Office of the Vice President for the Arts
SIPA – Info for Host Organizations
Introduction
Thank you for supporting the next generation of artists and arts leaders by hosting a summer intern at your organization through the Stanford Internship Program in the Arts (SIPA).
The following guide contains information for prospective host organizations. Our team is happy to chat with you if you have any questions about the program, timeline, requirements, and more.
Recruiting Stanford Students
SIPA offers two program tracks for students:
For the self-designed internship track, students are responsible for identifying and securing a qualifying internship prior to applying to SIPA for summer stipend.
While our program staff advises students on possible host organizations based on past placements, we do not currently facilitate pre-arranged placements for off-campus internships.
If you would like to share an internship opportunity with Stanford students we encourage you to share the details on Handshake, our campus job database. Questions about setting up your organization or opportunity in Handshake should be directed to the Stanford Career Education recruiting team ([email protected].)
To learn more about Stanford recruiting timelines and other recommended practices for internship providers, visit our Employer & Recruiter guide.
Host Organization Expectations & Accountability
A meaningful internship experience requires commitment from both the host organization and the participating student. A few guidelines to think through before posting an internship opportunity:
- An internship is, first and foremost, an experiential learning opportunity.
- The intern should complement, rather than displace regular employees or paid temporary workers. Interns are not "free labor".
- The internship should have clearly defined learning objectives and routine feedback to help the intern achieve those objectives.
- We recommend establishing goals at the beginning of the internship and doing check-ins at the midpoint and end. This is one of the top requests we've heard from students over the years!
- Provide meaningful projects for interns.
- The occasional menial task and/or front desk duty are fine as long as they're not the only things interns are doing.
- We've heard from many students over the years that they enjoy having a mix of routine/recurring tasks and projects as part of their internship.
- How you will create a sense of belonging for the intern
- Create an on-boarding experience to introduce the intern to your organization's mission and values, their teammates, and workplace norms.
- Providing the intern with a regular workspace (even if it's a hot desk) and all the equipment and materials they will need to complete their tasks/projects.
- Find opportunities for the intern to shadow (or participate) in meetings and events.
- Facilitate connections to other staff in your organization for informal conversations.
- Help your intern navigate the transition from being a student to a person working in the arts (even if it's just for the duration of the internship.)
- Remind your intern to take breaks. It's common for interns to want to go above and beyond--make sure that your intern isn't overextending themselves.
- Introduce your intern to facets of the organization that may be unfamiliar (e.g. human resources, IT, finance, facilities & operations). For many students this may be the first time they've been inside a nonprofit organization (or may even be their first formal work experience.) Students really appreciate being able to see how all of the different departments work together in service of the organization's mission.
In addition to facilitating the educational experience of the student, we also encourage host organizations to ensure that an intern's supervisor has access to training and ongoing support to develop their skills as a manager.
- New and first-time supervisors should have access to training prior to the beginning of the internship recruitment process.
- Supervisors should have access to feedback to improve their managerial skills.
The supervisor’s role is that of work-planner, trainer, and mentor. Stanford requires that our host organizations ensure that:
- One primary supervisor is assigned to the intern(s). A secondary supervisor may also be identified, particularly if the primary supervisor will be traveling/unavailable during the internship period.
- Supervising mentors complete an evaluation of the intern(s) and the internship program at the end of the program.
- Supervisors must be full-time staff members of the organization (i.e. not a volunteer or seasonal team member.)
- Host supervisors are expected to conduct weekly (at minimum) check-in meetings. If working virtually, these can be via phone or videoconference, and additional communications 2-3 times per week via email or text messaging.
The ideal internships are those that have a positive human resource benefit for the organization and a positive learning experience for the student. All interns are required to complete learning goals prior to the start of their internship. You can ask your intern about these goals directly. We encourage interns and supervisors to revisit the goals midway through the internship and to make adjustments accordingly.
Internships should be designed to offer eligible students experience in key program areas such as administration, development, education, finance, marketing or production. In considering what makes meaningful work or training opportunities, consider projects, duties or other activities that are important to the organization and can teach the intern something about the organization while assisting the intern in developing practical, work related skills. Interns should not be given meaningless or “busy work” tasks but should be integrated into the fabric of the organization. For example, while administrative tasks can certainly be a component of an intern’s job responsibilities, the tasks should link into a bigger project that the intern can successfully navigate, ideally from start to finish, during the internship.
Examples of appropriate projects include program based activities in research, education, marketing, communication, social media, grant writing and fundraising and/or activities related to producing or presenting performances. Specific project based work makes good use of a student’s capabilities while providing support to the organization.
Down Time & Slow Periods
Make sure to have a list of projects/activities for your intern that they can tackle during down time/slower periods. Review these projects with your intern during their first week and make sure to do periodic check-ins.
