Intern for Open Access

The Aspen Institute

The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization committed to realizing a free, just, and equitable society. Since its founding in 1949, the Institute has been driving change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve the most critical challenges facing communities in the United States and around the world. Headquartered in Washington, DC, the Institute has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, and an international network of partners.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

To achieve our mission of a more free, just, and equitable society, we commit to working proactively to advance the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion across our myriad endeavors such as the recruitment, compensation, training, and advancement of staff. The best people-serving institutions make this commitment, and we seek to be a leader in the ways that we do so and learn from others. Visit our website to learn more about our commitment and recent actions taken toward building and nurturing a diverse and inclusive environment.

Open Access: Equitable Equity For Food Entrepreneurs aims to lower barriers to financing and business ownership. The first phase of the initiative is Open Access, an open-source code web portal for local governments or organizations to customize with start-up and working capital financing, education, and support resources.

It is the first open-source code available to cities and other organizations at no cost. Designed to be “out of the box” ready, it is also adaptable to provide easy access to food entrepreneurs looking for technical assistance, capital, and credit in their communities that will help them plan, launch, and grow their businesses.

Food and Society at the Aspen Institute brings together public health leaders, policymakers, researchers, farmers, chefs, food makers, and entrepreneurs to find practical solutions to food system challenges and inequities. Current initiatives include a definitive and widely distributed set of food worker safety guidelines in kitchens and dining rooms during Covid-19; developing a research road map for the use of food as medicine, to increase the data supporting an exciting movement to treat and prevent diet-related chronic illnesses; protecting the physical and financial health of the most vulnerable food-service workers and increasing opportunities for people of color to move into management and especially ownership positions in the food-service industry; creating a draft framework to regulate gene-edited crops and ingredients in the food supply, to ensure public trust; and finding common ground in current soda-tax initiatives to bring about meaningful health improvements. The common goal is to help people of all income levels eat better and more healthful diets—and to enjoy them bite by bite.

Food & Society at the Aspen Institute is seeking a 2023 intern to assist with its Open Access initiative. Open Access is a free, one-stop-shop web portal designed to help BIPOC food entrepreneurs in cities across the country start or grow their food business. This intern would help build out additional portals using research to populate the necessary fields. Open Access DC and Open Access Philadelphia can serve as models and no coding experience is necessary. Skills required include attention to detail, ability to conduct secondary research and organization. Approximately 15 hours per week for two months.

Basic Function:

The Open Access Intern will build out additional portals using research to populate content for specific cities and communities. The Open Access intern will research resources and curate services, support organizations, training, technical assistance, permitting, licensing, and more for small food businesses in pre-determined cities and communities. This intern will add this content into the Open Access portal.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Conduct online research.

• Project management: meet project deadlines, attend check-in meetings, and submit progress reports.

• Attention to Detail: Checks own work for accuracy and completeness.

• Market Research & Consumer Behavior: Demonstrates introductory understanding, directing people to the appropriate source for further information.

Knowledge, Education, and Experience:

• Must be interested in one or more of the following areas: public health, economic development, nutrition or business.
• Undergraduate or graduate student.
• Experience with online research, copywriting, and editing.

In accordance with our Reimagining Work policy, the Open Access intern should be willing to be in-person with colleagues a minimum of 40% of the time while having the flexibility to work remotely for the balance. In-person consists of meaningful connections with colleagues in an office, traveling to a different office or location to meet fellow staff members, at an Aspen event, at a meeting outside the office or other opportunities to meet in person with teammates and colleagues.

The Aspen Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all District and federal laws. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or protected veteran or disabled status and will not be discriminated against.

Individuals needing an accommodation to complete the job application can contact HRSupport@aspeninstitute.org or call (202) 736-5800.