Internship Opportunity Program (IOP) — Santa Cruz Works
AHSC workforce development grant

Internship Opportunity Program (IOP): Providing $10,000 grants for local internships

The Internship Opportunity Program connects Santa Cruz County employers with motivated young adults from underserved neighborhoods in Santa Cruz County — fully funded through the City of Santa Cruz's Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities grant.

Funding per intern $5–10K Reimbursed to the employer toward the intern's pay after invoice submission.
Typical Internship Length ~6 Months Approximately six months per internship placement.
Weekly hours 10–40 Hours set by agreement between employer and intern.
Candidate age range 18–24 Young adults from underserved Santa Cruz neighborhoods.

Applications are currently closed. Please fill out the form if you are interested in signing up for cohort 2.

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The Program

How it works

In June 2025, the City of Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz Works, and DigitalNEST announced a collaboration to strengthen the local workforce and fund paid internships for young adults in underserved areas of Santa Cruz County. Cohort 2 is beginning this fall 2026 in partnership with Cabrillo College. At the start of each cohort, Santa Cruz Works reviews applications from employers interested in hosting an intern, while Cabrillo College conducts targeted outreach to local residents ages 18–24 living in disadvantaged census tracts — including neighborhoods near the awarded AHSC grant project area, such as Beach Flats and Lower Ocean in the City of Santa Cruz.

Employers schedule and conduct final interviews and choose their preferred intern from that pool. All participants sign agreements, and pay rate and hours are set by the employer and intern. Employers will invoice Santa Cruz Works and Santa Cruz Works will reimburse employers up to $10k for the employer to pay their intern.

Funder City of Santa Cruz Awards the AHSC Workforce Development Grant to Santa Cruz Works.
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Administrator Santa Cruz Works Reviews employer applications, distributes funds, tracks the cohort, and provides support to the intern.
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Outreach Cabrillo College Outreaches to candidates ages 18–24 from disadvantaged census tracts, including Beach Flats and Lower Ocean, and provides support to the intern.
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Host Employer [Your Business] Reviews candidates, selects candidates, and manages one intern. Submits invoice to Santa Cruz Works for reimbursement of payment to intern for their wages.
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Outcome Intern & Employer Intern: Works a paid, ~6-month role, managed, trained, and supported throughout the internship. Employer: Gains extra capacity, a motivated team member, and a genuine pipeline for future hiring.

Throughout the internship, Santa Cruz Works and Cabrillo College regularly check in with both the employer and the intern to monitor progress. At the conclusion of the program, both parties receive a short survey to assess its success. All participants sign an agreement. Additional details are provided upon application acceptance. Read the original press release.

Participate in the program

For employers

Host an intern

Get a pool of motivated local candidates and $5,000–$10,000 toward their pay, reimbursed after you submit invoices — no recruiting budget required.

  • Review candidate pool and interview candidates
  • Hire within 3 weeks of receiving candidates
  • Host for roughly 6 months, 10–40 hrs/week
  • Submit a monthly invoice and intern time log by the 5th business day for reimbursement
See your responsibilities ↓
For job seekers, 18–24

Get matched with a local employer

If you live in an underserved part of Santa Cruz County and want real, paid work experience, Cabrillo College can train and place you into an internship.

  • Open to residents ages 18–24
  • Priority for Beach Flats, Lower Ocean & nearby tracts
  • Cabrillo College screens you, then employers interview
  • No cost to apply
Opportunities coming soon
Employer responsibilities

What hosting an intern actually looks like

Santa Cruz Works expects every host employer to move through four phases, from the first welcome email to ongoing mentorship. Here's the full obligation, broken down by when it happens.

01

Before they arrive

Pre-arrival communication
Welcome email with start time, dress code, and expectations
Share resources — employee handbook, org chart
Assign a buddy or mentor for questions and concerns
02

First day and week

Orientation
HR onboarding — paperwork and benefits overview
IT setup — laptop, software, email if required
Team introductions and office walkthrough
Company overview — mission, culture, current projects
Time tracking set up — log hours daily, send copies monthly
Assign tasks and projects — provide meaningful opportunities for interns to learn and contribute to your business
03

Throughout the internship

Meaningful work & mentorship
Align tasks to the intern's skills and program goals
Define clear deliverables, deadlines, success metrics
Start manageable, then build toward more responsibility
Dedicated supervisor with regular 1:1 check-ins — teach interns valuable skills and provide constructive feedback
04

Culture, ongoing

Foster a learning environment
No question is dumb — make space to ask
Shadowing — let them observe meetings and other teams
Explain the why behind tasks, not just the how
Encourage networking, internally and at industry events

The $5,000–$10,000 grant amount is provided to the employer as a reimbursement, not an upfront payment. To receive reimbursement, employers must submit an invoice along with the intern's time log to Santa Cruz Works by the 5th business day of the following month. The employer is the intern's employer of record and is responsible for ensuring the intern is paid on time, along with payroll taxes, workers' compensation coverage, and any other standard legal or HR obligations of employment. The AHSC grant reimburses the stipend cost; it doesn't change your employer responsibilities.