Host organizations are asked to complete a short evaluation of the student's performance upon conclusion of the internship. Instructions will be sent to all internship supervisors towards the end of the internship.
Program Structure
- Students propose their own SIPA placements for the upcoming summer--Stanford does not match students with eligible organizations. Students have access to a variety of resources to aid them in their internship search:
- Handshake, Stanford’s job and internship database
- List of prior SIPA host organizations
- Campus arts newsletters that highlight internship and job opportunities
- Once a student has secured an eligible internship, they apply to SIPA for stipend funding funding.
- SIPA applications are available from December-March each year. The application process is competitive. Students must meet SIPA and University eligibility criteria for Cardinal Quarter programs to qualify for a stipend. Not all students who apply are accepted into the program.
- Stipends are intended to cover living and transportation costs during the internship period.
- As part of a student’s application, we ask the proposed host organization to submit a short questionnaire by the application deadline.
- Host Organizations complete a questionnaire as part of a student's application
- As part of a student’s SIPA application, we ask the proposed host organization to submit a short questionnaire by the application deadline. Additional details available under Roadmap for Hosts.
- Program orientation and internship logistics
- Once students are accepted into the program they complete a short online orientation.
- They receive a stipend through Stanford to cover basic living and transportation costs during their internship.
- Students are responsible for completing midpoint and final self-evaluations during their internship.
- Host organizations complete a final evaluation of the intern at the conclusion of the internship.
- The intern should be scheduled to work during regular business or program hours in your organization’s time zone. For arts organizations, this may include evening and/or weekend hours. Flex time is allowed but should be utilized only when necessary. Work schedules should be established early in the internship (either after the student accepts the offer, and no later than the 2nd business day of the internship) and documented in writing between the intern and the supervisor.
- Overtime is not permitted for interns.
- Interns must have meal and rest periods as part of their schedule. We encourage organizations to refer to the FLSA guidelines in designing internship schedules.
- Summer interns are not permitted to take extended vacations during their internships. Any planned absences are expected to be disclosed prior to accepting an internship offer. In the event that an intern must miss a day or two of work due to prior obligations, the organization may ask the intern to adjust the end date of their internship accordingly. For summer internships, the Fourth of July and Juneteenth holidays may be treated as a holiday or as a workday, in accordance with your organization's policies.
All students accepted into SIPA receive a stipend through Stanford. The stipend covers a portion of basic living and transportation expenses for the duration of their internship. Additional financial aid is awarded based on need. Stipends are awarded to all students in the cohort regardless of whether their host organization offers a paid internship.
Stipends are paid directly to students by Stanford. Students are responsible for any taxes incurred as a result of their stipend.
Host organizations cannot make receipt of a stipend from Stanford a condition of participation in any internship.
All students participating in SIPA are required to complete a self-paced orientation. The orientation materials are available to students on Canvas (our campus learning management system.) The orientation is comprised of the following modules:
- Program Overview & Expectations
- Caring For Yourself & Others
- Assignment: Developing a personal financial & well-being plan for the summer
- Set Yourself Up for Success
- Assignment: Learning goals
During their internship students are required to complete 10 weekly reflections on Canvas:
- Week 0/1: Identify Your Assumptions
- Week 2: Location Bingo
- Week 3: Perspectives on Internships & Work Culture
- Week 4: The “Ask a Colleague” Challenge
- Week 5: Midpoint Self-Evaluation & Social Media Post
- Week 6: Interview Your Supervisor
- Week 7: Refresh Your LinkedIn Profile
- Week 8: Revisiting Assumptions
- Weeks 9/10: Donor Thank You Letter & Final Self-Evaluation
Roadmap for Off-Campus Internship Hosts
- All Summer 2026 off-campus internships must last 10 weeks.
- All self-designed, off-campus internships must be full-time (35-40 hours/week).
- Beginning and end dates of the internships will vary depending upon the organization’s need and student’s schedule
- Summer internships must begin between June 15, 2026 and July 6, 2026.
- Fall 2026 classes begin on September 22. However, some students participate in September programming such as residential student leader training, other leadership programs, New Student Orientation preparations, and September Studies programs. These programs typically begin around Labor Day.
Application Timeline for Host Organizations
- November 2025-February 2026:
- Host organization posts internship positions to Handshake, Stanford’s Job and internship database
- Host organization interviews and selects summer intern
- December 2025: Application opens for students
- February 2026-March 2026:
- Host organization selects Stanford summer intern
- Students can only apply for a SIPA self-designed internship after they've secured a summer placement
- Host organization completes questionnaire as part of a student's SIPA application
- March 16, 2026: Application deadline for students
- Host Organization Questionnaires due
- Students will be notified of funding decisions in mid-April 2026
Completing the SIPA Host Organization Questionnaire
As part of a student’s SIPA application, we ask the proposed host organization to submit a short questionnaire by the application deadline. The questionnaire should be completed by the potential supervisor or another organizational representative (e.g. HR, internship program manager, etc.) It is up to the student to communicate the deadline to your organization and initiate the process. Our program team may follow-up with your organization directly if there are additional questions.
