PUBLIC SERVICE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
PLACEMENT POSSIBILITIES
This is a partial list of internship placements available through the Public Service Internship (Urbs/PlSi
603/604). The internship is open to students in Urban Studies, Political Science, Public Administration,
and other appropriate majors; consent of instructor is required. Internship placements are tailored to
meet the needs of individual students and may be developed in almost any area of interest. The
placements listed here are merely illustrative of the kinds of placements available.
Types of intern activities
The following list again is merely suggestive:
 Research, analysis, and/or writing: probably the most common type of intern activity;
includes demographic, economic, land-use, and policy-related research.
Research methods commonly used include review of published materials, demographic
analysis, mapping, surveys, interviews, field observations.
 Service provision: information and referral, direct services (e.g. counseling, assistance
in working with public agencies, tutoring)
 Administrative/management support: technical, e.g. developing/updating information
systems; management: organizing events, staffing committees
 Political/community work including public relations, outreach, advocacy
Types of placements
Business, employment, and economic development
Public: city offices of economic development (e.g. SF), city redevelopment agencies
(e.g. SFRA), Private Industry Councils (employment programs)
Nonprofit: e.g. Bay Area Council, SF Living Wage Coalition, Redefining Progress,
Women’s Initiative for Self Employment
Community based: e.g. Mission Economic Development Association.
Environment and Design
Public: city planning departments, SF Dept of Rec & Parks, SF BCDC, US EPA
SF PUC, SF Dept of the Environment, Urban Farming
Private consultants: e.g. Environmental Science Associates
Nonprofit: Greenbelt Alliance, Urban Habitat, Baykeeper, Rainforest Action
Network, Communities for a Better Environment, the Environmental Intern
Program (national), San Francisco Neighborhood Parks Council.
Government and Politics
Federal: Congressional district offices, Federal agencies (e.g. HUD, EPA, DOI)
Washington Center for Internships (in Washington DC)
State: Legislative district offices (e.g. Migden, Shelley), state agencies. Internships in
Sacramento, e.g. Sacramento Semester, Senate & Assembly Fellows.
City/county administration: mayor’s offices (e.g. SF), city managers offices (e.g.
Redwood City, San Mateo, SSF, Marin Co), city departments, city
commissions
City council/Board of Supervisors: SF Supervisors
Political consultants: e.g. Staton Hughes & Shafer, Tramutola
Political organizing/advocacy: e.g. California Peace Action, labor unions
Health and social policy
Public: local depts & commissions, e.g. SF DCYF, SF DPH, SF DOSW, SF Mayor’s
Office of Neighborhood Services, Berkeley Shelter Plus Care
Nonprofit: e.g. Health Access, SF Community Clinics Consortium, La Clinica de la
Raza, Woman Inc, SF AIDS Foundation, Equal Rights Advocates, Coalition
on Homelessness, Arriba Juntos, Coleman Youth Advocates, Community
Toolbox for Children’s Environmental Health; San Francisco Food Bank,
Hamilton Family Center
Housing and community development
Public: city departments, e.g. SF MOCD, SF MOH, SFRA; city planning depts.;
county (e.g. Marin)
Nonprofits: Low-income housing fund, SF Tenants Union, Fair Housing of Marin,
Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California
Housing and/or community development corporations: e.g. TODCO, Chinatown
CDC, Mission Housing Development Corporation, Bernal Heights, HCDI
Immigration and international issues
Nonprofits: Global Exchange, Food First, Rainforest Action Network, Communities
United for Equality, Institute for Food & Development Policy
Law and criminal justice
Public: SF District Attorney, SF Public Defender
Nonprofit: ACLU, Northern California Service League, Legal Services for Prisoners
with Children, Homeless Advocacy Project, La Raza Centro Legale, Bay Area
Legal Assistance, Center on Juvenile & Criminal Justice
Planning
Public: city, county, and regional planning dept, e.g.: SF, Daly City, San Mateo,
Belmont, Redwood City, Berkeley, Oakland, Alameda, ABAG
Private consultants: Environmental Science Associates
Community-based: Chinatown CDC, Bernal Heights Community Center, Mission
Housing Development Corporation,
Policy analysis
Policy analysis occurs in many of the public agencies and nonprofit organizations
listed above. In addition, the following offer more general policy analysis:
Public: US General Accounting Office, SF Mayor’s Office of Budget & Legis
Nonprofit: Consumer’s Union, Redefining Progress, Latino Issues Forum (summer),
PolicyLink
Transportation
Public: Caltrans, MUNI, MTC (summer only), SF Dept of Parking & Traffic,
Municipal Transportation Agency, AC Transit
Private consultants: Nelson/Nygaard, Wilbur Smith
Nonprofits: Transportation and Land Use Coalition
Additional sources of placement information:
www.sfsu.edu/urbs: the Urban Studies website regularly posts internship requests
received from local organizations.
www.idealist.org: this website lists jobs and internships in nonprofits, and can be
searched by general area of interest.
www.thevolunteercenter2.net/thevolunteercenter/volunteer/ This is a very general
listing of volunteer opportunities, but perusing it might give you some ideas.
[The SFSU Community Connections Database is not currently available for students
outside of Community Service Learning courses. I will let you know if that changes.]
10/05