The Department of Internal Affairs: Community Funding - Community Internship Programme
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Community Internship Programme



Purpose

The Community Internship Programme funds community groups with identified development needs to employ skilled professionals from the public, private or community sector as interns for three to six months.

It focuses on skill-sharing and the exchange of knowledge between sectors and community organisations, while building ongoing relationships and networks which continue after the internship ends.

The Community Internship Programme is a three-way partnership designed to strengthen community organisations, increase understanding, and encourage cooperation between the government, local authority, private business and community sectors.

Key information

Grants from the Community Internship Programme allow non-profit community organisations to pay the salaries of staff with high-level skills to work as interns, helping community groups to improve their services, to plan strategically and become more effective.

$581,000 is available for the 2009 funding round. The actual number of internships this year will depend on the salary amount the intern receives from their usual employer and the length of the internship.

The 2009 funding round for the Community Internship Programme opens on 1 July 2009 and closes on 14 September 2009 at 4pm.
    What kinds of internships will be funded
    Each community organisation will have different skill needs depending on their current staff capabilities, their size or type of work. A community group will need to identify the area for development and be clear about the project they want an intern to complete during the internship. An internship project may focus, for example, on developing policy and procedures, strategic planning, or developing systems.

    Who can apply
    The host, the intern or the home organisation can start discussions for setting up an internship, but an application for Community Internship Programme funding must come from the host community organisation and be jointly signed by all partners. In some situations, regional advisors from the Department of Internal Affairs may be able to link a host with an appropriately skilled intern. The intern must hold a position within a government, private, community or voluntary sector organisation and cannot be a consultant or contractor.

    Register as a host

    Community organisations seeking an intern can register by emailing the following details to internship@dia.govt.nz by Monday 7 September 5pm:
    • Name of organisation
    • Name of contact person
    • Email and phone number of contact person
    • Region / area
    • Sector (e.g. health, social services, environment, etc)
    • Skills requested (e.g. IT, human resources, strategic planning, etc)
    These details will be published on this website so that interested interns can contact you to discuss opportunities and work together to apply for a community internship.

    Please note:
    • By emailing the above information, community organisations give the Department of Internal Affairs permission to publish the details provided.
    • There is no guarantee that registering as a host will result in acquiring an intern or having an application approved.
    • Registering as a host is optional. It is not a requirement for the Community Internship Programme application process.

    Could you be an intern at a community organisation?

    You can contact a host organisation to check whether your skills are needed. * This document is in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format. You need to have the Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. You can download a free version from the Adobe site.

    Background

    The Community Internship Programme started in 2001 to help strengthen community groups and make them more effective. A community group is often established to meet a pressing community need but, as it grows, the systems and expertise to ensure the organisation adapts to meet a changing environment may not have been fully developed.

    The Community Internship Programme is based on the concept of government departments, the private sector or community organisations ‘lending’ an experienced staff member for three to six months as an intern to share their skills and assist the community organisation to become more effective.

    Programme guidelines

    How it operates
    Each internship is a partnership between the host community organisation, the intern and the home organisation (the intern’s usual employer). Interns work in their host organisations for three to six months on identified projects to improve the effectiveness of the organisation.

    The Community Internship Programme provides a grant to the host organisation to cover the full amount of an intern’s salary during the internship.

    Internships also provide an alternative professional development opportunity for skilled professionals who want to share their skills and experience with community groups and assist the growth of local organisations.

    The host, intern and the home organisation develop a proposal together based on the needs identified by the community group. This proposal must clearly show the outcomes expected, the benefits of the internship to all three partners and the ongoing relationships once the internship is completed. Internship proposals also need to demonstrate how the intern’s work can be continued or used after the intern leaves.

    A community panel will assess the applications and make funding recommendations to the Department of Internal Affairs.
      Who is involved in a community internship
      There are three partners in a community internship:
      • an established, not-for-profit community organisation, which has clearly identified an area for development, is known as the host community organisation and is the applicant for the Community Internship Programme
      • an experienced and skilled person who temporarily leaves their position within a public, private, community or voluntary sector organisation to work as the intern for a host community organisation for a limited time
      • the home organisation, which is the regular place of work for the intern before and after the internship. A home organisation can be a private business, iwi authority, government department, local authority, or a non-profit community organisation.

      Eligibility criteria

      Organisations applying for Community Internship Programme funding must:
      • be an established non-profit community organisation with appropriate legal entity status
      • have appropriate financial systems
      • be registered for GST
      • have their accounts audited each year
      • provide additional information if audited accounts are more than nine months old
      • have the ability to be a good employer
      Selection criteria
      Applications from organisations applying for Community Internship Funding must demonstrate:
      • collaboration and partnership between the host, intern and home organisation
      • capacity building and strengthening of the host organisation
      • sustainability of the outcomes of the internship
      • benefits of the internship and opportunities for sharing learning
      • support for the intern during the internship
        Proposals not eligible for this funding
        Community Internship Programme funding is not available for:
        • funding for consultants or contractors
        • internship proposals from outside New Zealand or interns from outside New Zealand
        • work experience for new graduates
        • fulfilment of practical experience course requirements
        • start-up wages for a new worker or start-up funding for a new project

        Case stories

        * These two stories are in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format. You need to have the Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. You can download a free version from the Adobe site.

        Previous applicants

        * This document is in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format. You need to have the Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. You can download a free version from the Adobe site.

        How to apply

        The host organisation makes the application using the Community Internship Programme application form to develop an internship proposal in consultation with the intern and the home organisation.

        A host organisation must first check that they are an eligible organisation, have a clearly-identified need in their organisation, have a suitably skilled intern whose employer is prepared to release them, and work in partnership with the intern and home organisation to develop a proposal.

        It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure the application is lodged on time and to the correct address in Wellington. Please DO NOT deliver or send your application to a local branch of the Department of Internal Affairs – all applications must be received in Wellington by the closing date to be eligible.

        Guidelines for Applicants and Application Form
        The Guidelines for Applicants explain the process for filling in the Community Internship Programme Application Form.
        * This document is in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format. You need to have the Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. You can download a free version from the Adobe site.

        ** This Word document version can be filled in electronically, but must be saved to your computer and printed out and signed, before mailing in.

        Applications close Monday 14 September 2009 at 4pm.

        Post applications to:

        Community Internship Programme Applications
        Crown Funding and Trusts Team
        Local Government & Community Branch
        Department of Internal Affairs
        PO Box 805
        Wellington 6140

        Courier to:

        Community Internship Programme Applications
        Crown Funding and Trusts Team
        Local Government & Community Branch
        Department of Internal Affairs
        Level 9 TSB Building
        46 Waring Taylor Street
        Wellington 6011

        Please ensure a signed, completed application is posted or couriered to the National Office of the Department of Internal Affairs in Wellington before the closing date. Faxed, emailed, incomplete, unsigned or late applications will not be accepted.

        Further information

        What are the benefits of this funding?
        Host community organisations, interns and home organisations benefit in different ways:
        • Host community organisations are strengthened, have access to skilled professionals without cost and are able to solve issues affecting their organisation. They also develop ongoing links into other sectors and gain greater understanding of government or private agencies.
        • Interns have a unique opportunity to share their skills in a different environment, establish relationships with the community and experience a different type of professional development without salary loss. They also benefit from the exposure to community groups and networks and gain greater understanding of the challenges facing community organisations.
        • Home organisations benefit from staff going to a new environment, returning with new ideas and sharing this new understanding of community issues with their work teams.

        Contact details

        Further information is available from the Department of Internal Affairs’ freephone 0800 824 824.

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        Last updated: 09/09/2009