The questionnaire is submitted through SOLO, Stanford’s experiential learning application system.
- Students initiate the process in SOLO by providing the name and email of the person who will complete the questionnaire for your organization. The request can be sent at any time during the application process.
- When students submit the request they can choose whether or not they waive their rights to view the completed recommendation. You will be able to view their choice when you complete the questionnaire.
- Host organization contact receives an email from SOLO with a link to complete the recommendation form. Occasionally these requests end up in spam filters. If, for some reason, you do not receive the request, ask the student to resend the invitation.
- Host organization completes the questionnaire in SOLO by the application deadline.
A preview of the questionnaire is available here. Please contact our team if you have any questions about completing the questionnaire.
- Confirm the start and end dates of the internship with your intern.
- These dates can be whatever works best for you and the student as long as they don’t conflict with Stanford’s academic calendar, and the dates ensure that the internship is 10 weeks long.
- Confirm the work schedule with your interns.
- All students participating in an off-campus internship are expected to work full-time (35-40 hours/wk) during their internship.
- This also includes expectations and communication plans for any remote work that may be involved.
- Set up a workspace for your intern
- In-Person Internships: Partner organizations must designate a workspace and necessary equipment for the intern. The workspace and equipment must be adequate and appropriate for the job duties and responsibilities that will be assigned to the intern. Interns must work in professional arts office locations or production facilities and, if the intern is driving to work, free parking must be provided. It is not acceptable for the organization to assign work to an intern to complete at home or after hours, nor for the intern to bring his/her personal laptop to the office to complete assignments.
- Remote and Hybrid Internships: SIPA interns are allowed to participate in internships that are fully remote or hybrid. Students are allowed to use their own personal laptop for remote internships. Students generally have access to basic office software (Microsoft Office, Google Drive, etc.) and Zoom. Access to specialized software is limited and generally restricted to Stanford activities. Internet bandwidth and remote working conditions (e.g. a dedicated work space) vary student to student; please discuss organization-specific requirements with your prospective intern. Students have access to some specialized software through virtual computer clusters; however, use of that software may be restricted to only Stanford-related business.
- Review student’s learning goals
- All the students have completed a written document outlining their learning goals for the summer and have been encouraged to share them with you.
- In case the student doesn’t proactively share the information, please ask them for it (sometimes students can be shy about sharing what they want.)
- Orient the student to your organization. Suggested topics include:
- Organizational mission, values, history, and structure
- Organizational norms (such as workplace culture, communication, attire, how staff structure their workdays)
- Social media and phone use practices & policies
- Introduce your intern to other members of the team/organization
- Policies and procedures for identifying and reporting harassment and bullying in the workplace
- Review the list of weekly reflection assignments the student will complete throughout the summer.
- Each student is asked to complete weekly reflection assignments. The assignments are short (and hopefully fun) opportunities to process their experience over the entire course of their internship.
- Three of the assignments are required for all students: a midpoint self-evaluation/social media post, donor thank you letter, and a final self-evaluation
- Please let program staff know if you would like to see the full list of assignments for your own planning purposes.
- Set up a schedule for regular check-ins.
- Make sure to have a 1:1 at least once a week. Past interns have also appreciated daily check-ins to review key activities for the day and to help prioritize tasks.
- Create a list of “down time” projects.
- What will your student work on when there isn’t a pressing project? Are there archival materials they can review to learn more about your organization? A stack of papers to be filed? Share a list of projects and tasks they can work on when it’s a slower period.
- Provide regular feedback to your student.
- Support your students’ completion of the weekly SIPA reflection assignments.
- Conduct a midpoint check-in (~Week 5 or 6).
- Frame the check-in as a time for both you and the student to give feedback about their experience so far. (SIPA doesn’t require host organizations to provide a formal written evaluation until the end of the internship.)
- Remind your student to check their Stanford email account regularly (at least once a week).
- SIPA program staff regularly communicate with students during the summer via email. Please remind your student to stay on top of these messages as some of them contain important program updates.
- Conduct a debrief meeting with your student.
- This can take place any time during their final week.
Use the time not only to give feedback to the student, but also for the student to share their feedback about the internship experience.
- This can take place any time during their final week.
- Complete the final SIPA evaluation for your student.
- SIPA program staff will send instructions in late July/early August. Evaluations are due no later than 1 month after the student’s last day at the internship.
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