FCA Summer 2024 Internship

About FCA 

Founded by artists Jasper Johns and John Cage in 1963, the mission of the Foundation for Contemporary Arts (FCA) is to encourage, sponsor, and promote contemporary visual and performance arts. Through a nomination process, individual artists and collectives working in dance, music/sound, performance art/theater, poetry, and the visual arts are awarded unrestricted grants in recognition of their artistic contributions. A fund is also maintained to help artists with unexpected emergencies. Since FCA’s inception, over 7,000 grants to artists and arts organizations—totaling more than $25 million—have provided opportunities for creative exploration and development. FCA is a non-profit 501(c)(3) charity and raises funds through contributions from individuals and foundations and the sale of artwork donated by visual artists for periodic benefit exhibitions. 

Job Description 

FCA is currently seeking three interns for Summer 2024: an Arts Administration, Grant Programs, and Development and Communications Intern. This is a special opportunity to get hands-on experience at a grant-making arts organization.  

The Arts Administration and Development and Communications Internships are two days a week and offer a stipend of $1,750; the Grant Programs Internship is four days per week with a stipend of $3,500. 

All internships span ten weeks and are primarily in-person. The Grant Programs Intern may work remotely one day per week. 

FCA is committed to access, accessibility, diversity, equity, and inclusion. We value the perspective and contributions of staff and interns to achieving all aspects of our mission. 

Arts Administration Intern: 

The Arts Administration Intern works closely with FCA’s Collections and Operations Manager and Administrative Assistant with tasks related to FCA's collection of donated fine artwork and rare and signed artists posters. There is an emphasis on supporting sales and archival projects. The intern will also gain skills pertaining to database management, as well as other aspects of an arts non-profit. Day-to-day activities include both project-driven and administrative work, ranging from light art handling to telephone and online research.  

Development and Communications Intern: 

The Development and Communications Intern works closely with FCA’s Development and Communications Associate and Deputy Director to complete tasks related to FCA’s fund-raising efforts and external communications. Activities include prospective funder research, assisting with donor event planning, drafting grant proposal materials, creating social media content, tracking email marketing analytics, and donor database management. Day-to-day activities will include supporting the department on these tasks and the completion of a larger overarching project for the term, most likely in the area of database management. This internship is a good fit for those with strong writing and research skills who are interested in learning more about non-profit fund-raising.  

Grant Programs Intern: 

The Grant Programs intern works closely with FCA’s programs team with tasks related to FCA’s grant programs, including the Grants to Artists awards and Emergency Grants program. The intern will assist with monthly Emergency Grants program cycles. For summer interns, there is an emphasis on assisting with Grants to Artists nominee research. Day-to-day activities include research, application review, grantee database management, and other project-oriented work relating to the Foundation’s grant programs.  

Qualifications 

Applicants should be detail-oriented, proactive, and be comfortable using Mac OS. Basic Excel skills and experience with Photoshop and InDesign are a plus. Knowledge of contemporary visual art, dance, theater, poetry, and/or music is useful; an interest in those areas is needed. 

Health and Safety 

FCA requires that all staff and interns be vaccinated against COVID-19. Exemptions from the vaccination requirement will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis for medical (including medical reasons relating to pregnancy) and/or for religious/sincerely held beliefs. 

Equal Opportunity Employment 

FCA is committed to providing access, accessibility, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation for disabled people and individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. If reasonable accommodation is needed to access or participate in the intern application or interview process, and/or to perform essential job functions please contact Ana Bloch, 212-807-7077, ab@contemporary-arts.org. 

If you believe that you could excel in one of these roles but do not meet 100% of the qualifications, we encourage you to apply. We are dedicated to considering a broad array of candidates, including those with diverse workplace experiences and backgrounds.