Why employers participate

What you get beyond the funding

The $5,000–$10,000 reimbursement covers the cost. These are the reasons employers come back for a second cohort.

01

Motivated local talent

Cabrillo College connects you with motivated local candidates so you can focus on choosing the right fit for your team.

02

Fresh perspective

Interns bring current tools, new ideas, and energy that can unstick problems your team has stopped noticing.

03

Capacity, not just headcount

Hand off the project segments that never get prioritized, and free your team for higher-leverage work.

04

Team development

Supervising an intern gives your staff hands-on experience leading and coaching someone else.

05

Community standing

Hosting signals real investment in Santa Cruz County's workforce, not just a sponsorship logo.

06

A genuine hiring pipeline

Six months is enough time to know if it's a fit. Many interns convert to full-time employees, already trained on your systems.

Intern Skills & Background

What candidates bring to the table

Most candidates come through Cabrillo College's career and workforce training programs, which prepare young adults with real, hands-on skills before they ever reach you.

Technical skills

Web & graphic design

Photoshop, Illustrator, XD, Figma, WordPress, Squarespace, HTML/CSS — wireframes through visual design.

Video production

DSLR and cinema cameras, lighting and audio gear, Premiere and DaVinci Resolve — from storyboard to color correction.

Digital marketing

Canva, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, content calendars, and email marketing.

Front-end development

HTML, CSS, WordPress theming, and responsive design.

Professional skills

As a host employer, you play a direct role in helping interns build these skills through real, hands-on work.

Communication

Clear oral and written communication, active listening, openness to feedback.

Collaboration

Comfortable contributing inside a team, not just working solo.

Problem-solving

Identifies issues, weighs options, and follows through on a fix.

Initiative & adaptability

Seeks out resources independently and adjusts to new environments fast.

Meet the Interns in Cohort 1

The program, in their own words.

Learn about how young adults are building real skills at Santa Cruz County businesses and nonprofits through the AHSC internship.

Read all AHSC stories →
Software Eng · Nurbli

"Every feature I improved connected back to real people — indigenous families whose languages often lack digital resources."

Yuliana Morales-Galvan Software Engineering Intern Read her story →
Marketing · Siena House

"Working here has taught me how powerful communication can be in connecting people to a cause."

Elsa Tamayo Marketing & Comms Intern Read her story →
Social Media · Mission Hill

"I create creative content for our social media accounts while learning the ins and outs of the business."

Julian Cabadas Social Media Marketing Intern Read his story →
Outreach · Clean Oceans Intl.

"Strong storytelling can mobilize support and inspire action — I got to see that firsthand every day."

Emily Ramirez Social Media & Outreach Intern Read her story →
Social Media · Go Ask Alice

"This role has taught me how to tailor content for digital platforms while keeping a strong sense of storytelling."

Melanie Kate Social Media Marketing Intern Read her story →
Program Overview · All Cohorts

"We've been having such a good time working with a video editor. What a valuable resource Edgar has been for our organization. I wanted to share the most recent video he helped craft for us—it just made our founder cry."

— Santa Cruz Children's Museum of Discovery

Read the full report →
Questions

Frequently asked questions

Filter by who you are, or browse everything.

Internships should be approximately six months in duration.
Start dates are unique to each employer and intern agreement — there's no single fixed cohort start.
Yes. Employers are reimbursed $5,000–$10,000 by Santa Cruz Works toward the intern's pay, after submitting a monthly invoice and the intern's time log. The employer is responsible for paying the intern on time and covering payroll taxes and other standard employer obligations.
10–40 hours per week, varying by internship and by agreement between employer and intern.
  • Access to motivated local talent — Cabrillo College connects you with candidates
  • Cost-effective — reimbursed through the AHSC grant
  • Fresh perspectives from interns who bring current tools and ideas
  • Added capacity for projects your team hasn't gotten to
  • Mentorship reps for the employees who supervise
  • Stronger community standing and ties to local institutions
  • A real hiring pipeline — many interns convert to full-time roles
Most candidates come through Cabrillo College's career and workforce training programs, which give 18–24 year-olds hands-on experience before they reach you. Some candidates may also come through DigitalNEST. Expect a mix of technical training — web and graphic design, video production, digital marketing, or front-end development — paired with strong communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills. See the full breakdown above.
The $5,000–$10,000 grant amount is a reimbursement, not an upfront payment. To be reimbursed, submit an invoice for the prior month along with the intern's time log to Santa Cruz Works by the 5th business day of the following month. Employers remain responsible for paying their intern on time and for all associated payroll taxes and other standard employer obligations, regardless of when reimbursement is processed.
You're responsible for conducting final interviews from Cabrillo College's candidate pool and completing the hiring process within 3 weeks.
Email Cabrillo College at internships@cabrillo.edu. Let them know you're interested in the AHSC internship program and what part of town you live in.

The next cohort isn't open yet — but you can be ready.

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Join the waitlist Read the grant announcement