The American Action Forum is a non-profit “think-tank” in Washington, DC dedicated to thoughtful, timely, politically informed policy analysis.  Our spring interns will have the opportunity to work with top issue experts as they apply our research to breaking current events, network with DC leaders, and publish their own public policy research.

Every American Action Forum issue expert joined the Forum with an exceptionally distinguished background. Some of the experts you will have the opportunity to work with include Doug Holtz-Eakin, Sixth Director of the Congressional Budget Office and Jennifer Korn Director of Hispanic and Women’s Affairs in the White House Office of Public Liaison.

What our intern alumni are saying about their time at the American Action Forum:

“Currently, I am in law school and one of my classes requires that I come up with legislation.  The skills I learned at the Forum helped me research the regulatory field and develop the law I plan to draft for my class.  Moreover, the research and writing skills which the Forum demands have assisted me in not only my current role, but will stick with me throughout my career.” – Bijan

“The Forum is a great way to learn about many of the policy areas that influence Washington politics. I have a background in Healthcare, but by working at the Forum, I became more aware of policy issues relating to Education, Energy and the Environment and Housing.” – Katherine

“The most valuable thing I learned at AAF was how to approach The Hill and Washington, DC as a whole, which mostly came from the insight provided by the Forum staff and guest speakers during the Internship Speaker Series.” – Max

“Working at the Forum is an amazing opportunity that can benefit a wide variety of people. The Forum improved my professional and business nature as well as improved my writing and research skills. Additionally, the Forum events and opportunities allowed me to experience living and working in Washington DC in a way I would not have been able to without this internship. The support from fellow coworkers is outstanding and the Forum is an excellent environment to grown and work.” - Catherine

The Forum publishes regularly on a broad array of issues related to tax, trade, and economic policy and offers the opportunity for interns to contribute to work published in leading magazines and newspapers. Previous interns have explored issues such as the impact of economic growth on culture, and the effect of capital gains taxes on entrepreneurship and job creation. The Forum has a wide breadth of policy issues and encourages interns to explore economic issues of interest to them.

Responsibilities

As part of the internship, your responsibilities will include but are not limited to the following:

• Research assistance: Interns will provide research assistance and data collection for their issue area director when in the office
• Event attendance: Interns will attend Capitol Hill hearings, private speaker events, and events held by other DC think tanks to analyze and report on the information presented
• Forum event support: Interns will help promote, run, and evaluate all Forum events
• Semester project: Interns will write a paper on a topic of their choice to be completed by the end of the semester. Issue area directors will assist the interns with their research and writing.

Hours and Compensation

• Interns must be available for 20 to 32 hours per week
• Interns will be provided an hourly wage to cover transportation and living expenses
• Interns will be responsible for bringing their own computer/equipment

Requirements

• Excellent writing ability and communication skills
• An interest in the politics and policies of center-right conservatives
• Self-starting attitude
• Quantitative skills are desired but not required

Please include in your application a preferred start date, resume, cover letter, and writing sample of less than 1,500 words.