By Melanie B, GIV Alum

The GIV Fellowship is an internship that allows young people to learn more about the nonprofit sector and to learn how foundations work, such as how grant applications work. As a GIV Fellow I was given the opportunity to work with Colorado Health Foundation (CHF) and I was able to work with a program officer to review grant applications and attend meetings related to their work, such as housing advocacy. This was a wonderful opportunity for me because prior to this internship I didn’t have any idea on how philanthropy worked or how foundations worked and I learned so much!

This internship allowed me to increase my knowledge in the non-profit sector. As I worked with my supervisor at CHF I learned more about the role of program officers, how policy works, and how money is given to help marginalized groups and organizations. While the internship was only a few months long, it really has shaped me as a person. This internship has allowed me to feel more comfortable communicating with my supervisor and I feel better prepared for future internships. This internship has
also made me think about what careers I might want in the future. Prior to this experience I had only thought about being a doctor, but this fellowship has really opened my eyes to how there are more careers. I could even combine my love of medicine and non-profit work if I wanted to!

The GIV Fellowship is a wonderful opportunity for young people to learn more about non-profits and learn how best to support their communities. Foundations, such as CHF, are responsible for granting out money to different organizations that work to support
marginalized groups, such as people of color and the LGBT+ community. I believe that if you want to learn how to support marginalized groups and organizations this is a great opportunity to learn how it all works behind the scenes. The foundation I worked with was wonderful as well and my supervisor was a great mentor for me throughout the program.

I believe that this fellowship has the potential to really have a great impact on how foundations work. Young people have great insight into what the needs of the community are and they offer a new perspective and I’m really excited to see the GIV Fellowship program grow and have an impact on the fellows and the foundations!