Environmental Defense Fund, Federal Affairs, U.S. Region

The intern would support the federal affairs team by helping advance EDF’s Million Acre Prototype platform at the federal level by conducting policy research, tracking legislative opportunities, and identifying key champions to support landscape-scale forest restoration. With growing congressional interest in wildfire and forestry policy, this intern would strengthen EDF’s capacity to shape emerging legislative proposals and integrate the Million Acre Prototype into broader federal resilience efforts.

Tasks will include but are not limited to:

• Perform a landscape analysis of current and upcoming forestry policies.
• Prepare briefing materials and policy memos for internal use and external engagements.
• Assist with the development of EDF’s catastrophic wildfire strategy on Capitol Hill.
• Support the team in federal agency engagement and lobbying efforts related to forestry.
• Participate in team meetings and check-ins and function as a fully integrated team member.
• Participate in advancing EDF’s organizational effectiveness and culture goals, so people from all backgrounds and experiences feel connected, included and empowered to address environmental and organizational challenges in ways that align with EDF values.

Moderate Supervision: Intern will meet with their supervisor regularly, but will be given the opportunity to work on independent projects.

IOP interns will join a larger cohort of interns at EDF across the U.S. and join professional development workshops, speaker series events, social programming, and opportunity to meet EDF president and senior leaders. By the end of the summer, they will have the opportunity to present their learnings at the Intern Symposium.

This Director's Internship Host will host additional undergraduate interns outside of the Director's Internship Program.

• Enrolled in a degree program with demonstrated interest in environmental policy, forestry, agriculture, political science, or a related field.
• Coursework in forestry management, environmental science, or policy analysis.
• Experience in policy research or legislative analysis through coursework, internships or volunteer work.
• Basic proficiency in research tools and data analysis (e.g., Excel, Google Sheets, or similar platforms).
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Must be well organized, motivated, and detail oriented.
• Ability to multi-task, prioritize and meet deadlines.
• Ability to work in a team setting and also work independently to complete individual projects.
• Demonstrate self-awareness, cultural competency and inclusivity, and ability to work with colleagues and stakeholders across all cultures and backgrounds.
• Demonstrate initiative and problem-solving skills.

• Access to high-speed Wi-Fi
• Personal laptop
• Microsoft Office (Word, Powerpoint, Excel)