Point Foundation Reports Impactful Results in Piloting LGBT Nonprofit Internship Program

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Oct 13, 2010, 08:00 ET

Internship Pilot Program Proves Successful in Benefiting The LGBT Community

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Point Foundation (Point), the nation's largest scholarship-granting organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students of merit, today reported the successful completion of its LGBT Nonprofit Internship Pilot Program. The program was designed to provide full-time internships to Point Scholars who are interested in parlaying their career and volunteer aspirations over to paid work experience in the LGBT sector.

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Fully funded by The Palette Fund, the scope of Point's Nonprofit Internship Pilot Program included three not-for-profit organizations that offered summer internships consisting of meaningful, professional work assignments, and in turn benefited the LGBT community. Participating not-for-profits included the Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) in Boston, Planned Parenthood Association of Utah (PPAU), and the Rainbow Fund of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. In the end, each scholar received real work experience in the LGBT community and the not-for-profit organizations benefited by having a gifted student work for them during the summer without having to worry about dipping into their respective budget to cover the cost of the internships.

"Kim Hackford-Peer's internship expanded our capacity to reach Utah educators and others who work with youth to create safer school spaces for LGBT youth and their peers. She incorporated a parent perspective into the work that made our Safe at School training even more accessible to educators. The fact that she was paid was nice because it took the pressure off the agency," said Annabel Sheinberg, Education Director at Planned Parenthood Association of Utah (PPAU).

"The Palette Fund was honored to be a part of Point's LGBT Nonprofit Internship Pilot Program and we look forward to continuing our support of opportunities such as this program in the future. We are pleased to see that the internships added a new dimension of hands-on work experience and leadership development within the LGBT nonprofit sector, in addition to the invaluable education that scholars already receive from Point Foundation," said Terrence Meck, Palette Fund's Executive Director.

Another nonprofit internship was offered to Point Scholars and fully funded by Time Warner. The internship position entailed work on the New York Public Library's LGBT collection. Aside from receiving hands-on instruction on LGBT history and orientation to the fields and practices of librarianship, the internship position included participation in Time Warner's prestigious STARS leadership development program.

"My work with the New York Public Library's LGBT collections, programs and expertise, gave me a whole new sense of my history. Being able to dedicate an entire summer to exploring the LGBT collections at the New York Public Library offered me the chance to evaluate, engage with and report on events that have shaped the face of the LGBT community today. I left with a greater sense of self, community and a new appreciation for the activists and political figures who came before me," said Point Scholar Maggie Kennan-Bolger, who completed the ten-week internship sponsored by Time Warner, utilizing online social networking websites for outreach and promotion for the LGBT@NYPL website.

"Through the STARS program we strive to identify and support the next generation of diverse talent by funding internship positions within our company and our community," said Lisa Quiroz, Senior Vice President, Corporate Responsibility, Time Warner Inc. "We were delighted to work with Point Foundation again and to see another Point Scholar participate in the 2010 Time Warner STARS program and leadership curriculum."

In a post-internship evaluation, three of the four interns said they would consider working as a full-time employee with their respective nonprofit organization. The internship supervisors at all four nonprofits said they would recommend and/or hire the interns for future employment.

"We're thrilled that The Palette Fund made it possible for Point to offer such a meaningful program to Point Scholars, and subsequently supplemental staffing at other LGBT causes within the nonprofit sector. It's also exciting to see Time Warner step up to the plate as it has many times in the past, to provide yet another innovative means of support to Point and the LGBT community. This is the outcome that we had hoped for. We look forward to furthering our work with foundations and corporations to provide Point Scholars with more fulltime internships within the LGBT nonprofit sector," said Darrin Wilstead, Mentoring & Alumni Program Director at Point Foundation.

About Point Foundation

Point Foundation (Point) is the nation's largest scholarship-granting organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students of merit. Point provides financial support, leadership training, mentoring and hope to LGBT individuals who are marginalized because of their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. Point provides its scholars with the financial ability to attend the nation's foremost higher educational institutions and its donors and mentors with the rare satisfaction of directly investing their resources and time in future generations of leaders. Point Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) organization. More information may be found at www.pointfoundation.org.

About The Palette Fund

The Palette Fund honors the legacy of Rand Harlan Skolnick through collaborative grant making and programs that value human rights and education. Specifically, the foundation is focused on four health and/or social issues: the role of nutrition in healthcare and cancer, LGBT youth, HIV/AIDS and patient navigation. Rand committed his heart and soul to his philanthropic work throughout his life, and The Palette Fund seeks to continue and grow his pioneering vision. More information may be found at www.thepalettefund.org.

About Time Warner

In addition to the numerous Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) Media Awards received by Time Warner over the years for its inclusive coverage of LGBT people and issues, the company consistently scores 100 on the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index. Time Warner was also the first media company to institute an AIDS in the Workplace Policy, and among the first companies in the world to provide domestic partner benefits to same sex couples. More information may be found at www.timewarner.com.

SOURCE Point Foundation