CUNY Cultural Corps provides students with paid work experience in NYC’s arts and cultural sector, creating a pipeline for students to have successful careers, while diversifying NYC’s cultural institutions. Partnering institutions include non-profit cultural organizations involved in the visual, literary and performing arts as well as public-oriented science and humanities institutions including zoos, botanical gardens and historic and preservation societies.
Click below to apply or fill out our interest form and receive updates tailored to your needs, whether you are a student awaiting the next application cycle or a faculty member, staff, or employer partner looking to engage with the CUNY Cultural Corps.
Please note this program is contingent upon funding availability and may be subject to changes.
Fill out the interest form to be notified the next time applications open.
Applications for the Fall 2026 Undergraduate Program are closed.
Applications for the 2026–2027 Rockefeller Fellowship are closed.
Departments
When completing an application, students will need to select one (1) of the following five departments they wish to work for:
Communications & Marketing
Interns assist with social media content creation, marketing, and audience engagement. They gain experience in digital content production (e.g., newsletters, promotional materials, videos), data analysis, and campaign strategy. Responsibilities may include drafting press releases, contributing to social media planning, tracking engagement metrics, and supporting promotional efforts for exhibitions, performances, or events.
Recommended majors: Marketing, Graphic Design, Business Management, Non-Profit Management, Communications, Media Arts, Journalism, English, Arts Management, Museum Studies, Art History, Studio Art, Photography, Film, Creative Writing, Film, Media Production.
Education & Public Programs
Interns support educational initiatives by assisting with the design of workshops, tours, and family programs. They help develop educational materials such as lesson plans and activity guides, engage with diverse audiences including school groups and community members, and contribute to outreach efforts to expand accessibility. Additionally, interns may conduct research and data collection on museum audiences to inform programming.
Recommended majors: Education, History, English, Youth Studies, Ethnic Studies, Sociology, Psychology, Arts Management, Museum Studies, Art History.
Development & Fundraising
Interns support fundraising efforts through donor research, grant writing, and event coordination. They assist with drafting fundraising appeals, grant applications, and impact reports, as well as maintaining donor databases and tracking contributions. Interns also help plan donor events, create sponsorship materials, and support donor communications, including gift acknowledgments.
Recommended majors: Business, Accounting, Finance, Economics, Entrepreneurship, English, Data Analytics, Fine and Performing Arts, Arts Management, Museum Studies, Communications, Business Marketing, Non-Profit Management.
Curatorial & Exhibitions
Interns support exhibition development by conducting research on artifacts, artworks, or historical/scientific topics. They assist with cataloging collections, preparing display materials, and contributing to digital exhibitions or archives. Under the guidance of curatorial staff, interns may also help with exhibit installation, object handling, and public programming initiatives.
Recommended majors: Fine and Performing Arts, Art History, History, Anthropology, Archaeology, Ethnic Studies, Religious Studies, Studio Art, Arts Management, Museum Studies, Art Education.
Production Management (Performances & Events)
Interns assist in organizing performances, festivals, and events by supporting production operations, budget management, and scheduling. They gain hands-on experience in backstage operations, including lighting, sound, and stage management, and contribute to logistical coordination, timeline management, and safety protocols. Additionally, interns help with coordinating event logistics, ensuring all elements run smoothly from start to finish.
Recommended majors: Fine and Performing Arts, Film and Media Production, Electronic Design, Multimedia Arts and Technology, Arts Management, Business Management, Communications.
Candidates with strong applications will be invited to a Pre-Screening Training Session. Those who perform well in this session will move forward to apply for internship positions within their selected department.
Please review the descriptions of each department above to learn more about the associated responsibilities and recommended academic background.
Join Cultural Corps
Undergraduate Students
Click here to fill out our interest form for updates on when applications open.
Learn about the application process.
Graduate Students
If you are a graduate student, fill out our interest form here for our Rockefeller Fellowship.
Learn more about the Rockefeller Fellowship details and eligibility.
Institutional Partners
Host student interns and become an official program partner. Applying is an easy, two-step process. Complete the interest form and be notified when we start approving employer partner applications.
Visit Hire CUNY for more information or email culturalcorps@cuny.edu with questions.
CUNY Faculty
Fill out our CUNY Cultural Corps Faculty Interest Form to learn more about our program. Receive updates on when our applications are open, so you can promote it to students.
