FAQs
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Koch Internship Program
How long is the Koch Internship Program, and how many times a year is it offered?
The Koch Internship Program is a 10-week, semester-long program, offered three times a year: Spring, Summer, and Fall.
How do I secure an internship position at a partner organization?
Upon reviewing applications, Stand Together Fellowships staff will assist successful candidates in exploring a variety of openings with partner organizations via the KIP job portal. In the job portal, candidates apply to open roles and may be invited to interview with one or more partner organizations for their different openings. Once a candidate receives an offer from a partner organization, they will complete an admissions interview with Stand Together Fellowships staff, and must then be chosen to participate in the program.
What if I already work for a partner organization?
If you currently work for an organization participating in the Koch Internship Program, you still must apply. If accepted into a program, we will work with your employer to determine if your role is eligible.
What days will I work at the partner organization?
Typically, you will work at the partner organization on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. The specific time commitments necessary for each role will be determined by your partner organization.
When is programming?
Weekly virtual programming is on Thursdays from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. ET. Attending Thursday programming is required for both part-time and full-time participants.
Where can I find the important dates and deadlines for the Koch Internship Program?
The Koch Internship Program webpage has an important dates section.
Is the Koch Internship Program stipend taxable?
The stipend participants receive is taxable by the IRS and may be taxable by other tax authorities. Participants are responsible for reporting the stipend on their taxes.
How much does the Koch Internship program pay?
Full-time (approximately 40 hours a week) KIP participants who secure an internship will receive a stipend of $5,500 for the 10-week program and part-time (approximately 28 hours a week) KIP participants who secure an internship will receive a stipend of $3,300 for the 10-week program.
Koch Associate Program
How long is the Koch Associate Program, and how many times a year is it offered?
The Koch Associate Program is up to a year-long program if admitted and signed with a partner organization in May. If you begin in September it is a 9-month program. This program is offered once a year.
What if I already work for a partner organization?
If you currently work for an organization participating in the Koch Associate Program, you still must apply. If accepted into a program, we will work with your employer to determine if your role is eligible.
What days will I work at the partner organization?
The Koch Associate Program is a full-time opportunity. Typically you will work at the partner organization on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday during normal business hours. The specific time commitments necessary for each role will be determined by your partner organization.
When is programming?
Weekly virtual programming is on Wednesdays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET and participants should also plan to participate in multiple in-person summits and workshops throughout the year at Stand Together headquarters in Arlington, VA, consistent with relevant public health policies and conditions around COVID-19. Our team is continuously monitoring the situation and will provide updates if that status changes. We believe in-person experiences enhance the impact of programming, especially on participants’ ability to build and tap into an effective learning community. Stand Together Fellowships covers the cost of travel, hotel, and meals for those traveling to attend these gatherings.
Do I have to move to the Washington, DC area to participate in the Koch Associate Program?
Not necessarily. While all participants will convene at our headquarters for several in-person summits and workshops throughout the year, much of the KAP program will remain online, so participants do not need to reside in the Washington, DC area to be admitted to our programs. However, different partner organizations hire for in-person roles across the country, fully remote roles, or hybrid roles, and some participants may need to relocate depending on the requirements of the specific job offer they accept from a partner organization.
What opportunities exist after the programs?
Our relationship with program participants does not end after graduation. Our alumni-engagement team is here to continue partnering with you well after the program ends. We are here to come alongside you in your journey to find fulfillment and further develop your skills.
Alumni are invited to attend events, contribute to the classroom as guest speakers and mentors, and stay connected to new career opportunities in our philanthropic community and beyond. Program participants gain access to our alumni community of more than 4,500 individuals from across the world who are in different stages of their professional careers.
Where can I find the important dates and deadlines for the Koch Associate Program?
The Koch Associate Program webpage has an important dates section.
How much does the Koch Associate Program pay?
The Koch Associate Program participants will earn salaries that are commensurate to their education and experience as determined by their partner organization.
