King County Heritage Internship Program

This program connects heritage organizations with students and emerging professionals seeking work experience in the heritage field. Phase I of the program solicits internship project proposals from heritage organizations in King County; a panel of peer reviewers will select two proposals to move forward. In Phase II, 4Culture and the selected organizations will recruit up to two interns per organization to begin internships in 2023.

Steps to Apply

1 About the King County Heritage Internship Program

The King County Heritage Internship Program places skilled interns at heritage organizations in King County and provides real-world work experiences to the students and emerging professionals pursuing career in the heritage field. 4Culture will provide stipends for the interns and the host organization, a program orientation and training in intern management and project management, and overall administrative support. The intern host sites will provide project management for the proposed projects. 4Culture will recruit interns from various academic programs in Seattle and greater King County. 4Culture launched the program in 2018, formerly named Rural Internship Program, as part of our Field Services initiatives. In this cycle, the program will be implemented in two phases: Phase I will be gathering and selection of internship proposals, and Phase II will include intern recruitment and implementation of the selected internships.

This program follows the Problem-Based Learning model, in which the intern host organization presents a challenge or an opportunity they are facing (“problem space”), and the interns work on a “solution” to address the situation. In Phase I of the program, we ask heritage organizations in King County to describe a challenge or an opportunity they are facing, instead of specific internship activities. The exact internship project will be determined between the host organization and the interns.

If selected, the intern host organizations will work with up to two interns to address the situation identified in the internship proposal

What This Program Provides

Intern host organizations:

$1,700 stipend for direct project expenses.
Opportunity to work on specific needs described in the proposal with student interns.
Training in intern management.
Experience working with student interns.
Making connections with emerging professionals in the area.
New energy, insight, and perspectives to the needs identified in the proposal.

Interns:

$5,760 stipend for the 24-week internship.
$500 travel and technology stipends.
Training in project management.
Work experience with a heritage organization in King County.
Opportunity to manage a specific project from start to finish.
Opportunity to present on your internship project through 4Culture channels.

Example of a “Problem Space”

Organization A would like to recruit and engage volunteers specifically for their collections care. Increasing organizational capacity for collection management is one of the main strategic goals, and the organization hired a collections manager just before the pandemic. Unfortunately, the volunteer base who provided valuable support for collections care has shrunk during the pandemic. The organization hosted an open house to recruit volunteers in spring, but it did not yield the result they were hoping for. The organization seeks new perspectives in volunteer recruitment and retention.

Read about the previous heritage internships: 2018, 2019, 2021

Phase I Selection Criteria

In Phase I, the proposals will be reviewed by a panel of peer reviewers against the following score criteria. Two proposals will be selected and proceed to Phase II.

For this program, we’ll look to see how well your proposal shows the following:

Quality: the problem space allows the interns to engage in problem-solving. The problem space leaves room for multiple solutions. Complexity of the problem space is appropriate for intern learning.
Impact: the problem space’s potential to present a valuable work and educational experience in the heritage field. Its potential to have a lasting impact on the organization and the organization’s service community, as demonstrated by alignment with long-term goals.
Feasibility: the applicant demonstrates sufficient internal capacity and readiness to manage interns. This is demonstrated by a clearly defined project team, available contact person, commitment to ensuring the intern’s learning goals are met and to providing feedback to the interns.
Equity: the problem space is centered on underserved communities or histories. Its potential to further the organization’s long-term equity-focused goal. Potential for interns to learn and implement best practices rooted in equity.

Public Benefit: Why It Matters

Every time a visitor to Washington State stays in a hotel, they pay a Lodging Tax—this is where our funding comes from, and our mission is to put it back into the community. In this program, we consider public benefit as the growth of emerging heritage professionals and the work done by the interns for the host organizations that provides cultural services to King County residents and visitors.

2 Are You and Your Project Eligible?

Please read this section carefully for eligibility information for Phase I of the program. Please contact 4Culture Heritage staff if you have questions regarding your eligibility.

