Voces Internship of Idaho

What Voces Internship of Idaho does

Voces Internship of Idaho is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit that operates an equity-driven paid internship pipeline placing under-resourced Idaho college students — with priority for Latino, Hispanic, Indigenous, first-generation, and rural community members — into print, television, radio, and digital newsrooms across the state. Founded on April 8, 2022 in Boise by former Idaho journalists Nicole Foy (now at ProPublica) and Ximena Bustillo (now at NPR) in partnership with the Idaho Press Club and the Boise-based nonprofit Surel's Place as fiscal sponsor, the program is the only Idaho-specific paid journalism internship of its kind. Interns receive weekly mentorship, real-time reporting opportunities, and a guaranteed minimum wage of $15 per hour, with each placement funded at approximately $6,000 through co-funding arrangements with host outlets and foundation grants.

The technology stack is intentionally lightweight and operational rather than product-led: a Wix-hosted public website with embedded Google Forms for applications and a Bloomerang-hosted donation widget for recurring and one-time contributions. There is no proprietary software, mobile app, or AI component; selection and matching are handled manually by a volunteer advisory board. The organization runs on two paid staff members (Program Assistant and Recruitment Coordinator) plus a volunteer board of approximately 13 members and a separate advisory council, with interns recruited via community outreach across Idaho's Latino, Hispanic, Indigenous, and rural communities and matched to host outlets such as KTVB, Idaho Statesman, Boise State Public Radio, Idaho Capital Sun, Idaho Public Television, Northwest Public Broadcasting, East Idaho News, KBOI/CBS 2, and BoiseDev.

Voces operates a nonprofit revenue model with no customer pricing. Funding flows from three primary sources: multi-year foundation grants (Press Forward $500,000 over three years; Scripps Howard Fund $204,000 across 2023–2025; Wells Fargo Foundation $15,000 in 2024; Ñ Fund for Latinas in Journalism $6,000 per Spring cohort in 2023, 2024, and 2025), direct co-funding from news outlets (~$6,000 per internship from KTVB, Idaho Capital Sun/States Newsroom, 103.5 KISS FM), and recurring individual/corporate donations processed through Bloomerang. The Youth Leadership Summit and the JJ Scholarship (named for late founding advisory council member Juan "JJ" Saldaña) extend the pipeline to Idaho high school students. Geographic reach is statewide, with placements documented across Boise, Twin Falls, Idaho Falls, Pocatello, Lewiston, Moscow, Nampa, Caldwell, Coeur d'Alene, and rural communities.

Name

Voces Internship of Idaho

Legal name

Voces Internship of Idaho

Website

https://vocesinternship.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Voces Internship of Idaho is a Boise-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs an equity-driven paid journalism internship program, placing under-resourced Idaho college students — Latino, Hispanic, Indigenous, first-generation, and rural — into print, TV, radio, and digital newsrooms statewide at a $15/hour minimum.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Journalism Internship Programs

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Experiential Learning & Internships/Co-ops (EDALABAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Apprenticeships, Internships & Work-Based Learning Programs (BPACANAK), Work-Based Learning Programs (Internships, Apprenticeships, Community-Based Instruction) (EDAKANAF)

Keywords

• Paid journalism internships
• Nonprofit newsroom diversity
• Community journalism pipeline
• Equity-driven fellowship programs
• Local media talent development

Headquarters

HQ city

Boise

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation and institutional grants: Multi-year grants from foundations and journalism funders including Press Forward ($500,000 over three years), Scripps Howard Fund ($36,000 in 2023–2024, $150,000 in 2024–2025, $18,000 in 2025), Wells Fargo Foundation ($15,000 in 2024 for internships, housing and scholarships), and Ñ Fund for Latinas in Journalism ($6,000 grants for Spring 2023, 2024, and 2025).
2. News outlet co-funding of paid placements: Idaho newsrooms and networks (KTVB, 103.5 KISS FM, States Newsroom/Idaho Capital Sun, and others) directly fund specific paid internships at approximately $6,000 each.
3. Individual and corporate donations: Monthly and major donor program (named donors include Mark Babson, Greg Hahn, Amber Ford, Robin Johnson, Kezia Setyawan, Elena Webb, David Wilkins) plus corporate donations such as Idaho Central Credit Union raffle basket contributions; donations are tax-deductible via 501(c)(3) status.
4. Fundraising event income: Annual Idaho Gives fundraiser, raffle baskets, and ticket partnerships (Boise Music Festival, Roaring Springs) generate donation revenue tied to seasonal campaigns.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Voces Internship of Idaho runs a paid journalism internship program that places Idaho college students and recent graduates into print, television, and radio newsrooms across the state. Interns receive a guaranteed minimum wage of $15 per hour, weekly mentorship from professional journalists, and real-time reporting opportunities. The organization supplements the core program with the JJ Scholarship for high school students interested in media careers and a volunteer mentor-matching component.

Product overview

Voces Internship of Idaho is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization operating a single unified paid-journalism-internship program as its core offering, supplemented by the JJ Scholarship, a structured Mentorship Program, and a volunteer Advisory Council. The internship program is the central platform through which the organization places Idaho college students and recent graduates with print, TV, and radio newsrooms, while the JJ Scholarship extends its mission to high school students interested in media careers through the Youth Leadership Summit, and the mentorship and advisory council components provide ongoing professional support and governance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The JJ Scholarship: A scholarship program awarded to high school students interested in media careers at the Youth Leadership Summit. Named in honor of late founding advisory council member Juan "JJ" Saldaña.

