Access Paid Internships in Greater DC

Urban Alliance offers paid internships in DC, Maryland, and Virginia.

In 1996, Andrew Plepler, then an attorney for the U.S. Justice Department, asked students at Anacostia High School in Southeast Washington, DC what they really needed to be successful. One young woman answered very honestly, “I need a job.” Plepler found that student a paid internship, and enlisted five of his friends to do the same for other students. That experience led to the creation of Urban Alliance. 

For 25 years, Urban Alliance has partnered with businesses throughout the District of Columbia, Montgomery County, MD, Prince George’s County, MD, and Northern Virginia to connect more than 4,000 high school students to paid internships, and provided career-readiness training to more than 18,000 students through community workshops. The Greater DC region program typically works with over 100 businesses and more than 200 students from over 35 high schools throughout the region. 

In October 2022, Urban Alliance, Smithsonian Institution and Bank of America announced the Andrew Plepler Internship Program designed to support youth employment and increase representation in arts and culture organizations. The program will be part of Urban Alliance’s flagship High School Internship Program.  

View our Greater DC Valued Partners here.

To learn more about our Greater DC region program, please contact a member of our team.