You

You must be a King County-based nonprofit heritage and historical organization, public corporation, and tribal government with a primary mission related to heritage in King County and a history of managing collections, and/or presenting exhibits and programs with a focus on heritage in King County.
You must identify one person of your organization to be the main contact person for the internship. The main contact person will provide overall project management for the interns and will regularly have a check-in meeting with the interns.
The main contact person must be able to attend the intern management training and other required 4Culture meetings, such as orientation.
K-12 schools, school districts, and religious institutions are ineligible for this program.

Your Project

Your project is the challenge or opportunity (“problem space”) that the internship will address.
Only one proposal per organization can be submitted.
The problem space should provide the interns with a valuable work experience and an opportunity to engage in creative problem-solving.
Any information and/or resources related to the problem space should be available to the interns by their start date. The internship will start in February 2023.
Please keep in mind that the internship should not replace a work done by paid staff of your organization.

Please check back for information about Phase II.

3 Helping You Succeed

Workshops

We provide two workshops for this program. Workshops are an opportunity for you to get your questions answered by a 4Culture staff and learn from other applicants. All workshops will be held remotely. Please register via the links provided to receive Zoom meeting information. You will need a personal Zoom account in order to attend a workshop. If you are unable to attend, a workshop recording will be available.

This grant is currently closed. Workshops will be posted 6-8 weeks before the next deadline date.

Workshop Recording

If you were unable to make the Zoom workshop, you can view a recorded version instead.

Contact

We’re here to help! Please contact us if you have any questions about this program.

Megumi Nagata
megumi.nagata@4culture.org
206-263-3474

Translation and Assistance

The guidelines, a detailed explanation of how to apply, and the application are in English. If this is a barrier that stops you from understanding the grant or applying due to limited English writing ability, visual impairment, or you would like to request assistance to create an application, please contact hello@4culture.org or call (206) 296-7580 or TTY 711, and we will make sure you get the support you need.

Las pautas, la explicación detallada de cómo enviar la solicitud y la solicitud están en inglés. Si esto le impide comprender la información relacionada con la beca o enviar una solicitud debido a una limitación en la capacidad para escribir en inglés, si tiene una discapacidad visual o si desea recibir asistencia para crear una solicitud, escriba a hello@4culture.org o llame al (206) 296-7580 o TTY 711, y nos aseguraremos de que obtenga la ayuda que necesita.

详细说明如何申请的指南以及申请本身均使用英文。如果由于英语写作能力有限、视力障碍而妨碍您对本资助的了解或申请，或者您希望请求协助来完成申请，请发送电子邮件至 hello@4culture.org 或致电 (206) 296-7580 或 TTY (听障专线) 711 联系，我们会确保您获得所需的支持

Руководство, подробная инструкция и форма заявки на английском языке. Если вам сложно разобраться в процедуре получения грантов или подачи заявок из-за ограниченных навыков письменного английского языка либо нарушений зрения, а также если вы бы хотели обратиться за помощью при составлении заявки, отправьте письмо на адрес электронной почты hello@4culture.org или позвоните по номеру (206) 296-7580 или 711 (телетайп), и мы позаботимся о том, чтобы вы получили необходимую помощь.

Hướng dẫn, giải thích chi tiết về cách nộp đơn va tài liệu áp dụng tất cả đều bằng Tiếng Anh. Nếu đây là rào cản khiến quý vị không hiểu được khoản trợ cấp hoặc cách nộp đơn do khả năng viết tiếng Anh hạn chế, do quý vị bị suy giảm thị lực hoặc muốn yêu cầu hỗ trợ để tạo đơn đăng ký, làm ơn liên hệ hello@4culture.org hoặc gọi (206) 296-7580 hay TTY 711 và chúng tôi sẽ hỗ trợ những gì quý vị cần.

