Internships / Fellowships

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Serve Your People, Secure Your Future

An internship with NCAI offers a unique opportunity for young leaders from throughout Indian Country to be on the front lines of legislative action and policy development from within the oldest, largest, and most representative organization of tribal governments. In order to ensure opportunities for participation by the wealth of emerging young talent in Indian Country, NCAI offers the following options:

Students enrolled in institutions of higher learning are invited to apply for semester or summer-long internships (for which most institutions will offer college credit), with one to two applicants selected for each term;
Applicants with a college degree or equivalent experience are invited to apply for eleven-month fellowships (for which a stipend and benefits will be available through the Youth Leadership Endowment), beginning the first week of September each year, with two to three applicants selected to serve annually.

All interns and fellows will be selected through an application and interview process.

To apply for an internship or fellowship at NCAI, please fill out the NCAI Fellow/Intern Application here.

We challenge Tribes and individuals to contribute to the NCAI Youth Leadership Endowment, which will be used to provide ongoing support for the intern and fellowship program. Tribes may also opt to directly sponsor an intern or fellow through a direct arrangement with the individual and NCAI.

We challenge young leaders to consider applying for an NCAI intern or fellow position. The NCAI intern and fellowship program will include legislative, development, administrative, and grassroots outreach elements. Each intern or fellow will participate in one of the legislative issue teams, and will be considered full-time members of the NCAI staff for the duration of their appointment.

Specific duties for each intern or fellow will vary, depending on the nature of the legislative issues being addressed, the experience each brings to the position, and the individual working style of the legislative team. Responsibilities may include the following:

Advocacy - Attending committee hearings and meetings of coalitions and interest groups that work on topics related to NCAI priorities; tracking legislation of concern to tribal nations; communicating with congressional offices under the direction of NCAI Governmental Affairs staff; contacting NCAI member tribes and supporters when key legislative activity arises; responding to general information inquiries as requested; participating in staff meetings and discussions; preparing legislative updates; and performing additional duties to support NCAI's work.
Research - Studying background material, keeping up on current developments in assigned areas; reading government documents, committee reports, non-governmental organizations' materials, and relevant articles; maintaining current issue files; surveying information, opinions, and attitudes of various sources via telephone or correspondence; and occasional library research.
Writing - Preparing drafts of articles for print and electronic publications and other background documents in the assigned areas of work; and correspondence as needed.

Related Information

Other Fellowship Opportunities

Native Graduate Health Fellowship

The NCAI Native Graduate Health Fellowship aims to address the stark disparities in Native health by building a pipeline of Native health professionals who are prepared to lead in formulating and promoting health policies and practices that address the unique needs of American Indians and Alaska Natives. While the current challenges of Native health are great, some of the most promising developments are from Native nations who are exercising considerable control over health care delivery and workforce development. Building the capacity of individuals and communities is critical to empowering tribes to assert this right to self-governance and self-determination in the public health domain. By supporting graduate students in various health-related fields, NCAI seeks to increase the number of Native health leaders and equip them with the tools necessary to achieve our vision of strong, healthy Native communities.

Fellowship Components

The Fellowship will include two components: 1) financial support; and 2) professional development in tribal health policy. Fellows will receive $5,000, which can be used to cover both academic and living expenses.

Expanding our future leaders’ knowledge of tribal sovereignty and tribal public policy is a crucial objective of the fellowship. To fulfill this goal, fellows will work with NCAI staff to develop a service and/or research project on Native health issues. Additionally, fellows will meet during the summer of 2012 at the Embassy of Tribal Nations in Washington D.C. for a workshop on tribal sovereignty and tribal public policy, with a particular emphasis on Native health policy and recent innovations in Native health. Throughout the week, fellows will met with NCAI staff, tribal leaders, representatives from other Native organizations, and key policymakers.

Eligibility

Applicants should be members of an American Indian or Alaska Native tribal nation and can be new or continuing students pursuing graduate or professional degrees in any health-related area, including Doctor of Medicine (MD), Master of Nursing (MSN), Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), Master of Public Health (MPH), Master of Pharmacy (MPharm), etc.

Application Process

Applications are due via email to Katie Jones at kjones@ncai.org by Friday, January 20, 2012. Applicants will be notified of their status by February 15, 2012.

Please find the application materials and more information linked below:

- Graduate Health Fellowship Application (PDF | Word)
- Reference (PDF| Word)
- Fellowship Announcement

All complete and eligible applications will be reviewed by a selection committee composed of NCAI staff and other key leaders in Native health. Fellows will be selected on the basis of:

Demonstrated commitment to American Indian and Alaska Native communities and/or tribal health policy, through contributions to or participation in one or more of the following: campus activities, community or public service, tribal government and cultural activities, and research;
Desire to use degree and knowledge gained from the Fellowship to support tribal communities and/or Indian Country;
Strength of academic record;
Previous professional experience and community engagement;
Quality of essay;
Letters of recommendation;
Demonstrated leadership, character, and integrity.

A completed application submission must include a personal/education information form, essay, a resume or curriculum vitae, and two letters of recommendation.

Thank You

The Native Graduate Health Fellowship is possible through the generous support of Robert Burnette, the Seventh Day Adventist Church, and a range of other donors. NCAI deeply appreciates these donors’ essential role in establishing and sustaining the endowment that supports the fellowship.

Current Initiatives

National Congress of American Indians (NCAI)
1516 P Street NW, Washington, DC 20005
Phone: (202) 466-7767, Fax: (202) 466-7797
Email: ncai@ncai.org