Internship at Lincoln Institute

Position Overview

The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy is looking for a paid Intern to join Federal Affordable Housing team, splitting time between the Institute’s Underserved Mortgage Markets Coalition (UMMC) and the I’m Home Network.

 As a member of these teams, you will complete a wide range of independent and directed research activities; support convenings and activities; and provide administrative support for both teams. 

 A high-level goal of the UMMC is to provide meaningful engagements to connect participants, research and complete field shaping research and reports, and contribute to systems change in the community investment ecosystem in accordance with the Lincoln Institute’s mission, values, and program priorities.  

The high-level goals of the I’m Home Network include to: (1) Change the perception of manufactured housing, which is not well understood and misperceived as inferior housing. (2) Change practices in legal protections and lending while preserving existing parks. (3) Participate in networking, fostering mutual support among members through sharing of data and best practices.

This is a full-time at 37.5 hours/week paid Internship located remotely in the United States reporting to the Associate Director, UMMC and I'm HOME. This Internship is scheduled to end in May 2024 through August 2024. 

What You’ll Do

• Provide administrative support to both initiatives, including scheduling of meetings of networks/communities of practice, managing contracts as needed, and other administrative support tasks
• Help to write for a variety of audiences and contexts, including case studies, memos and white papers, meeting agendas and materials, web content, and social media posts
• Plan event content, draft event materials, and coordinate with speakers and the Events team
• Work with other internal teams to advance the work of UMMC and I’m Home.
• Be a main point of contact for the general public by addressing inquiries and directing them appropriately.
• Tasks specific to the UMMC include: (a) Research topics of interest to the UMMC such as how Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac can enhance their support to underserved mortgage markets including borrowers of color, manufactured housing, rural housing, and affordable housing preservation and infrastructure; and a wide range of other emergent, priority research areas. (b) Help maintain our Impact Tracking Tool and take the lead on building it out to include Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s new Equitable Housing Finance plans. (c) Coordinate the UMMC to help it achieve more from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s required strategic planning efforts.
• Tasks specific to I’m Home include: (a) Post reports and other work products online and keep the relevant portions of the website up to date (b) Research topics of interest including greening legacy cities, equitable economic development and other revitalization activities, and good planning practices for avoiding displacement as markets revitalize (c) Support network outreach activities, including research on cities and their leaders, drafting materials to send to potential network members, and tracking contacts and their engagement with the network.
• Assist with other activities as requested

What You’ll Need

• Currently pursuing either a bachelor’s or Master’s degree or have commensurate community-based experience and should have a distinct interest in affordable housing, community development or planning
• People from marginalized communities who may have personally experienced affordable housing discrimination or know people who have, are particularly encouraged to apply.
• Professional written and communication skills
• Strong organizational skills
• Ability to independently problem solve
• Communication and coalition building skills with an ability to work with a variety of internal and external stakeholders
• Professional and positive attitude

Please note, we are registered to employ individuals who reside in one of the following states: AZ, DC, MA, MD, NH, VA.

APPLY HERE

Our Mission

The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy seeks to improve quality of life through the effective use, taxation, and stewardship of land. A nonprofit private operating foundation whose origins date to 1946, the Lincoln Institute researches and recommends creative approaches to land as a solution to economic, social, and environmental challenges. Through education, training, publications, and events, we integrate theory and practice to inform public policy decisions worldwide. With locations in Cambridge, Massachusetts; Washington, DC; Phoenix; and Beijing, we organize our work around six goals: low-carbon, climate-resilient communities and regions; efficient and equitable tax systems; reduced poverty and spatial inequality; fiscally healthy communities and regions; sustainably managed land and water resources; and functional land markets and reduced informality. 

Affordable Housing at the Lincoln Institute

Lincoln Institute’s affordable housing effort is designed to address systemic failures in national housing policies, lending practices, and land policies that are responsible for growing income and wealth inequality across the U.S. Blatant racial and ethnic discrimination built into local, state, and federal housing programs and practices has generated unacceptable housing outcomes for people of color in terms of wealth disparities, and in social, educational and health differences. These inequalities result in life expectancy differentials measured in decades.

The Lincoln Institute brings unique expertise in illuminating the role that land policies--land use planning, zoning, taxation and valuation--play in exacerbating inequality through housing markets. More importantly, we identify and promote remedies for inequality that begin with, but do not end at land policy reform. For example, with the Ford Foundation, we provided initial support of the National Community Land Trust Network (which became Grounded Solutions Network) to mobilize providers of permanently affordable housing into a national movement. Recently, we launched the Underserved Mortgage Markets Coalition bringing together twenty of the leading U.S. affordable housing advocacy organizations to urge the U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) to require Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to improve their performance in serving families that cannot access traditional mortgage markets. The Lincoln Institute recently became the new home for the Innovations in Manufactured Homes (I'm Home) network. I’m home consists of 4,000 practitioners, policymakers, and homeowners working to transform the homes of 22 million people into valuable family assets and help them achieve economic security and equity.

Lincoln Institute’s affordable housing work focuses on four interventions in the sector: (1) home quality; (2) long-term land control; (3) housing finance; and (4) public policy reforms.