The Campus Internship Development Fund (CIDF) provides temporary monies to UW-Seattle departments for the purpose of hiring UW-Seattle students into high-quality, short-term internship positions. The program was started in 2018 and has provided funding for over 200 interns since its inception.
This page provides more information for current and prospective departments about the program, application process, supervisory resources, and program evaluations. If you have any questions about participation in the CIDF program, please email the CIDF Program Manager at uwcidf@uw.edu.
- Opportunities to learn outside the classroom are a critical component of a college education. Internships are a powerful mechanism for students to develop their skills, expand their network, fine-tune their career goals, and enhance their post-collegiate employability. Student demand for high-quality, easily accessible internships outweighs supply.
- Therefore, the primary goal of the Campus Internship Development Fund is to increase student access to these pivotal professional learning experiences. The secondary purpose is to provide UW departments with a cost-effective way to leverage Husky talent in support of unit goals.
- The application for the 2025-2026 academic year is now closed. All units who were accepted for the program will receive funds in September 2025. We thank you for your patience as we navigate evolving budget changes at the state and federal levels.
- Intern managers can learn more about how to structure, recruit, and manage an effective internship program from our Creating an Internship website.
- Current CIDF Managers can access template position descriptions, the learning agreement, mid-quarter and final evaluations, and program documents in our shared OneDrive folder here.
- As the CIDF program continues to grow, your input is vital to ensure we are running this program as effectively as possible. We ask our interns and managers to complete a program evaluation at the conclusion of their internships. You can access the program evaluation here.
Annual Data
- 2018-2019: $184,232 awarded to 28 departments. 30 interns hired, with 9,900 hours worked throughout the academic year.
- 2019-2020: $310,971 awarded to 37 departments. 45 interns hired, with 16,000 hours worked throughout the academic year.
- 2020-2021: $231,372 awarded to 33 departments. 33 interns hired, with 13,400 hours worked throughout the academic year.
- 2021-2022: $281,833 awarded to 37 departments. 41 interns hired with 15,400 hours worked throughout the academic year.
- 2022-2023: $289,237 awarded to 31 departments. 38 interns hired with 17,830 hours worked throughout the academic year.
- 2023-2024: $241,372 awarded to 35 departments. 43 interns hired with 9,067 hours worked throughout the academic year.
- 2024-2025: $338,000 awarded to 33 departments. 35 interns hired with 13,054 hours worked throughout the academic year.
- “I learned transferable skills such as leadership, time management & communication.”
- “Working at the UW Libraries gave me a ton of practical experience applying the theories and knowledge I was gaining from classes on projects that had meaning in the real world.“
- “I was able to work next to leading professionals on a variety of engaging and challenging projects, both of which I would not have been able to do without this opportunity.”
- “I built strong relationships within the department to complete assigned tasks, seek support and further my professional career.”
- “It was an amazing opportunity to apply everything that I was learning in class in a professional environment, while at the same time improving skills that are key in an office setting.”
- “Direct experience on legislative affairs and policy implementation were critical to my career goals. I cannot imagine a more resourceful internship position or [supervisor] than I was privileged to have.”
- “I took on an independent project that gave me real-world project management experience over the course of the internship and a finished product to add to my portfolio.”
- “It was an amazing opportunity to put into practice the skills and concepts I was learning during my degree. As an international student, this was also a chance to…learn more about the work culture.”
- “[Intern] was able to complete things we always wanted to do, but did not have the time or capacity to complete ourselves.”
- “[Intern] needs to work in order to make ends meet. Thanks to the support from CIDF, we were able to offer her a paid opportunity that was mutually beneficial.”
- “Not only does this internship provide much needed support for us to implement programs, but it is also wonderful to support the professional development of an aspiring…professional!”
- “Having a ‘super star’ intern was energizing and so very valuable. Thanks for allowing us to have this experience…it has greatly impacted our unit.”
- “Our intern helped us connect with student groups who we wouldn’t normally be able to connect with. She brought back a certification for students that is an integral part of our…action plan and helped move the needle…”
- “Our intern provided critical staffing we needed to implement two signature leadership education programs.”
