EDICT Employers
EDICT employers are committed to building a more diverse, inclusive and stronger climate sector.
If you are an employer interested in hosting an EDICT intern, join the mailing list to be notified when applications open.
EDICT Internship Program
The EDICT (Empowering Diverse Climate Talent) Internship Program creates a diverse pipeline of talent for the climate sector, working with both employers to create inclusive cultures where new talent can succeed, and with youth to develop new skills and unlock powerful networks for rising leaders from traditionally excluded groups.
EDICT is a partnership between Clean Energy Leadership Institute (CELI), Elemental Excelerator, and FutureMap. It is designed to match employers from all corners of climate innovation — for-profits, nonprofits, funders, and government organizations — with aspiring climate professionals, college students, and recent graduates from traditionally excluded backgrounds.
Includes Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, asexual (LGBTQIA+) community, people who have disabilities, people from low-income backgrounds, people who identify as nonbinary and women who continue to be severely underrepresented in our sector.
What it takes
Take the EDICT Pledge
Partner Deeply
- Have capacity to thoughtfully onboard and mentor an intern.
- Provide a clear job description and scope of work.
- Support 3 paid hours per week of professional development and community building for interns, which encompasses regular check-ins between interns and internship coordinators.
- Commit to working with the EDICT team throughout the internship to ensure a meaningful experience for all parties.
Invest in Equity Work
- Managers are required to attend an orientation session before hosting the intern(s) as well as a few training sessions throughout the summer. We encourage every employer partner to be an active participant in the community of practice.
- Participating employers should be prepared to support their interns by providing essential work supplies such as laptops, internet access and other necessary tools to bridge the digital divide.
- Participating companies are expected to fund the position and a program administrative fee. We have financial aid for organizations that need additional support to make this happen — see FAQ below.
Testimonials
Intern manager,
“EDICT staff are so supportive of both the intern and the host site, which is a game changer. EDICT is helping employers create a supportive work culture, which will have ripple effects beyond this internship.”
Intern manager,
“The trainings have been so helpful for me. I've worked with interns over the years, so I felt prepared going in, but the trainings helped me organize the whole internship in a way that focuses on tasks and also the big picture. I especially liked how you suggest breaking down the internship week by week with tasks and deliverables. It's helped us stay on task and, I hope, created a more memorable experience for our intern.”
Intern manager,
“Both of our interns were awesome and we’re sad they’re leaving! Kaili really went above and beyond by flying to Hawaii Island on short notice to help me with the annual member meeting in Hilo and I could not have gotten through that event without her!”
Intern manager,
“Our intern really impressed our team from day one. His attention to detail and willingness to go above and beyond to finish certain tasks is very impressive.”
How you’ll benefit
From our experience working with interns and climate organizations, we have learned that while organizations value mentoring and empowering new talent, they often lack the resources to create their own in-house internship programs. This is where EDICT comes in.
Participating organizations will be able to focus on engaging in meaningful projects with their interns, while receiving additional support and benefits from EDICT, including:
Key dates
November – December 8, 2023
November – December 8, 2023
Employer application window. Watch our EDICT info session.
Watch recordingNovember 8, 2023
November 15, 2023
December 8, 2023
December 1-15, 2023
December 1-15, 2023
Employer Decisions
December 15 - January 15, 2024
December 15 - January 15, 2024
Employer information final review for directory listing
January 15 – February 5, 2024
January 15 – February 5, 2024
Intern application window
February 5 - late February, 2024
February 5 - late February, 2024
Eligibility and screening (By EDICT Team)
Early March - April 30, 2024
Early March - April 30, 2024
Employers receive candidate list for employer-led screening/interviews
May, 2024
May, 2024
Employers sign EDICT Agreement (upon acceptance of intern offer letter)
Late May - Early June, 2024
Late May - Early June, 2024
Employer & Intern Orientations
June 10 – August 16, 2024
June 10 – August 16, 2024
EDICT Internship
FAQs
How will you be selecting employers?
We’re looking for employers who can commit to the following critical success factors:
- Each intern has a dedicated supervisor throughout the summer
- A clear job description / scope
- Demonstrated thoughtfulness around onboarding & inclusion
- Our target is no more than 2 interns per employer
Do the internships have to be remote?
EDICT is open to remote, hybrid, or in person internships.
Note: Our talent is based all over the US so hosting remote opportunities may provide you with more candidate options.
How does the recruiting & intern selection/matching process work?
- Recruitment: The EDICT team actively promotes the internship program to cultivate a diverse talent pool consisting of undergraduate, graduate, and recent graduates from traditionally excluded backgrounds.
- Screening and program fit score: EDICT conducts a general screening of applicants and assigns a program fit score to each candidate based on their entire profile and alignment with the internship program’s mission.
- List of applicants: After this initial screening, we provide each organization with a complete list of applicants for each role. This allows you to review candidates based on their skills and potential contributions to your team/organization.
- Selection: Your organization then has the autonomy to select which candidates you’d like to interview. You can follow your own standard interview process to determine the best fit for your needs.
- Sending offers: Once you’ve conducted interviews and made your decision, companies can extend offers to their preferred candidate(s) from the pool.
What are the dates of the 2024 program?
June 10 – August 16, 2024
Intern and supervisor orientation will be the week of June 3 (prior to the start of the internship).
Does participation in this program cost anything?
Yes. Organizations are expected to pay for:
A) The intern’s compensation, B) A program fee, and C) an investment of 2 hours of professional development for the student each week, which comes out of their work time.
What does it mean to be a “climate” organization -- am I eligible?
Our goal is to build the future generation of climate leaders, and we take quite a broad view of what this means. This could include sustainability, international development, poverty reduction, renewable energy, policy, waste management, public health, or education.
I want to participate, but I can’t afford to. Is there financial aid?
- Yes, there is! Financial aid will be awarded prioritizing high-need organizations that have an active SAM registration number and are able to accept federal funds. Limited non-federal financial aid available as well.
What are frontline communities?
We define “frontline communities” as those striving to become more resilient to the near-term and immediate climate threats they face but who have been systematically underinvested in. These communities face unjust exposure to the impacts of climate change due to a legacy of systemic, largely racialized, inequity that influences their living and working places, the quality of air and water, and their economic opportunities. Frontline communities often include people of color, immigrants, people with lower incomes and those in rural areas, and indigenous people.
What if I really want to participate, but don’t know exactly what project the intern will work on?
The job description should have enough information for the intern to know what they are getting into. We highly recommend using this sample job description template and at least honing in on the skills needed (e.g. writing, marketing, research, data analysis); the department (e.g. Sales, Engineering), and a general description of the types of projects that the intern can expect.
What are traditionally excluded groups?
who
Can companies outside the US apply?
Unfortunately, at this time we cannot legally accommodate international placements.
Application Materials needed
- Signed EDICT Pledge.
- A 3-4 sentence blurb about your company that would be exciting to a college student!
- A PDF of your Job Description(s):
- Each company can apply for up to 2 interns
- Each internship needs a separate job description
- We highly recommend using this sample job description template.
Get involved!
Interested in diversifying climate talent? Join the EDICT mailing list to learn more.