Current Award Recipient

Sarasota-Manatee Arts & Humanities Internship Program (CEO-Funded Internship Program)

The Sarasota-Manatee Arts & Humanities (SMAH) Internship Program, or more recently called the CEO-Funded Internship Program, aims to increase equity and enhance access to paid arts and humanities-related internships through community-driven projects. Arts and humanities students who need to gain experience through internships find that opportunities available are mostly unpaid, creating a barrier for under-resourced students. By leveraging institutional resources, including grant funding and foundation support, this program uniquely funds community-driven projects through a request for internship proposal process, which in turn, provides paid opportunities for students. This model brings the career center, faculty, and community in partnership to develop high-quality internship experiences that meet community needs and correlate with students’ interests. The SMAH Internship Program showed that having access to paid internships increased arts and humanities students’ interest in pursuing an internship as part of their academic program, which is critical for a successful transition into meaningful careers. After a successful year, the program was able to expand its reach beyond arts and humanities internships this academic year with increased support and funding from private donors and community foundations.