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Coastal Restoration & Outreach
Intern
North Carolina, USA
USD 5,760-5,760 / month
Posted on Sep 18, 2026
The Coastal Policy and Restoration Internship at the Coastal Federation’s Headquarters office in Ocean, North Carolina, offers opportunities to learn valuable skills at a successful coastal nonprofit organization.
The Deadline to apply for Summer Intern Positions has passed.
Details
The Coastal Restoration and Outreach internship is in partnership with East Carolina University through the Public Service Fellows Program, supported by the North Carolina State Employees Credit Union, NC State University through the Climate Leaders Program, and Duke University through the Stanback Fellowship Program. Students from these universities are eligible to apply through those programs.
The North Carolina Coastal Federation is a member-supported, nonprofit environmental organization committed to protecting and restoring the North Carolina coast. The Coastal Federation provides several exciting opportunities for students to work with our established and successful organization. Working alongside dedicated professional staff, interns will engage in:
- Coastal policy and advocacy
- Coastal habitat protection and restoration
- Environmental education
- Community Collaboration
Interns will also learn about the inner workings of nonprofit management, including public relations, strategic planning, marketing, board of directors management, communications, fundraising, and nonprofit governance.
Be an integral part of our team.
Interns will spend 12 weeks of the summer working alongside staff in our headquarters office, located in Ocean, NC (near Newport). The exact timing of the internship is flexible, usually running from mid-May through the end of July or the first week of August. This hands-on program introduces participants to local, state, and national coastal policy and management. It also provides outdoor opportunities for habitat and water quality restoration. Whether it’s planting a living shoreline, bagging oyster shells for habitat, or building a rain garden to reduce polluted stormwater runoff, the mix of field and research-based opportunities provides a multitude of memorable experiences.
A key part of our internship includes guest presentations and site visits with local, state, and federal officials; private industry; and other nonprofits and academia, such as three local university marine labs and a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration facility.
Internship Objectives
- Learn about important coastal environmental issues and the key priority goals of the Coastal Federation.
- Better understand coastal management policy and implementation at the federal, state, and local levels and apply research skills to timely coastal issues.
- Learn about the roles of science, law, politics, and media relations in coastal advocacy, effective public participation models, and engagement strategies, and apply research skills to timely coastal issues.
- Experience the natural coast and understand the Coastal Federation’s protection and restoration work by engaging in a variety of field projects and site visits.
- Learn key steps for managing and operating a nonprofit (membership and board development, use of volunteers, staffing, accounting, grant writing, and communications).
- Collaborate on key coastal issues to help advance the work of the Coastal Federation by working with fellow interns on group assignments.
The projects that interns work on change by the summer, but you can get an idea about what a day-by-day schedule looks like here.
Important Information
The Coastal Policy and Restoration Internship takes place in the Coastal Federation’s Headquarters office in Ocean, North Carolina. The Coastal Restoration and Outreach internship is in partnership with East Carolina University through the Public Service Fellows Program, supported by the North Carolina State Employees Credit Union, North Carolina State University through the Climate Leaders Program, and Duke University through the Stanback Fellowship Program. Students from these universities are eligible to apply through those programs.
Coastal Policy & Advocacy Summer Internship
The primary responsibility for this role will be to support the Federation’s Coastal Management program in its coastal policy and advocacy efforts. A key deliverable for this internship will be assisting with a special project involving compiling research and communication materials about the Federation’s advocacy history, policy efforts, and resources. The intern will then integrate these materials into a platform, such as a Story Map, for use on the Federation’s website and in its communication efforts.
This is an in-person internship based at the Federation’s Northeast office in Wanchese.
The Deadline to apply for Summer Intern Positions has passed.
Details
Nonprofit Internship Program Summer 2027
Want to spend your summer at the coast helping educate and engage the community in coastal conservation? Interested in learning more about nonprofit work? Apply for the Nonprofit Internship Program at the Southern Branch of the North Carolina Coastal Federation! This is the perfect opportunity for college students who want a chance to try out nonprofit work and have fun doing it. Our Southeast office in Wrightsville Beach is at the heart of a vibrant and lively community, full of exciting ways to get involved in meaningful projects. From gaining hands-on experience working in a non-profit setting to rebuilding oyster reefs and coastal habitats, the Federation’s work in the southeast is never boring!
Check back in December 2026 for information on how to apply for a Summer 2027 internship.
Details
Intern Functions
The intern will work as part of the Southeast Regional Office team to implement coastal education and engagement activities to support the Federation’s community outreach, habitat restoration, and water quality initiatives.
- Assist education, advocacy, and restoration program staff with the research, design, planning, implementation, and evaluation of regional projects
- Help plan and promote special and recurring events, such as volunteer, education, and fundraising events.
- Assist with digital marketing strategies and contribute to the Federation’s website and social media channels.
- Work with staff to develop and implement tools, activities, and events to engage the community at the Coastal Education Center and recruit new members.
- Represent the Federation at public events, festivals, and workshops focused on coastal habitat restoration and water quality protection projects.
- Assist with volunteer management, which includes corresponding with existing and prospective volunteers, organizing volunteer events and supplies, and participating in volunteer events.
- Help develop and implement educational activities and materials focused on coastal habitat restoration.
- Gain hands-on training in environmental stewardship by participating in restoration events, such as rain garden installations and oyster reef builds.
- Assist with office operations.
Compensation
Interns receive a taxable stipend of $5,760, which the funder provides in a lump sum to the host organizations.
Eligibility
You are eligible to apply for NPIP if you meet ALL of the following criteria:
You are a North Carolina native/resident at an accredited four-year college or university in the United States (the college/university can be in or outside of NC).
AND
You are a rising sophomore, junior, or senior. Note that current seniors set to graduate in the spring or summer of the internship year are NOT eligible, nor are graduate students.
AND
You are Pell Grant eligible in the academic year in which you apply for NPIP. You will be asked to submit a Student Aid Report screenshot to verify your eligibility for this requirement. DACA and undocumented students are eligible to apply.