Tilmaamaha, sharaxaadda faahfaahsan ee ku saabsan sida loo codsado, iyo waraaqda codsiga waxa ay dhammaan ku qoran yihiin Af-Ingiriisi. Haddii ay arrintani tahay caqabad kaa hor istaageysa fahamka deeqda ama codsashada oo ay sabab u tahay awoodda qorista Af-Ingiriisiga oo xadidan, araggaaga oo liita, ama aad jeclaan lahayd inaad codsato in lagaa caawiyo in aad codsi sameyso, fadlan la xiriir hello@4culture.org ama wac (206) 296-7580 ama TTY 711, waxaana xaqiijin doonnaa inaad hesho taageerada aad u baahan tahay.

4 After You Submit

Timeline

The deadline for submitting a proposal for the King County Heritage Internship Program is September 7, 2022 at 5:00 pm.
Because this program is a unique collaboration between 4Culture, heritage organizations, and interns, it follows a timeline that differs from the majority of our funding programs. Please refer to the following for the program timeline, and don’t hesitate to ask us any questions.

August 3–September 7, 2022

Application is open for King County heritage organizations to submit internship project proposals to 4Culture.

September–October, 2022

Peer panel will review and select two proposals that will move forward to intern recruitment. All applicants will receive an email notification from us.

October–November, 2022

The selected organizations (“Intern host organization”) and 4Culture will work on the internship description. 4Culture leads recruitment for interns with input from the host organizations. 4Culture starts the recruitment process in November.

November 2022–January 2023

The recruitment process continues. 4Culture and the intern host organizations will interview applicants and select up to two interns per organization. 4Culture will host a training on intern management for the host organizations.

January 2023

4Culture will host an intern orientation and training on project management. The host organizations and the interns will discuss and determine the direction of the project and the timeline

February 2023

Interns start working on the project.

August 30, 2023

Internships are completed after 24 weeks. Interns will present on their work to the host organization and 4Culture.

Equity Investment

4Culture recognizes that where an organization or cultural worker is based or provides its services can affect access to funding and other resources. Many cultural organizations and cultural workers in greater King County have less access to public and private support than those located in Seattle. To take a step towards balancing these disparities, applicants located in a 4Culture Equity Investment area will receive additional consideration during the selection process.

Applicants qualify as being in an Equity Investment area by meeting one of the following requirements:

You are located outside of the City of Seattle.
You are located in Seattle but also in a 2010 US Census tract area with a Communities of Opportunity index percentile of 60% or greater.

Requirements and Appeals

Learn about what will be required if you are awarded a grant, and about the process for appeal of a 4Culture decision.

5 Apply

Once you’ve started your application, you can save after each step and sign out—your application will be saved as a draft that you can continue to work on up to the deadline. Once you click Submit your application is final. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions during the process.

What’s in the Application

Narrative Questions

The questions are designed to draw out different aspects of a problem space. To apply, please answer all of the following questions in the online application form:

Please describe a challenge or an opportunity that your organization is facing. What is the situation and who is most impacted by it? What has your organization done so far to address the challenge or opportunity, and what were the results? What aspects of this challenge or opportunity could use new perspectives or ideas?
How does the challenge or opportunity identified above relate to your organization’s long-term plans or goals? Particularly, please explain if the challenge or opportunity is related to your organization’s equity-focused goal, or if the challenge or opportunity directly concerns underrepresented or marginalized histories in King County.
What skills, experiences, knowledge and/or practices can the interns learn from this challenge or opportunity? If the interns might learn and implement equity-based practices from this challenge or opportunity, please explain.
What data, information, and other resources are available at your organization and could be helpful to address this challenge or opportunity? This might include but not limited to: visitor survey results, demographic data of the service region, collections management policy, existing partnerships, knowledge of other members of the organization etc.
Who from your organization will serve as main contact person? Please describe their role within the organization, their expertise areas, and any past experiences working collaboratively with interns and/or students, including how this person provided feedback and ensured that interns met their learning goals. If this is their first time working with an intern, please describe how this contact person will provide feedback and ensure that the intern is meeting their learning goals.

Demographic Information

Your profile in our portal must provide demographic information for the current year for your board and staff. We use this information to help us understand how well we are doing in our efforts to reach all communities in King County.