Applications are now being accepted for Summer 2025. To apply please see the Internship Application. 

Deadline: February 10, 2025

Eileen P. Sweeney devoted her life to improving the lives of people with disabilities, children, battered women, the poor, and the elderly. Her early Washington career was devoted to disability issues and she played a key role in achieving the disability benefit reforms of 1983 and 1984. She subsequently turned her attention to other vulnerable populations, the needs of children, those served by the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, and the Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs.

The National Academy of Social Insurance, in partnership with the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) established the Eileen Sweeney Graduate Internship in honor and memory of Eileen.

Remembering Eileen P. Sweeney

Support the Eileen Sweeney Graduate Internship in Disability Policy

Who Should Apply

The National Academy of Social Insurance seeks outstanding graduate students aspiring to a career in social policy with a focus on disability issues. Students with a strong interest in disability policy (research, implementation, and/or advocacy) are encouraged to apply for this 12-week summer semester internship in Washington, DC.*

Eligibility of all internship programs requires applicants to be currently enrolled in a college or university at the start of the internship cycle.

This internship is open only to applicants with a valid U.S. Social Security Number (SSN); we cannot accommodate students on international visas (including J- or F- Visa holders).

*As of summer 2022, Academy interns are offered hybrid or in-person work arrangements, which are subject to change depending on COVID-19.  In-person attendance is required for local DC Academy internship programming and activities.   

Compensation

Interns are paid at least $17.50/hr based on a 35 to 40-hour work week (according to Washington DC’s minimum wage).

Internship Placements

Students who are selected for an internship will then be matched with a placement organization in the DC area, where they will work under the supervision of an Academy Member. Sweeney interns will have the opportunity to:

  • Work with leading disability policy experts;
  • Gain valuable work experience;
  • Make professional contacts and network in their area of interest; and
  • Attend relevant seminars and symposia.

Sweeney interns work closely with experts in their Washington offices. Our most recent internship placements have included:

  • AcademyHealth
  • ADvancing States (former National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities)
  • AFL-CIO
  • Buffin Foundation
  • Center for Global Policy Solutions
  • Century Foundation
  • Community Catalyst
  • Congressional Research Service
  • Kaiser Family Foundation
  • Long-Term Quality Alliance (LTQA)
  • Medicaid and Chip Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC)
  • National Academy of Social Insurance
  • National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services (NASDDDS)
  • National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare (NCPSSM)
  • National Institute for Retirement Security
  • SCAN Health Plan
  • Social Security Advisory Board (SSAB)
  • U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means 
  • U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP)
  • Urban Institute

Academic credit may be arranged through the intern’s college or university.

The Academy will strive to place interns according to a best-fit criteria considering their career goals and preferences, but the Academy has the final decision on all placement sites.

The National Academy of Social Insurance, as a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization devoted to furthering knowledge and understanding of social insurance programs, is uniquely qualified to provide students with challenging internship opportunities. The Academy’s members, recognized experts in social insurance and health policy, offer the interns access to information and experiences found nowhere else. Academic credit may be arranged through the intern’s college or university. International students with valid student visas can be placed with non-governmental organizations, if placement projects match their skills and interests.

Internship Application:

Please indicate your top three program choices.
*This section is required for your application to be considered by the selection committees.

Please note we cannot accommodate students on international visas in our program at this time.

SUPPORTING MATERIALS
Please name your attachments as follows:

Last Name, First Initial_Document
For example, “Smith, J_Cover Letter”, “Smith, J_Writing Sample”
If submitting multiple documents, such as graduate and undergraduate transcripts, you can list them as “Transcript 1” and “Transcript 2” and so forth.

Masters level or higher students must also submit an undergraduate transcript
Topic of sample paper should be closely related to the policy area of the internship of interest
Not required at time of submission – can be submitted directly from the recommender via email in advance of deadline to internships@nasi.org. A Professional recommendation is provided by someone who has worked with you in a professional or workplace setting, such as a manager or supervisor.
Not required at time of submission – can be submitted directly from the recommender via email in advance of deadline to internships@nasi.org. An Academic recommendation is written by someone who knows you in an academic setting, such as a professor, teacher, or academic advisor.

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