ABOUT LATINOJUSTICE PRLDEF

Founded in 1972 as the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, LatinoJustice PRLDEF (LJP) has been a leading civil rights and social justice organization for five decades. LJP’s core issue areas include voting rights and redistricting, economic justice, immigrant rights, criminal legal system (policing and prison) reform, racial justice, leadership development, and issues related to Puerto Rico. LJP uses impact litigation, advocacy, and community education and engagement, among other strategies, to protect and advance the rights of Latinx and other communities of color. LJP has offices in New York City and Austin, TX, and staff working from Washington D.C., Florinda, and California.

LJP’s Development Department is responsible for helping strengthen, diversify, and build sustainable short- and long-term funding for LJP by raising the funds LJP needs to carry out its programs and operations in service to Latinx communities. The Development Department collaborates with the greater External Strategy & Affairs team and Legal & Advocacy teams to carry out institutional, individual and corporate fundraising campaigns and initiatives. LJP’s headquarters is located in New York City at 475 Riverside Drive in Manhattan, on 119th Street near the Barnard College, Columbia University campus in Morningside Heights.

THE JOHN GARCIA LEGACY SUMMER INTERNSHIP

LatinoJustice PRLDEF established the John Garcia Legacy Summer Internship Program to honor the memory and legacy of our former Director of Communications and Community Engagement, who worked at LJP from 2008 to 2018, mentoring dozens of young leaders and activists.

This summer internship program aims to support young people seeking to pursue careers in communications, development and/or community engagement. The 8-week program begins on Monday, June 8, 2026. Each of the three (3) interns will be assigned to the CAP Leadership Institute, Development Department, and Communications Department. John Garcia Legacy Summer Interns are expected to work full-time (31.5 hours/week) for eight (8) weeks, receiving a total stipend of $4,200.00 from LatinoJustice PRLDEF. Interns selected will be assigned as described below:

Development Department- The John Garcia Development intern will work with Development Department staff taking on discreet projects that include research and writing, data management, and/or event planning to increase organizational revenue from individual, corporate and institutional sources. During this internship, the Development Intern will be assigned department-specific projects including, but not limited to:

1. Researching donor information and maintaining the donor database by cleaning, verifying, and updating records to ensure data accuracy and completeness.

2. Assisting with the design and build out of a monthly sustainer program for individual giving, including creating print, email, and social media outreach to encourage donors to donate monthly.

3. Help to build out information related to institutional and corporate funding opportunities, involving research, proposal development and report data as assigned by the Institutional Development team.

INTERNSHIP QUALIFICATIONS

We are proud to have a professional team deeply committed to our mission. We look to hire individuals who share our commitment, who are emotionally intelligent, emphatic, and good team players. We strive to maintain a positive, interconnected, value driven culture, where opportunities for individual and professional development are available to all. If this sounds like the kind of place you’d like to be, we invite you to apply. We are seeking:

• Energetic, motivated undergraduate students with a commitment to social justice work
• Strong writing, research, and communications skills
• Bilingual Spanish/English is preferred but not required

Please note: LJP staff works in hybrid model with 60% flexible remote work.