LEAD Internship Program

LEAD Internship Program

Funder: The CAFE Group

Program Type: Leadership development and paid internship program

Geographic Scope: Chicagoland (Chicago area)

Program Description:
LEAD connects college students to paid, 10-week summer placements at foundations, nonprofits, and mission-driven companies across Chicagoland. The program combines real work experience with intentional programming and relationship-building to develop the next generation of leaders who understand how power, capital, and community move.

Key Components:

Real Roles: Students are hired directly by participating host organizations for paid positions

Weekly Curriculum: CAFE-led workshops and events on leadership, identity, equity, and systems that shape opportunity

Network Building: Connection to peers, mentors, and sector leaders across Chicagoland

Continued Support: Program extends beyond summer through alumni mentors and organizational partnerships

The LEAD Experience Includes:
1. Intentional Curriculum: Weekly series on leadership, identity, and equity in practice; shared language development; framework for showing up in the sector
2. Belonging and Community: Centers students and managers in community from day one; cohort becomes space where people show up fully
3. Network That Grows: Connections with peers, mentors, and sector leaders; relationships deepen over time across cohorts

Target Audience:

College students (rising talent)

Early-career changemakers

Emerging leaders

What Students Gain:

Real-world experience in social impact settings

Deeper understanding of how power and purpose connect

Confidence navigating professional spaces

Professional and personal network

Paid summer employment

Purpose:
Expand who gets to shape the sector's future and ensure they're supported with relationships, tools, and language to do it well. Not designed to turn students into grantmakers but to build the sector's next generation of leaders.

Contact:

Email: info@thecafegroup.org

Phone: 312-383-6681

Address: 222 N Canal St, Chicago, IL 60606