Poynter-Koch Media and Journalism Fellowship
What is the program looking for in a successful applicant?
Most importantly, we want to see your passion for journalism. We’re not looking for someone “testing the waters” as they look for a career. We’re looking to see if you’ve always known journalism was in your blood or more recently came to that realization. We want to see your effort in pursuing this professional goal. Whether that’s internships during college, time on a news outlet, freelance work done while working as a fry cook, it’s the intentionality and quality that counts not the pedigree. Show us that you care about the profession of journalism, tell us why it’s your calling, and help us understand how you plan to advance in the field.
How does the process of finding a journalism job work through the program?
Once accepted as a finalist, you are placed in our jobs portal and can apply to jobs posted there. The interview process for these roles is through the partner organizations. If you come to agreement with them, they hire you as their employee for the year.
What if I already have a journalism job that I like?
If you work for an organization that is not yet a partner in the fellowship program, you can apply for the fellowship and, if accepted and with your employer’s permission, you can continue in your role and take part in the fellowship. The employer would still receive the stipend award from the program for your participation.
If you work for an organization that is not yet a partner, we hope you will still apply to the program. We are always eager to talk with organizations looking to provide new opportunities to their early-career (generally, the first five years in the field) employees. Many of our partner organization relationships have developed in this way. The employer also would still receive the stipend award from the program for your participation.
How long am I hired?
Your hiring dates are between you and the employer. However, the stipend award to the partner organization is for full-time employment from July to July of the next year.
How much do I get paid? What is the stipend award?
Your salary is negotiated by you with the employer/partner organization and is generally commensurate to experience. The fellowship program provides a salary stipend to the employer of 60 percent of salary up to a maximum award of $50,000 per fellow.
Is it possible to audit the program if I’m a finalist and I don’t find job placement?
Unfortunately, no. The full-time employment in a professional newsroom is a key component in the program and the learning process.
How do I find the time to attend?
The program only makes two requests of your employer for participation in the program. First, that you be allowed the time to attend the three multi-day (three day), in-person summits. Second, that you also be scheduled to allow for the online classes on Wednesday afternoons. We get it. News breaks. But we hope you catch up by watching the recordings later if you miss out on a given day.
How do the summits work? Who pays for the travel?
The opening summit is in Philadelphia, PA in August. The midyear summit is at the Poynter Media Institute in St. Petersburg, FL in February. The closing summit is in the Washington, D.C. area. Your travel is paid for by the program.
Who are the faculty and mentors in the program?
We bring in experts from across the industry who are the best at what they do, these range from investigative pros to digital experts to top reporters, podcasters, publishers, and innovators. Keep in mind we are constantly updating and evolving our curriculum and faculty to best serve the interests of our current fellowship class. Is there someone you’d love to learn from? Let us know!
Do I get to choose my courses?
The fellowship includes training sessions that run from investigative journalism to podcasting to writing intensives to on-the-edge technology upskilling. We also offer media training, résumé workshops, and leadership seminars. We also encourage ideas from fellows!
Who are the sponsor partners?
The Poynter-Koch Media and Journalism Fellowship is a partnership between The Poynter Institute and Stand Together Fellowships.
Poynter is a leading source of news, thought leadership, and teaching about journalism. Poynter faculty teach seminars and workshops at the Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla., and at conferences and organizational sites around the world. The world’s top journalists and media innovators come to Poynter to learn and to teach new generations of reporters, storytellers, media inventors, and more. Poynter.org produces 24-hour coverage of news about the news media. News University offers one of the world’s best catalogs of online journalism modules.
For more than five decades, Charles Koch’s philanthropy has inspired bold new ideas to improve American lives. Inspired by a recognition that free people are capable of extraordinary things, Stand Together Fellowships supports education and dialogue to advance these principles and challenge convention. We work to remove barriers to opportunity for all Americans, helping individuals transform their lives.