Fall 2026 Internship - Institutional Giving & Development

Internship: Institutional Giving & Development
Department: Development
Status: Temporary, non-exempt
Pay Rate: $17.05/hr
Location: Onsite
Season: Fall 2026 (8/31/26-11/20/26)
Application Deadline: July 13 at 5pm CST
 
Shedd Internship Program
Shedd Aquarium's Internship Program aims to provide meaningful career exploration for those seeking professions in non-profits, animal care, conservation, research, and beyond.  We hope to inspire and develop future professionals as diverse as the aquatic world we care for.

These opportunities are geared toward those that are new to the field and just starting to establish a career. They have the skills and knowledge, but not necessarily the real-world application.

We welcome applications from all levels of experience, including those seeking career exploration or changes, gap year students, freshmen, sophomores, and those seeking first internships.

Department Overview: 
The Development team is responsible for fundraising efforts to maintain current programming and support pilot programming, with portfolios including memberships, planned giving, institutional giving, and individual giving. Beyond fundraising, the Development team also stewards relationships with donors, builds relationships with external partners, and works with other departments to determine funding needs. This role will work with the Institutional Giving team, which encompasses giving made by corporate, foundation, and government organizations.  

Environment:
This role will report to the Coordinator, Institutional Giving and work closely with other members of the Institutional Giving team as well as with other members of the Development team. Work will take place onsite at Shedd in the Smith Family Office Suite.  

Learning Goals: 

• Learn to conduct prospect research, including where to find relevant information, how to read financial documents and how to qualify or disqualify a prospective funder. 
• Develop skills pertaining to writing grants, including crafting compelling narratives, leveraging data, building proposals from RFPs, using brand-specific language and corresponding with internal contacts for information. 
• Explore the differences between corporate, foundation and government philanthropy. 

Responsibilities & Projects: 

• Demonstrate commitment to Shedd’s vision, mission and values 
• Conduct prospect research by reviewing financial documents and giving history, following leads, and reporting on findings.  
• Draft and revise compelling material for grant applications, proposals and reports. 
• Gather and utilize stories to provide stewardship updates to current funders.  
• Assist with development of evergreen narratives, including the drafting of materials and requesting feedback from relevant internal contacts. 
• Learn and adopt Shedd’s brand voice to be used in communications and written materials. 
• Collaborate with Development team members on a selection of written projects and communications. 
• Assist with regular Institutional Giving operations, including but not limited to taking meeting notes, helping to monitor the Corporate Relations inbox and tracking grant activity in Tessitura CRM. 
• Other projects as assigned 

Qualifications: 

Fields of Interest: 
Interest in grant writing, foundation relations, and/or corporate relations preferred.  

Skills/Characteristics: 

• Interest in animals, conservation, education, research and/or science. 
• Ability to take complex information and appropriately transform it for a general audience. 
• Curiosity and a desire to learn. 
• Ability to use critical thinking and research skills to assess organizational alignment. 
• Demonstrated ability to work well independently or in a team setting. 
• Strong written and verbal communication skills. 
• Time management skills. 
• Must be at least 18 years old at time of application.
• Have a high school diploma or GED at time of application. 

Schedule: 

• This internship will run from 8/31/26-11/20/26.
  • The first day of the internship will be a full day orientation from 9am-5pm. This is required, even if you will not normally be scheduled on Mondays.
• We anticipate this position will be scheduled for 24 hours per week during this time period, pending business needs and individual performance.
  • Preferred schedule: All weekdays are flexible except for Wednesdays, which are mandatory onsite days for the Development team
  • Set schedule based on intern availability and host department needs. 

Reasonable Accommodations:
Shedd Aquarium is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need reasonable accommodations for any part of the employment process, please email us at internship@sheddaquarium.org.
 
We strongly encourage people of color, LGBTQ+ community, Veterans and active duty military, parents, individuals with disabilities, and individuals from all cultural backgrounds to apply. Shedd Aquarium is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes everyone to our team.