$15,500 Religion PhD Summer Internship

The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) places PhD students who study religion in nine week paid summer internships with organisations working in communities across the United States. Funded by the Templeton Religion Trust, the programme shows how doctoral skills in research and teaching carry over to work beyond the university, and helps fellows explore careers connected to the changing American religious landscape.

What you get:

• A stipend of $15,500 for an in-person internship, or $14,250 for a remote one
• Up to $2,000 in relocation funds if you move for an in-person position
• A nine week summer placement beginning in June 2027
• A two-day career seminar in August 2027, with domestic travel costs covered by ACLS
• Virtual cohort programmes on professional development through the 2027 to 2028 academic year

What you'll do:

• Work full time for nine weeks on a defined project at one host organisation
• Choose up to two of ten projects, each with its own selection process
• 2027 hosts: American Friends Service Committee (Philadelphia), CAIR-MN (Minneapolis), Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership (Chicago), Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies (remote with one week onsite), Interfaith America (remote), Jewish Women's Archive (Newton, MA), Norton Healthcare (Louisville), Operation Shoestring (Jackson, MS), Religion News Service (remote) and The Conversation (remote)
• Attend the August seminar and the following year's virtual programmes

Key dates:

• Prospective applicant webinar: Monday, December 14, at 1:00 PM ET
• Applications close January 13, 2027, 5:00 PM EST
• Applicants hear back in late spring 2027 unless they reach the finalist stage earlier
• Internships run nine weeks from June 2027
• Required career seminar: August 19 and 20, 2027

More information:

• Full project descriptions for all ten hosts are in one PDF: https://www.acls.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/2027-GISI-PDs-Combined-All.pdf
• Programme FAQ: https://www.acls.org/faqs/faq-acls-graduate-internships-on-the-spiritual-infrastructure-of-the-future/
• Questions go to ACLS, not to the host organisations, which applicants must not contact

• Currently enrolled in a PhD programme at a US-based university in the humanities or social sciences
• Research focus or dissertation topic related to the study of religion, broadly defined
• Any citizenship; students at overseas institutions are not eligible
• Not planning to graduate until after May 2028 (the FAQ says academic year 2028 to 2029)
• Divinity school students qualify only if pursuing a PhD; MDiv, MTS, EdD and Master's students do not
• Ineligible PhD fields include business, public policy, most education, clinical or counseling psychology, journalism, law, social work, public health and other applied fields
• Free of coursework, assistantships and other work for the nine weeks, and able to attend the August 19 and 20, 2027 seminar
• Apply with the online form, a one-page cover letter per project addressed to the host, a resume of up to two pages and one professional reference's contact details; no reference letters