Products and services

• Voces Internship Program A paid journalism internship program open to all Idaho college students and recent graduates, designed to bring new voices — with priority outreach to Latino, Hispanic, Indigenous, first-generation, and rural-based community members — into Idaho newsrooms across print, TV, and radio. Interns are placed with partner news outlets, receive weekly mentorship, and are paid a minimum of $15 per hour.
• The JJ Scholarship A scholarship named in honor of founding advisory council member Juan "JJ" Saldaña, awarded to high school students interested in media careers who attend the Voces Youth Leadership Summit, continuing his legacy of community service and investment in journalism's future.
• Mentorship Program A volunteer mentor-matching program that pairs Voces interns with Latino/Hispanic media professionals who can relate to mentees, open doors, and make professional connections during their newsroom placement.

Quantifiable outcome

• $500,000 Press Forward grant over three years to scale programming across Idaho
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• States Newsroom / Idaho Capital SuncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-funded one Voces internship worth $6,000 in 2023 and serves as a host newsroom, providing real newsroom placement to multiple Voces interns (Mia Maldonado Summer 2022, Moesha Aplicano-Burnham Summer 2023, Lexie Ponce Summer 2024, Valentin Termite Summer 2026).
• KTVB (Channel 7, Boise)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnered with Voces to fund one internship each summer in 2023, 2024, and 2025 at $6,000 per internship; has hosted multiple Voces interns including Daisy Bautista (Summer 2023), Victoria Rodriguez (Summer 2024), Alec Simeone (Summer 2024), and Lezly Macias (Summer 2025). Board member Brenda Rodriguez is KTVB's bilingual news reporter and weekend anchor.
• 103.5 KISS FMcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnered with Voces to fund one internship in 2022 and contributed Boise Music Festival and Roaring Springs tickets to Idaho Gives raffle baskets in 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025. Board member Matt 'Mateo' Walling is the station's Program Director and has hosted two Voces interns at KISS FM (Hugo Luna Summer 2022, Alec Simeone Summer 2024).
• Idaho Central Credit UnionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAwarded Voces raffle baskets for the Idaho Gives fundraiser in 2023 and 2025. Board member Ivan Hernandez serves as the credit union's Business Development Officer.
• Idaho Press ClubflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding partner organization alongside former Idaho journalists Nicole Foy and Ximena Bustillo and Surel's Place. Melissa Davlin, Idaho Press Club President, serves as the IPC representative on Voces' board. Quoted in the launch press release: 'The Idaho Press Club is eager to connect students with newsrooms across the state.'
• Surel's PlaceflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding partner and fiscal sponsor of the Voces Internship of Idaho program. As a Boise-based nonprofit, Surel's Place provides fiscal sponsorship so that all donations are tax-deductible and the program has 501(c)(3) status.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE): IRE provides journalism training, conferences, and resources for investigative reporters and shares Voces' training-plus-newsroom-placement approach. Several Voces board members (Nicole Foy) are IRE-trained, and IRE's NICAR data program is a model for the hands-on training component of the Voces internship.
• States Newsroom: States Newsroom is a nonprofit network that operates state-level online news outlets including the Idaho Capital Sun, which is one of Voces' primary host newsrooms and a channel partner. It is comparable as the institutional home of Voces' most-active host site rather than as a direct program competitor.

Direct peers

• Report for America: Report for America places journalists in local newsrooms across the U.S. with a focus on under-covered communities and a diversity-and-inclusion mission. It is the closest direct analogue to Voces in model (paid newsroom placements, host co-funding, equity-focused selection) but operates at national scale.
• Maynard Institute for Journalism Education: Maynard Institute focuses on training and advancing journalists of color through fellowships, newsroom training programs, and editorial coaching. It overlaps with Voces on the equity-in-journalism mission and the training-pipeline-to-newsrooms model, though it operates nationally and through cohort programs rather than regional placements.
• Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting: The Ida B. Wells Society trains and supports investigative reporters of color, particularly Black journalists, through scholarships, training, and newsroom connections. Comparable to Voces in mission (increasing representation in journalism) and approach (training-plus-placement), but with a national scope and investigative-reporting specialty.
• Dow Jones News Fund: Dow Jones News Fund runs paid summer journalism internship and training programs for college students, including multi-week bootcamps and newsroom placements. It is a direct peer in operating model (paid student journalism internships with newsroom hosts) but pre-dates the diversity-equity framing central to Voces.

Broad incumbents

• National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ): NAHJ is the largest U.S. professional association for Hispanic journalists and runs scholarship, training, and internship programs with overlapping equity-in-journalism goals. It is comparable to Voces at the mission level but operates as a broad membership organization rather than a regional placement program.
• Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ): SPJ is the broadest U.S. journalism professional association and runs training, internship, and diversity programs including the Robert D.G. Lewis Memorial News Intern scholarship. Comparable to Voces in supporting student journalism pathways, but at industry-association scale rather than a regional placement program.

Regional players

• Idaho Press Club: Idaho Press Club is the state's journalism professional association and a founding partner of Voces, with Vice President Melissa Davlin serving as IPC liaison on the Voces board. It is comparable as a regional journalism professional body that overlaps with Voces on member support, awards, and Idaho industry advocacy, but does not run a paid-internship placement program of its own.

Emerging players

• Native American Journalists Association (NAJA): NAJA supports Indigenous journalists through training, fellowships, and conference programming. It overlaps with Voces on the under-resourced-community journalism mission and career-pipeline work, but is membership-driven and broader in scope than Voces' regional paid-internship placement model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Voces Internship of Idaho