Pay Our Interns

Name

Pay Our Interns

Legal name

Pay Our Interns

Website

https://payourinterns.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Workforce Advocacy

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Grantmaking Agencies & Education Program Grants Administration (EDADAHAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Government/IGO/NGO & Public Sector International Internships (EDAIAFAG), Compensation, Benefits & Rewards Consulting (BPAHAGAF)

Keywords

• Paid internship advocacy
• Internship policy research
• Direct aid grants
• Nonprofit workforce advocacy
• Intern rights education

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Pay Our Interns is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit advocacy organization that researches unpaid internship practices, runs campaigns to influence federal and state legislation, and disburses direct financial grants to interns who cannot afford to work for free. Its portfolio includes published research reports on Congressional intern pay, advocacy campaigns targeting policymakers, two direct-aid grant funds (Intern Relief Fund and Intern Opportunity Fund), and an educational resource hub for interns.

Product overview

Pay Our Interns is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit advocacy organization, not a technology product company. The organization operates a portfolio of research reports, advocacy campaigns, and direct aid programs aimed at ending unpaid internships. Core offerings include research publications (Who Congress Pays, Color of Congress, Experience Doesn't Pay the Bills reports), advocacy campaigns (Protect Interns, Reflect Us, Interns for Change), direct financial assistance programs (Intern Relief Fund, Intern Opportunity Fund), policy initiatives at federal and state levels, and an educational resource hub for interns. The organization functions primarily through public awareness campaigns, legislative advocacy, and providing direct support to interns rather than through a technology product or software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Intern Relief Fund Emergency assistance program that provides grants of $150 to $1,500 to students whose internships were canceled or disrupted, disbursing $250,000 in aid to 1,500 recipients during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Intern Opportunity Fund Partnership program with NOU (Next of Us) providing scholarships to students with unpaid or underpaid summer internships, supporting over 900 applicants in its inaugural year.
• Who Congress Pays Report Audit report analyzing Congressional Internship Fund usage, examining which offices used funds, who they hired, and how much interns were paid, reviewing over 8,500 pages of payroll records.
• Color of Congress Report Research report examining racial representation among interns in the U.S. House of Representatives, analyzing how lawmakers' race, political party, and district demographics affect intern hiring patterns.
• Experience Doesn't Pay the Bills Report Original Congressional report listing which members of Congress paid their interns and those who did not, marking the organization's first major research output.
• Experience Doesn't Pay the Bills in California Research report examining the state of legislative internships in California, where the majority remain unpaid, calling for a paid internship program prioritizing low-income students.
• Protect Interns Campaign Campaign rallying the Department of Labor to crack down on unpaid internships, which led a petition that gathered more than 40,000 signatures.
• Reflect Us Campaign Public service announcement campaign designed to inform young people about new funding for paid Capitol Hill internships with the goal of attracting a more diverse applicant pool.
• Interns for Change Campaign launched to bring awareness to the injustice created by unpaid internships and build public support for paid-internship reforms.
• National Intern Day Annual celebration recognizing interns and the organization's work, featuring events, partnerships with Symba and the U.S. Department of State, and fundraising campaigns.
• California AB 266 Advocacy Initiative State-level legislative advocacy initiative working with Assemblymember Tasha Boerner Horvath on AB 266 to create a pilot program for paid California legislative internships.
• Federal Paid Internship Advocacy Ongoing federal advocacy program to secure paid internships across federal agencies and the White House, including joint letters to President Biden and Congressional collaboration.
• Internship Resources Center Educational resource hub for interns providing workplace rights information, cover letter writing tips, resume tips, interview preparation, and state-specific intern rights guidance.

