The lincoln park ZOO will expand the scope and scale of its paid internship program to increase participation of young adults from lower-income backgrounds

The Lincoln Park Zoological Society, doing business as Lincoln Park Zoo, was awarded a $501,790 federal Project Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) through the Museums for America (MFA) program. The grant will enable the zoo to expand the scope and scale of its paid internship program over a three-year period, with the goal of increasing participation of young adults from lower-income backgrounds. The project will support fair compensation for all interns, provide enhanced professional development and workforce readiness training, and establish a zoo-wide application and accountability process for staff intern oversight. The zoo will engage with community partners and higher education institutions to recruit and select 27 interns. This initiative aligns with the zoo's strategic plan to equitably serve as leaders in conservation, science, and animal welfare, empowering the next generation through hands-on training and career-readiness support.

The project will support fair compensation to all participants, increase professional development opportunities and workforce readiness training for interns, and creating a ZOO-wide application and accountability process for staff intern oversight. Staff will engage with community partners and institutions of higher learning to recruit and select 27 interns over three years. The students participating in the program will take their training and lessons with them into their careers, and the ZOO staff will have developed a program that builds knowledge and skills to empower the next generation, while supporting its new strategic plan, calling for equitably serving as leaders in conservation, science, and animal welfare.