Chicago Metropolitan Planning Agency Internships

Type: Part Time / In Person

Location: Chicago, IL

Pay: $20.00 per hour

Apply through the linked website.

Planning Intern

CMAP is seeking two summer interns with interest in various aspects of local and regional planning, including Housing and Land Use, building capacity, and economic development. The preferred candidates will have the ability to work independently and on project teams, and work on multiple projects simultaneously. CMAP Interns participate in projects and engage in activities that support the work of the agency. The CMAP internship program runs June-July and interns work up to 29 hours per week during summer months. Internships may be extended through the academic year at the discretion of the agency with work hours reduced to 29 hours per pay period.

Field Data Collection Intern

CMAP is seeking 3 interns to engage in projects and activities that support the agency’s planning efforts. The internship program runs from June to July, with interns working up to 29 hours per week during the summer, with possible extensions into the academic year at reduced hours. Responsibilities include field data collection, roadside equipment monitoring, and maintaining GIS data for traffic forecasting and transportation inventories. Interns also prepare reports, maps, and graphics to effectively communicate data and analysis results.

Transportation Improvement Program Intern

CMAP is seeking one intern to actively contribute to agency projects and activities, supporting its mission through meaningful work. The internship program runs from June to July, with interns working up to 29 hours per week during the summer, with potential extensions into the academic year at reduced hours. Responsibilities include compiling and analyzing data from spreadsheets and databases, preparing visual materials like charts and presentations, and producing written summaries such as reports and fact sheets. Interns also utilize advanced Microsoft Office tools, including pivot tables and VLOOKUP, to perform accurate data analysis and deliver actionable insights.

Geographic Information Systems Intern

CMAP is seeking 4 interns to contribute to agency projects by supporting various initiatives and activities. The program runs from June to July, with interns working up to 29 hours per week during the summer, with potential extensions into the academic year at reduced hours. Interns analyze urban datasets, including census and zoning data, and assist in automating workflows using Python or other programming languages. They also utilize GIS software to create static and interactive maps that align with project goals.

Regional Policy & Implementation Intern

The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) is seeking to hire up to five (5) interns to contribute to regional planning and policy projects in northeastern Illinois. The internship positions will be housed within CMAP’s Regional Policy and Implementation division and are intended to support the advancement of CMAP’s ON TO 2050 work and contribute to the updated regional plan, expected in 2026. See cmap.illinois.gov/about for more information on the agency’s vision and core values. Successful candidates will demonstrate interest and skill in quantitative and qualitative analysis across a range of topics, which include climate, economic, and/or transportation planning and policy. Ideal candidates will be able to effectively communicate and assist in collaborative engagement efforts with project partners. Examples of work to which the successful candidate could contribute include: A plan to modernize and fully fund the region’s transit system. A regional climate action plan. A plan to advance traffic safety throughout the region. A new regional comprehensive plan. An approach to transportation asset resilience under a changing climate. A report on the disparate impacts of property tax policy in Cook County. An index that measures local-level susceptibility to flooding. An analytical approach to promoting equitable infrastructure investments. A plan that sets criteria to guide federal transportation capital investments in northeastern Illinois.

Transportation Modeling Intern

CMAP is seeking one intern to contribute to agency projects and activities that support regional planning efforts. The internship program runs from June to July, with interns working up to 29 hours per week during the summer, with possible extensions into the academic year at reduced hours. Intern responsibilities include conducting data analyses using GIS software or scripting languages like Python or R, assisting with modeling tools and dataset quality control, and preparing maps, graphics, and written summaries to communicate findings effectively. These tasks help interns develop technical skills while supporting CMAP's planning objectives.

Communications and Engagement Intern

CMAP seeks a Communications and Engagement intern to develop and manage CMAP content in a variety of print and electronic formats and to assist with community engagement with CMAP stakeholders and constituents. The position requires excellent attention to detail, writing and editing skills, familiarity with Microsoft Word and Excel, and some experience using social media, newsletter distribution, and web content management systems. The ability to think critically and work independently is essential. Over the course of the internship, the intern will work on projects across a variety of planning and policy issues. 

