ZOO atlanta will strengthen career pathways into ZOO and museum professions by expanding the ZOO's internship program and establishing standardized training, mentorship, and evaluation systems

The Institute of Museum and Library Services awarded Atlanta-Fulton County Zoo, Inc. $1,033,794 on September 1, 2026, under the 21st Century Museum Professional Program (CFDA 45.032) to strengthen career pathways into zoo and museum professions through expanded internship programming and workforce development.

Zoo Atlanta will establish standardized training, mentorship, and evaluation systems designed to serve over 60 interns drawn from higher education institutions. Participants will develop professional competencies, workplace behaviors, and career readiness skills through applied experience and targeted professional development, positioning them for entry-level roles and long-term advancement in the zoo and museum field. Zoo Atlanta staff serving as intern liaisons—early- to mid-career employees—will strengthen their supervisory, mentoring, and leadership capabilities through formal training and applied experience.

The project will develop a scalable workforce development model with evaluation-informed training curriculum and disseminate results through professional networks and conferences to support career readiness and workforce training practices across the museum and zoo sector.

Performance occurs in Atlanta, Georgia. The period of performance runs from September 1, 2026, through August 31, 2029. The 21st Century Museum Professional Program supports projects that build career pathways, strengthen professional networks, and identify and share effective workforce education and training practices in the museum field, with restricted eligibility to U.S.-located museums, museum service organizations, affiliated nonprofits, and institutions of higher education organized as units of government or private nonprofits.

Program participants will develop the knowledge, professional competencies, and workplace behaviors necessary to successfully advance within the ZOO and museum workforce. Through training and targeted professional development, over 60 interns will gain applied experience, career readiness skills, and expanded professional networks that position them for entry-level roles and long-term career pathways in the field. ZOO atlanta staff serving as intern liaisons will strengthen their supervisory, mentoring, and leadership skills through formal training and applied experience. Intern participants will be students currently enrolled in higher education and intern liaisons will be early- to mid-career staff members at ZOO atlanta. The project will establish a scalable workforce development model, evaluation-informed training curriculum, and dissemination of results through professional networks or conferences to support career readiness for students through workforce training practices in the museum and ZOO field.