At Tax Foundation, our interns work on substantive projects that have a real impact on national, state, and global tax reform debates. Our program not only introduces you to the principles of sound tax policy but also teaches you how to apply them to advance public policy and tax literacy. Interns will gain experience from a talented and dynamic team passionate about working with policymakers on both sides of the aisle to improve lives through smarter tax policy and education.
Internship Tracks
Tax Foundation offers opportunities for interns to join our teams focused on federal policy, state policy, global policy, development, communications and marketing, or education.
Each program offers unique opportunities and has a distinct application timeline and criteria, so please review the descriptions below and apply to the programs that interest you. Regardless of your path, you will gain firsthand experience working on substantive projects and learn from experts across the organization.
Note that most of our internship opportunities are available in the summer months, so if networking with other interns across the organization is important to you, please keep that in mind.
Federal Tax Policy
Federal team interns conduct research and analysis on timely debates in federal tax policy while also supporting our modeling efforts to score the economic, distributional, and revenue effects of proposed federal tax changes.
- Internship Dates: January 2025 – May 2025
- Schedule: Full time or part time, to accommodate academic responsibilities
- Location: Washington, DC or remote, but in-office preferred
- Review Process: Applications reviewed on a rolling basis
- How to Apply: Email your résumé and cover letter to William McBride at wmcbride@taxfoundation.org
Tax Foundation is partnering with the Peter G. Peterson Foundation for the 2025 PGPF Fiscal Internship Program, which offers full-time paid internships at leading policy organizations to a select group of college and graduate students interested in fiscal policy. Applications are open from December 13, 2024, to January 26, 2025.
State Tax Policy
State team interns help write about important state-level tax developments and assist in the research for major Tax Foundation publications.
We are not currently accepting applications for this internship track.
Global Tax Policy
Global team interns help conduct comparative analyses of tax systems in countries around the world, facilitate meetings with policymakers and stakeholders, and track tax policy developments at the OECD and European Union.
We are not currently accepting applications for this internship track.
Development
Development team interns help maintain key relationships with the Tax Foundation’s large donor network. Interns obtain a working knowledge of the fundamentals of fundraising including stewardship with top organizations and policymakers, engaging in research, CRM database management, developing communication materials, and representing the Tax Foundation to our diverse donor base.
We are not currently accepting applications for this internship track.
Marketing and Communications
Marketing and Communications interns increase Tax Foundation’s reach by supporting media analysis and outreach, SEO and website maintenance, metrics tracking, email marketing, and social media and ad campaigns.
We are not currently accepting applications for this internship track.
Education
Education interns advance tax literacy via our TaxEDU program by helping develop free educational materials and conduct outreach to college and high school educators, students, taxpayers, and lawmakers nationwide.
We are not currently accepting applications for this internship track.
Important Details
The Tax Foundation is happy to work with outside fellowship programs to host interns and to assist in arranging for school credit. Full-time interns will be compensated at $17 per hour. Our staff operates on a hybrid schedule, which includes several days in the D.C. office each week. Preference will be given to interns working in the D.C. metro area.