Graduate Grants Program Support Intern

Role Overview

This graduate internship sits within the East Africa regional resource development unit, where you will support the full cycle of grant acquisition and management from research and analysis to documentation and event coordination. Day to day, you will track funding opportunities, prepare meeting materials, maintain shared filing systems, and help organise forums and workshops that bring together internal teams and external partners. Your work ensures that acquisition decisions are well informed, properly documented, and efficiently communicated across the region.

Key Responsibilities

• Schedule and prepare virtual and in-person meetings for the grant acquisition and management team, including sending invitations, setting agendas, recording action points, and filing minutes in the shared workspace.
• Maintain and update contact lists for regional offices, field offices, and external partners, and keep resource development documents organised and accessible in digital repositories.
• Collect and consolidate information from country offices to support the development of capacity statements that showcase the region’s strengths to potential funders.
• Track and update the grant opportunity acquisition pipeline, flagging new funding leads and highlighting key data for management review.
• Provide logistical support for engagements, including drafting budgets, arranging travel and accommodation, preparing materials, and ensuring branding assets are ready for events.
• Support the regional knowledge management site and communication channels by uploading guidance, meeting notes, and team documents, and following up on action items.
• Help coordinate the regional grant management forum by surveying country offices to identify priorities, inviting key speakers, developing the agenda, and preparing a follow-up report with next steps.
• Assist with the internal go/no-go approval process by managing submission workflows and documenting decisions on relevant platforms.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in social sciences, economics, international development, or a related field, with graduation within the last two years.
• Understanding of resource mobilisation, grant acquisition, and development trends in fragile or cross-border contexts.
• Experience planning or coordinating workshops, conferences, or forums involving participants from multiple countries.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to work effectively across cultures and with remote teams.
• Proven organisational skills and the ability to prioritise competing tasks and meet deadlines.
• Experience analysing data and presenting findings in a clear, concise manner for decision-makers.
• Familiarity with digital collaboration and file-sharing tools commonly used in virtual work environments.

What We Offer / Why Join

This internship offers direct exposure to how an international non-governmental organisation builds and manages its funding pipeline at a regional level. You will gain hands-on experience in grant acquisition analysis, stakeholder coordination, and operational support, while learning how relational and negotiation skills shape successful resource development. The role is designed to strengthen your professional foundation through real responsibilities, cross-cultural teamwork, and involvement in strategic forums that influence regional programming.