Quantifiable outcome

• Convinced Congress to pass more than $31 million in funding for interns
• +4 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• NOU (Next of Us)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to launch the Intern Opportunity Fund in spring 2022 to help support students with unpaid or underpaid summer 2022 internships. Over 900 students applied for the fund.
• Open Campus MediasecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaborative media partnership to discuss and report on the state of internships in California. Joint coverage with Associated Press on internship issues.
• The Intern's FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partner in Global Internship Coalition launched on International Interns Day 2022. Founded in 2021 to minimize financial burden on students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
• The Fair Internship InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partner in Global Internship Coalition. Network of current, former and aspiring UN interns advocating for quality and equally accessible internships within the United Nations System since 2015.
• Humanitarian Women's NetworksecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Global Internship Coalition focused on global advocacy for fair and equitable paid internships.
• Workplace FairnesscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to create Know Your Rights resource for government interns and fellows. Provides educational content on intern rights, discrimination, taxes, and worker classifications.
• Next100coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSent joint letter to President Biden requesting funds for paid internships in all federal agencies and the White House as part of the President's Budget Request.
• SymbacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for National Intern Day 2022 and Paid Internship Pledge campaign. Collaboration on average and competitive intern wages discussion.
• Assemblymember Tasha Boerner HorvathcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCalifornia legislative partnership for AB 266 bill to create pilot program for paid legislative internships. Continued advocacy from 2022 bill efforts.
• UC RiversidesecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerYouth Summit partnership with Center for Social Innovation. Engaged with hundreds of students on internship issues and bill advocacy.
• Green 2.0secondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerPodcast partnership featuring Carlos Mark Vera discussing how unpaid internships perpetuate socioeconomic barriers and creating equitable employment opportunities.
• J. Nathan Bland (U.S. Department of State Diplomat-in-Residence)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerInstagram Live partnership for National Intern Day to discuss paid State Department internships and how students can apply.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Roosevelt Institute: A think tank producing economic policy research and advocacy around inequality and opportunity for working people. Peer in research-and-advocacy orientation and youth/workforce focus, though with broader scope across macroeconomic, labor, and antitrust issues beyond POI's single-issue advocacy.
• Demos: A public-policy think tank advancing economic equity, inclusive democracy, and shared prosperity through research, advocacy, and litigation. Comparable to POI in policy-advocacy style, research-led reports, and emphasis on equity for marginalized communities, though operating at significantly broader scale and across more issue areas.
• New America: A public policy institute with major programs in education, workforce, and economic mobility. Comparable research-and-advocacy model and topical overlap with POI's policy focus, though operating at much larger scale and across broader issue areas spanning education, technology, and international security.

Others

• Echoing Green: A fellowship and seed-fund organization supporting emerging social-impact leaders. Part of the same social-impact ecosystem as POI (Carlos Mark Vera is an Echoing Green Fellow), connecting on leadership-development but adjacent rather than competitive on internship policy.
• Aspen Institute: An educational and policy studies organization that runs the Aspen Ideas Fellowship and hosts policy dialogue. Connected to POI through Carlos Vera's Aspen Ideas Fellow credentials; sits adjacent as a convener and ideator in the same policy-leadership ecosystem rather than as a direct competitor on internships.

Direct peers

• Generation Progress: A youth-focused advocacy organization (an affiliate of the Center for American Progress) that mobilizes young people around progressive policy issues including education and workforce access. Peer in target demographic, social-media-driven advocacy playbook, and policy issue overlap with POI's internship access agenda.
• The Interns Foundation: A 2021-founded nonprofit working to minimize financial burden on students from disadvantaged backgrounds accessing internships. Coalition partner in the Global Internship Coalition with a closely matching mission (financial support for unpaid/underpaid interns) and direct-aid-style operating model paralleling POI's Intern Relief and Intern Opportunity Funds.
• Young Invincibles: A national nonprofit focused on expanding economic opportunity for young adults ages 18-34 through policy advocacy, research, and storytelling. Directly comparable in target demographic (young adults), advocacy-led operating model, and reliance on research-driven policy campaigns in education and workforce domains.
• Workplace Fairness: A nonprofit worker-rights organization that partners with Pay Our Interns on the 'Know Your Rights' resource for government interns. Highly comparable as a fellow nonprofit advocacy shop that translates research, public education, and policy content into campaigns for workers — sharing both the advocacy operating model and the worker-population target segment.
• Fair Internship Initiative: A Geneva-based, UN-focused network of current, former, and aspiring interns advocating for quality and accessible internships within the United Nations system since 2015. A direct peer in mission (eliminating unpaid internships), target audience (interns), and policy lever (advocating institutions to change compensation practices); serves as a founding partner in POI's Global Internship Coalition.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/payourinterns
• Facebookfacebook.com/payourinterns
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/payourinterns
• Instagraminstagram.com/payourinterns

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pay Our Interns