Research Assistant - Greater Lawndale Healthy Work Project, UIC Center for Healthy Work

Background 

The Greater Lawndale Healthy Work (GLHW) project is nearly a decade-old community-based participatory research (CBPR) partnership between North and South Lawndale communities and the University of Illinois in Chicago. GLHW Project is a research project in the University of Illinois at Chicago Center for Healthy Work, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Total Worker Health Center of Excellence (Grant: U19OH010154).  

If interested in the position, please email Sylvia Gonzalez sgonza43@uic.edu and provide your CV/resume by Tuesday, August 15th 2023.

Government Finance Research Center (GFRC) Graduate Hourly Positions

The Government Finance Research Center (GFRC) at the University of Illinois Chicago is seeking two graduate students for a limited, part-time hourly position to work with Results for America on data collection and detailed reporting on investments by 50 target jurisdictions to promote racial equity and accelerate equitable economic mobility across America. 

Hours Per Week: 30 hours/week

Duration: approximately 4 weeks

Rate of Pay: $30.12 

Please note this position is pending final contract approval and not eligible for tuition and/or fee waivers.

Internship - Chicago Community Trust

Who: The Chicago Community Trust

What: The Chicago Community Trusts internship program will provide interns with the opportunity to work on projects designed to provide a better understanding of the field of philanthropy and the work of a community foundation. This comprehensive internship will provide an in depth look at our strategic initiatives, programmatic giving areas, the inner workings of the grant making process, and the role of development within a community foundation.

Graduate Hourly, Community Outreach Intervention Projects - UIC School of Public Health

Who: Community Outreach Intervention Projects in the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago

What: The hourly student employee will assist the investigator of an NIH-funded research program, which aims to understand the contextual risk factors for hepatitis C among young injection drug users. Work is starting immediately and hours/days are flexible. This is a multi-semester opportunity.
Responsibilities include:

• Become proficient in the Alter-Ego study protocol including content, process (screening, consents, etc.), procedures, and data collection instruments 
• Conduct research study activities and tasks as needed 
• Conduct interviews and provide surveys for participants 
• Explains survey objectives and procedures to interviewees, and interprets survey questions in order to assist participants to comprehend questions 
• Verify information obtained is accurate 
• Identifies and reports problems encountered in obtaining valid data to supervisor 
• Manage data collection

Internship - Community Development and Policy Studies at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago (closes Oct. 1)

Who: Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Community Development and Policy Studies Division. CDPS recognizes and works to address many challenges in the community development field. Current priority areas include affordable housing policy, access to credit for small businesses, rural development, and funding for community and economic development in lower-income communities in a limited-resource environment.

CDPS has adopted the tagline ‘research, convene, connect’ to express our core functions succinctly. We research and conduct outreach to gain insight on key issues hindering access to credit and economic opportunity; convene diverse community development and policy stakeholders to share information and coordinate solutions; and connect financial institutions and other intermediaries with places in need to foster effective interventions

What: The Community Development and Policy Studies Division of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago seeks a project assistant/intern for fall 2018. This is a 10-20 hour/week position for students currently in one of the fields described below.

This is a paid position, located at the Chicago Fed’s offices in downtown Chicago. The Community Development and Policy Studies (CDPS) division is part of the Economic Research department of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. CDPS works to improve the socioeconomic prospects of low- and moderateincome (LMI) people in part by working with community leaders to bring development and reinvestment opportunities to underserved communities.

The project assistant/intern will conduct statistical and economic analyses of current macroeconomic, microeconomic, financial and regional data, and provide research support for the economists. The level of work required is considered entry- level and would work under direct supervision. This job has no direct reports.

Duties and Responsibilities include:

Americorps Vista Volunteer - Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago (stipend position)

Who: The Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago (NHS) - Business Process Improvement Team. NHS of Chicago is driven by the belief that homeownership is essential to strengthening households and communities. We help low and moderate income residents become homeowners and maintain homeownership. More at nhschicago.org

What: The Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago of Chicago (NHS) Business Process Improvement Team is seeking an Americorps Vista Volunteer to help drive a project to help us understand NHS of Chicago's long-term impact.

This “Understanding Impact” Vista project will look at a sampling of clients over recent years to gain understanding of impact on the lives of clients over time. The Vista will help design a data collection framework and strategy, collect data, analyze results, present findings, and create structure for NHS to continue to integrate ongoing long-term impact analysis. Results will enable data-informed decisions about where to focus efforts and resources to maximize positive long-term impact on low and moderate income household and communities.