Evaluation & Learning Intern

John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 25,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Housing assistance

Job summary

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in Chicago, IL invites applications for an Evaluation & Learning Intern for Summer 2027.

The hybrid internship runs June 8 to August 11, 2027 with hourly pay starting at $22.00 and a strong emphasis on learning through real projects across climate, journalism, AI and policy. We seek students in undergrad or grad programs who are excited about evaluation, data analysis, and clear, impactful writing.

Qualifications

• The ideal candidate is a student in an undergraduate or graduate program, possibly in a nonprofit management, social sciences, public health, or public policy program.
• Must have interest in evaluation, learning, research, and data analysis and visualization.
• Completed coursework that involved research, qualitative or quantitative data collection, or data analysis is strongly desired but not necessary.
• Must possess strong writing and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Conducting bespoke research projects using AI or supporting the design and facilitation of emergent learning exercises.
• Practicing hands-on evaluative and learning tools
• Create and conducting presentations, meeting with different internal and external partners, and practicing project management.
• Attend EL team meetings and relevant Foundation events.

Skills

Strong writing and communication

Education

Undergraduate or graduate program in nonprofit management, social sciences, public health, or public policy

Job description

NOTE: To ensure a fair and equitable recruitment process, our Foundation Staff and Board do not host preliminary conversations with applicants outside of our standard interview process.

Position: Evaluation & Learning Intern - Summer 2027 Reports to: Senior Evaluation Officer Location: Chicago, IL (Hybrid) Duration: June 8 - August 11, 2027 Compensation: Paid Internship (Hourly rates will start at $22.00/hour)

About the Foundation

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is one of the nation's largest independent foundations. The Foundation supports creative people, effective institutions, and influential networks building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. MacArthur invests in solving some of the world's most pressing social challenges, including advancing global climate solutions, promoting local justice reform in the U.S., revitalizing local news, expanding who creates, uses, and benefits from artificial intelligence, and strengthening the well-being of Native communities. In addition to the MacArthur Fellows Program and the global 100&Change competition, the Foundation continues its historic commitments to the role of journalism in a responsive democracy as well as the vitality of our headquarters city, Chicago. The Foundation also maintains offices in Nigeria and India.

About Evaluation and Learning

The Evaluation and Learning department addresses measurement, evaluation, and learning needs for the institution and its grantmaking programs. We do this in a variety of ways: conduct evaluations, often in partnership with long-standing evaluation and learning partners; facilitate and support strategy design; analyze data to understand changes to outcomes, landscapes, networks, and ecosystems; conduct sensemaking and meaning making of complex data; and perform data analysis and visualization of different data types (quantitative, qualitative, and spatial).

We support organizational change, emergent strategies, and effective grant craft. We believe that values-driven, informed decision-making leads to useful insights, more effective stewardship of the Foundation's resources, and meaningful results. We center learning and create space for critical thinking and reflection. We prioritize relationships and seek to be responsive to what the programs and institutions need. We are rigorous, flexible, and creative in evaluation design, data collection, analysis, and reporting.

About the Internship

The purpose of the intern in the Evaluation and Learning team will be two-fold: (1) to meaningfully engage and contribute to various activities and projects to gain practical experience in evaluation and learning; and two, to gain wide exposure to evaluation and learning activities, including different measurement and evaluation tools and application of evaluation and learning tools in different sectors, including climate change, impact investing, news and journalism, and technology and AI. They will also exercise flexibility in contributing to tasks that arise and smaller projects that will contribute to their professional development. This intern will also have opportunities to shadow different staff members to understand various roles and responsibilities.

Responsibilities may include:

• Conducting bespoke research projects using AI or supporting the design and facilitation of emergent learning exercises.
• Practicing hands-on evaluative and learning tools
• Create and conducting presentations, meeting with different internal and external partners, and practicing project management.
• Attend EL team meetings and relevant Foundation events.

Qualifications

• The ideal candidate is a student in an undergraduate or graduate program, possibly in a nonprofit management, social sciences, public health, or public policy program.
• Must have interest in evaluation, learning, research, and data analysis and visualization.
• Completed coursework that involved research, qualitative or quantitative data collection, or data analysis is strongly desired but not necessary.
• Must possess strong writing and communication skills.

This internship is based in Chicago, Illinois. Our work environment is hybrid with designated in-office days and virtual days. Interns will be required to reside in the Chicagoland area for the duration of the program. Housing assistance for non-local students may be available and will be discussed during the interview process.

The application deadline is MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2026 AT 11:59 PM CST. As a requirement, students 'must be returning back to school' to be eligible.

Work Environment and Reasonable Accommodations

The work environment is an office setting. Requests for reasonable accommodations will be considered to enable a person with disabilities to perform the job. Reasonable accommodations are also available during the interview process.

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.

NOTE: To ensure a fair and equitable recruitment process, our Foundation Staff and Board do not host preliminary conversations with applicants outside of our standard interview process.