (NTU) - Semester in the City 

We are looking for Boston/Greater Boston based Host Organizations interested in hosting NTU Fellows for Fall semesters. 

This is an exciting new partnership with National Taiwan University that branches from our Semester in the City program. International multilingual undergraduate students from Taiwan, with graduate level experience working at NGOs,  have the opportunity to further develop their critical thinking skills by spending a semester in Boston learning hands-on through well-supported internships in the social sector.

Semester for Impact 

We are looking for Host Organizations interested in hosting SFI Fellows in their local community.

This fellowship program gives undergraduate students the opportunity to spend a semester in their community near campus learning hands-on through well-supported internships.

Contact Kate LaVigne to apply.

Not ready to apply but still interested?

Fill out an interest form and we will get in touch with you!

We have a lot of great events where you can learn more about what it looks like to host a fellow and build capacity at your organization.

 

Host Organizations