Internship Opportunities

Susan G. Komen for the Cure was founded on a promise made between two sisters - Susan G. Komen and Nancy Brinker. Suzy was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1978, when it was rarely discussed in public and little was known about the disease. Before she died at the age of 36, Suzy asked her sister to do everything possible to bring an end to breast cancer. Nancy kept her promise by establishing Susan G. Komen for the Cure in 1982 in Suzy's memory.

Twenty-five years later, Susan G. Komen for the Cure is a global leader in the fight against breast cancer through its support of innovative research and community-based outreach programs. Working through a network of U.S. and international Affiliates and events like the Komen Race for the Cure®, Komen for the Cure is fighting to eradicate breast cancer as a life-threatening disease by funding research grants andsupporting education, screening and treatment projects in communities around the world.

Today, we celebrate the power of a promise and how a single person's vision can make a difference in the lives of millions.

Apply Now

We encourage you to submit your resume for internship consideration even if an opening is not listed. 

About Komen Internships

Komen internships are unpaid learning opportunities available within several departments at Komen headquarters in Dallas, Texas.

Note: To be eligible for consideration, you must be pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree during the semester you wish to participate in the internship.

To intern with an Affiliate near you, please contact the Affiliate directly.

Following are the departments that have hosted interns in the past:

Brand Marketing
The Brand Marketing department is responsible for strengthening and upholding the Komen brand. The department oversees the organization's advertising and public service campaigns, merchandise program, design and printed collateral, monthly e-newsletter, social networking efforts and Web content. Additionally, the department reviews all Headquarters- and partner-created materials, and manages an online photo archiving system and an online brand management system that allows vendors, partners and Affiliates to access brand assets and templates.

The Komen Cause Marketing team manages partnerships with many highly successful organizations, both on local and national levels. These partnerships support Komen in two ways: by raising important revenue to fund our mission and by increasing awareness of the breast cancer cause within a very public setting. Komen and our cause marketing partners continue to set new standards for creative collaboration in the fight against breast cancer. Our staff members are responsible for the development and implementation of the programs and managing relationships with more than 100 partners, including many Fortune 500 companies.

Communications
The Communications department is responsible for overseeing all internal and external communications regarding Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Komen communications professionals handle all public relations and media campaigns as well as manage an external public relations agency. Communications professionals assist all Komen representatives in communicating a cohesive, clear message to its audiences—including the media, the general public and Komen's 125 Affiliates. The department also plans and coordinates meetings and events that support Komen's promise. Communications works directly with the brand marketing department in maintaining the Komen brand with headquarters staff, corporate partners and the Affiliate network. 

Community Health is an area of public health that focuses on the health needs of populations. This involves looking at behavior change, policy change, and social change. The Community Health department of Susan G. Komen for the Cure functions to build the capacity of Komen Affiliates in the area of Community Health. This happens through the offering of training, technical assistance, and tools that lead to grants and other programs that have a sustaining impact in their communities. These resources take Affiliates one step closer to discovering and delivering the cures in their service area. Community Health is also involved in projects addressing the findings of the Closing the Gaps report. Each of the eight communities is being examined to dig deeper into the reasons for high breast cancer mortality, and seeking to find solutions to decrease this rate in each location.

Development
The Development department exists to identify, cultivate, solicit and steward donors to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Dollars raised go to fund our promise to empower people, ensure quality care for all, and energize science to find the cures for breast cancer. The Development department consists of major gifts, planned gifts, direct mail, annual giving, grants, e-philanthropy, individual and corporate donations, and various other development activities.

Legal
The Legal Department provides legal advice and services to Komen and its Affiliates on a broad range of legal issues. The department drafts and negotiates contracts with Komen’s corporate partners, Race Series sponsors, vendors, licensees, contractors, Affiliates and grantees. Other issues include corporate governance, non-profit tax law, state and federal regulatory matters, personal injury and litigation, intellectual property protection, trademark infringement and many others. Responsibilities include: reviewing commercial co-venturer contracts for significant information to be included in report; legal research regarding various topics; draft memorandums regarding research or contract analysis; assist with audit of contract management system and input of new agreements into the system; some filing and administrative tasks. Completion of first year of law school. required.

Public Policy
The Public Policy team works to influence policy makers on a federal level to increase the public investment in federal breast cancer programs. In addition to federal efforts, the team manages Komen Champions for the Cure™, a grassroots advocacy program designed to develop and maintain a legislative voice in state governments. Through the voice and power of affiliate volunteers across the country, Komen has had great legislative successes. Public Policy staff members are responsible for ensuring breast cancer is always a legislative priority in all levels of government, helping domestic affiliates implement legislative strategies in their state, developing and maintaining relationships with policy-makers, cultivating relationships with other cancer organizations to build collaborative voices, and working to grow our Champions database through affiliate events.