Federal Campaigns Intern

About The Clean Slate Initiative

Founded in 2019, The Clean Slate Initiative (CSI) is working across the country, and in Congress, to pass and implement laws that automate record sealing for people with eligible records who have completed their sentence and remained crime-free, and to expand who is eligible for sealing.

CSI’s vision is that people will no longer be defined by their records and will have the opportunity to contribute to their community, have a fair opportunity to work, get an education, and achieve their full potential. To date, thirteen states, and Washington D.C., have passed Clean Slate laws impacting more than 18 million people. CSI works with bipartisan leaders and organizations and offers our expertise on what works: intelligent policy design, an eye toward implementation, and campaign strategies that center lived experience. Along the way, we work to redefine the narrative around people with records, cutting through the bias and stigma, to reorient the legal system to live up to the ideals of second chances. Learn more about our work here.

About The Opportunity

The Federal Campaigns team is building the infrastructure needed to sharpen its congressional engagement strategy. For the 2026 placement, the team is seeking an intern to co-develop CSI’s Federal Congressional Committee Engagement and Targeting Framework. This is a foundational analytical project that will map congressional committee priorities, identify strategic entry points from advancing Clean Slate as a workforce, public safety, and economic mobility issue, and equip the Federal team with targeted engagement tools for the second half of 2026.  

This is a substantive, project-based placement suited for a candidate with strong policy research and writing skills and an interest in federal legislative strategy. The intern will be reporting to the Federal Legislative Director.

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The intern will produce a Federal Committee Engagement and Targeting framework consisting of the following components:

1. Congressional Committee Landscape Analysis: Mapping of key House Senate committees with jurisdiction over issues relevant to Clean Slate, including workforce, judiciary, public safety and economic mobility, with analysis of current activity.

2. Strategic Entry Point Memo: Congressional Tracker Committee Briefing One-Pagers (in partnership with MarComms) State-to-Federal Alignment Matrix membership, leadership priorities and legislative activity. Analysis identifying the strongest strategic entry points for advancing Clean Slate Legislation in the current Congress, framing clean slate as a workforce, public safety and economic mobility issue for different committee audiences.  

3. Congressional Tracker: A working spreadsheet tracking relevant members, committee assignments and recommended engagement priority tiers.

4. Committee Briefing One-Pagers (in partnership with MarComms): Tailored one-page briefing documents for 3-5 priority committees, designed for use by CSI’s federal team in congressional meetings and outreach

5. State-to-Federal Alignment Matrix: A matrix mapping CSI’s state-level clean slate wins to relevant federal policy levers, identifying where state momentum can be leveraged to advance federal engagement.

‍By the end of this placement, the intern will have:

• Developed a working understanding of federal legislative strategy and congressional engagement in the criminal justice reform space
• Built practical research and analytical skills in congressional mapping, stakeholder targeting and policy framing
• Practiced producing professional written products for a policy and advocacy audience, including strategy memos, briefing documents and data trackers
• Gained exposure to the intersection of state and federal advocacy through direct engagement with CSI’s Federal Campaigns team
• Received structured feedback on research quality, strategic thinking and professional development from their supervisor

‍Who you are:

• A current student (undergraduate or graduate) or recently graduated focusing on public policy, political science, law, public administration or a related field, and/or a person with strong interest in legislative work and the criminal justice reform space
• Strong research, writing and analytical skills with demonstrated ability to synthesize complex information into clear, audience-ready written products
• Familiarity with the U.S. legislative process and congressional structure
• Able to manage a multi-component project across 15 week placement period with regular check-ins and milestone accountability
• Committed to criminal justice reform, economic justice, or civil rights
• Lived experience with the criminal legal system is highly value

‍Bonus points if you:

• Have prior experience in legislative research, congressional affairs, advocacy or political campaigns
• Are familiar with clean slate, expungement, reentry or workforce development policy
• Have experience producing policy briefs, one-pagers, or strategy documents for a professional audience
• Are familiar with congressional tracking tools (e.g. GovTrack, LegiScan, Congress.gov)

Given the length of this placement (15 weeks, at 20-25 hours per week), the project will be organized around structured milestones. The final milestone schedule will be set collaboratively with the supervisor in Week 1.  

• Weeks 1–4: Completion of research and initial mapping of congressional offices, committees, and member alignment
• Weeks 5–8: Development of the draft Federal Congressional Committee Engagement & Targeting Framework, including preliminary prioritization and analysis
• Weeks 9–12: Refinement of strategy, integration of state-level alignment, and development of supporting materials
• Final 2–3 weeks: Delivery of the finalized strategy memo and tools to inform CSI’s Q3–Q4 federal engagement and coalition coordination efforts

‍Compensation, Benefits & Location

This placement is compensated through a fixed stipend amount of $7,000 (pre-tax), disbursed via our payroll system in equal bi-weekly installments over the course of the placement. External funding offset applied, if applicable. As a temporary, part-time employee, the Federal Campaigns Intern is not eligible for CSI’s benefits.  

This role is remote. CSI strongly prefers candidates based in or near Washington, DC given the nature of the federal legislative work and the potential for optional Capitol Hill engagement. Candidates outside the DC area will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

The Clean Slate Initiative is a 501(c)(3) public entity that passes and implements laws that automatically clear eligible records for people who have completed their sentence and remained crime-free and expand who is eligible for clearance.  CSI is committed to attracting, developing and retaining exceptional people, and to creating a work environment that is dynamic, rewarding and enables each of us to realize our potential. CSI’s work environment is safe and open to all employees and partners, respecting the full spectrum of race, color, religious creed, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, political affiliation, ancestry, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, and all other classifications protected by law in the locality and/or state in which you are working.

‍How to Apply

We encourage all applicants to review our website to fully familiarize themselves with The Clean Slate Initiative before applying: cleanslateinitiative.org. If you are interested in applying for this position, please complete the application, attach your resume, and respond to the short written application question regarding your interest in the role and connection to our mission via this link.  

Questions about this job posting or the process should be directed to the CSI recruitment team at careers@cleanslateinitiative.org. So that your email gets seen and addressed, when sending your email, its subject line should clearly refer to the Federal Campaigns Intern role.

Tentative Timeline

• Application Period: May 12 - 21, 2026
  
  • Applications will be reviewed continuously. Interested candidates are encouraged to submit their applications early for immediate consideration. Applications received after May 21, 2026, may be considered, but consideration is not guaranteed.
• Screening Interviews: will be done on a rolling basis
• Hiring Interviews: week of May 25, 2026
• Reference Checks: week of June 1, 2026
• Finalist Interview with CEO: week of June 1, 2026
• Offer Extension: June 1-5, 2026
• Tentative Start Date: June 15, 2026

Reasonable Accommodations

To center the safety and well-being of its employees, and in accordance with relevant federal, state, and local laws, The Clean Slate Initiative provides equal employment opportunities to qualified individuals with disabilities to participate in the recruitment and selection process. If you require an accommodation to participate in the interview/hiring process, please contact human resources at HR@cleanslateinitiative.org.  

Other Employment Standards

Applicants for employment in the United States must have work authorization that does not now or in the future require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the United States. All candidates will not be obligated to disclose sealed or expunged records of conviction or arrest as part of the hiring process.