Alumni Experiences
The stories, skills, and experiences of CUNY alumni actively working in the arts and culture sector not only inspire Cultural Corps members, but they also represent our goals in action: to expose participants to a variety of career paths within the arts sector and allow them to be involved with New York City’s arts and culture institutions. Students develop their professional skills and benefit from valuable opportunities to connect and learn from experts in the field, broadening their networks and future employment possibilities.
Chelsey Pellot
Government and Community Affairs Manager at El Museo del Barrio
As a student at Hunter College, Chelsey interned with El Museo through CUNY Cultural Corps. She was offered a position with the museum after graduating college. Chelsey now supervises interns hosted at El Museo and is currently part of the CUNY Cultural Corps Advisory Board.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Cultural Corps program is an internship program that pays interns to work at various cultural institutions across New York City. Our program’s goal is to help students gain professional development, career experience, and bring more diversity into the Cultural Arts sector. It was launched in 2016 as a partnership between CUNY, New York City’s Department of Cultural Affairs, and The Rockefeller Foundation, in response to a report released that year by the Department of Cultural Affairs highlighting a lack of diversity in NYC cultural institutions.
To be eligible for the program, students must be:
- Undergraduate Students: 2nd-semester freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors are eligible to apply.
- Early College Students within their first two years of college will be prioritized for program participation
- NO PRIOR PAID INTERNSHIP experience during your CUNY career at the time you submit your application
- SYEP does not count as a paid internship in college.
- Have a cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 2.5
- Have the proper work authorization required by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
- Able to commit to working part-time (15 hours per week) for 12 weeks during the semester.
Students interested in gaining professional experience in the arts and culture sector are encouraged to apply. Even if a student’s major is not arts-focused, the Cultural Corps program offers a unique opportunity to explore NYC’s vibrant arts and culture scene and provides a potential pathway to a career in the field.
To learn more about our program’s mission and the qualities we seek in candidates, please review the presentation linked here.
The application process for students will follow the general timeline below (although dates are always subject to change):
Cultural Corps Application Timeline
Step 1: Submit Your Application
Apply once the application period opens. Applicants must upload a resume and a short answer essay responses to the following questions:
- Why are you interested in working at a cultural institution, and how does it fit your personal or professional goals?
- What skills or experiences make you a strong candidate for the department you are applying to?
Approved applicants will receive an email invitation to RSVP for a Pre-Screening Training Session.
Step 2: Pre-Screening Training Session
Strong candidates will participate in a group pre-screening training session with other applicants to strengthen their understanding of the program and prepare for job applications and employer interviews.
Step 3: Apply, Interview, and Rank Preferred Positions
Those students who perform well in the pre-screening session will move forward to apply for internship positions within their selected department. Employer partners will contact students to conduct interviews. Students will rank their preferred organizations, while partners will rank their top students for matching.
Successful candidates will receive an acceptance email with program details and an acceptance form to confirm their participation.
Step 4: Program Participation Status Announced
- Students who are successfully matched with an organization will receive an acceptance email containing program details and an acceptance form to confirm their participation.
- Students who are not matched will not participate in the current cohort but may choose to withdraw or, if interested and still eligible, be placed on the waitlist for the next cohort cycle.
Step 5: Orientation
The orientation will introduce interns to the program and provide essential information for a successful internship experience, including payroll training.
Step 6: Onboarding with RFCUNY
Matched interns will receive emails confirming their placements and must complete RFCUNY onboarding before beginning work at their placement sites.
Step 7: Workshop -Professional Skills for Cultural Workers
Students will be introduced to the 8 NACE Competencies and engage in exercises to explore and apply them within their internship departments. The session includes SMART Goal writing practice, with students crafting goals relevant to their roles.
Step 8: Start Working!
Interns will begin their positions and start their journey with the program.
Students will receive a wage of $20/hour. Students will work up to 15 hours per week and 150 hours total during the semester. We do not provide MetroCard stipends.
That will depend on your college’s departments policies as well as whether the organization is open to adapt the internship to meet your department’s requirements, i.e. it is possible but we cannot guarantee that you will be able to receive course credit.
If you have any other question regarding our eligibility requirements or program process, please email us at culturalcorps@cuny.edu.
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