How to Get Involved

We focus on organizing unpaid interns and lobbying for line item budgets.

Our #InternsforChange rally started our organizing of unpaid interns. We called for recognition of the hard work and dedication that interns contribute and the need for government, nonprofits and corporations to pay them accordingly. If you are an unpaid intern interested in joining our movement to end unpaid internships, please email us at info@payourinternsaction.org 

We also lobby for appropriated funding for paid internships in the government sector. After our research showed that only nine percent of Congressional offices paid their interns, we lobbied Congress in 2018 and were successful. Lawmakers included more than $13 million in an appropriations bill specifically for intern compensation. If you are interested in working with us to advocate for paid internship legislation, please email us at info@payourinternsaction.org

Become a Founding Donor!

We are thrilled to announce the launch of Pay Our Interns Action Fund. The fund will serve as the political arm for Pay Our Interns. When Pay Our Interns was created three years ago, its main purpose served to educate and advocate. With the creation of the c4, it will allow us to be able to lobby and advocate for policies and legislation that will open up doors for economic opportunity for young people at all levels of government.

POI AF will expand on the current mission of the organization and further lobbying efforts to increase the current intern fund available in Congress. Furthermore, state initiatives will be rolled out in the coming months.

Washington, D.C. –  We are thrilled to announce the launch of Pay Our Interns Action Fund. The fund will serve as the political arm for Pay Our Interns. When Pay Our Interns was created three years ago, its main purpose served to educate and advocate. With the creation of the c4, it will allow us to be able to lobby and advocate for policies and legislation that will open up doors for economic opportunity for young people at all levels of government.

POI AF will expand on the current mission of the organization and further lobbying efforts to increase the current intern fund available in Congress. Furthermore, state initiatives will be rolled out in the coming months.

The following statement was shared by Carlos Mark Vera the Executive Director and Co-Founder of Pay Our Interns Action Fund.

“Unpaid internships are not only an issue in Washington, D.C., they plague public, private, and non-profit offices across the country. By launching a C4 branch we will increase our lobbying efforts and push even harder for fair and equitable workplaces. We‘ve already begun laying the groundwork for a few state initiatives in different parts of the country. This work will not only be fueled by donors and foundations that believe in our mission, but will be led by those who are closest to the issue; interns. Launching this part of our operations is no small endeavor. We invite any donor to contribute before the end of the month to become a founding donor of the Pay Our Interns Action Fund. We look forward to expanding our mission across the country and across different sectors of the workforce.”