Restoration Finance and Analysis Intern, Global Restoration Initiative

About the Program:

WRI'sGlobal Restoration Initiativeinforms, enables, and invests in people that restore degraded land. The team's flagship investment program for
locally led enterprises and community non-profits,TerraFund, currently
finances, trains, and monitors 200+ growing organizations across Africa,Latin America, and South Asia.

Aligned with this broader vision, the Restore Local initiative supports locally
led restoration efforts - with a growing portfolio of 60+ million USD of
projects in selected priority landscapes in Africa, Brazil and India. Built
through the TerraMatch platform, this includes grant-funded projects, as
well as debt and equity investments in small and enterprises and first loss
investment tranches in blended investment funds.

In the next phase of our strategy, WRI's Restoration team aims to harness
technology innovations built with our partners and the growing network
of locally led restoration implementers financed through TerraFund.
It is developing replicable finance structures and partnerships that
crowd more public and private capital into restoration that delivers proven
outcomes for people,natureand climate.

This is a hybrid position which requires 8 days per month in the office. You can be based in our office in Washington DC. Existing work authorization is required at the time of application submission as WRI is unable to sponsor any visa work sponsorship for this position. To be eligible for this position, you must be a resident of DC, Maryland or Virginia at the start of employment.

What you will do:

This internship supports work across the Global Restoration Initiative's Invest andMotivatepillars, which focus on investing inrestorationprojects,influencing the sector, and communicating key messages.

In this role, you will learn abouttherapidly maturing land restoration sector. You will connect with innovative, localizedrestoration businesses and nonprofits,gain familiarity withthe financial mechanismsandcapacitybuildingthat support them, andgather data andconduct research to support the team's learning agendawithregard toourprograms' impacts.

You will also provide programmatic support toour diverse funding portfoliosby attending team calls, preparing materials for training sessions, and drafting communications and articles. You will contribute togatheringdata from restoration champions, cleaning and organizing it into our unified database, and analyzing results, and you will supportwith user research,product updates,data entry,and other related tasks for theTerraMatch Product Team.

Theactivities of this internship will be shaped byyourlearning interestsand the needs of the team.You will report to theRestoration Finance Project Specialistand the TerraMatch Product Specialist.

Internship Learning Outcomes:

• Learn aboutrestoration finance,projects, and outcomesthrough data analysis, desktopresearch,literature reviews, andparticipation inprogrammatic activities across theRestoration team.

• Support development of robust research methodologies, including proposing frameworks for data analysis.Organize research materials (including literature,draftsand references) using WRI file management tools.

• Contribute tocommunication products including blog posts, presentations, impact stories, and more to helpshowcaserestoration champions

• Review applications for funding and capacity-building support andassistwithrunningthe application cycle.

• Manipulate and clean data provided by restorationchampions andcontribute to updating the team'sAirtableresourcesofproject data.Respond to data inquiries from the team and helpfacilitateuse of our Unified Database by creating guidance materials.

You will gain experience in the following areas:

• Land Restoration - Through familiarization withprojects and businessesthat restore land

• Building partnerships -Through attending calls with ournumerousprogrammatic partners andcontributing to shared activities requiring cross-team communication

• Data analysis- Through cleaning data for the restoration champions unified database and answering programmatic and research questions

• Productsupport and development- throughproviding direct support to users via our Zendesk Help Center, assisting with testingaround biweekly feature releases, and participating in user studies to help shape the trajectory of the TerraMatch platform

• Restoration Finance- Throughinputsto ourprocesses ofinvestingdirectlyin restorationprojects andbusinesses and bycontributing research to buildingnew mechanismstofinance restoration outcomes

What you will need:

• This opportunity is open to undergraduate students and recent graduates with focus and interest in business, economic development, data science, environmental sciences, social sciences, or other related fields.

• Experiencewith analysis ofquantitative and qualitativedata andexperience communicatinginsights derived from that data.Experience with data toolssuch as Excel, R, or similar preferred.

• Experience communicating insights derived from data analysis.

• Experiencewithlearning on the job, with demonstrated ability to work both independently as well as part ofa team.

• Experience staying organized andprioritizingeffectively in a fast-paced, deadline-oriented work environment.

• Understanding of ecosystem restoration, land use, forestry, conservation, agriculture, or related topics. Academic background or professional experience working in these sectors is a plus.

• We seek interns with diverse backgrounds and who are passionate about land restoration for people, nature and climate.

• Verbal and written proficiency in English. Working proficiency in Frenchor Portugueseis desired, but not required.

• Existing work authorization in the United States is required. WRI is unable to authorize visa work authorization.

Compensation

The pay for this internship opportunity is $20/hourfor undergrads; $22/hour for graduates and $24/hour for PhD students.

Length of Contract:

This is a full-time, 3-month internship with a flexible start and end date.

Location:

• This is a hybrid internship that will be based out of our Washington D.C. office.

• You will be required to work in the Washington DC office at least 8 days per month.

How to Apply:

Please submit a resume with a cover letter by May 25, 2026. Applicants mustapply through the WRI Careers portal to be considered. We may close for applications sooner if we receive a high volume of applications from qualified candidates.

About Us:

World Resources Institute works to improve people's lives, protect and restore nature and stabilize the climate. As an independent research organization, we leverage our data, expertise and global reach to influence policy and catalyze change across systems like food, land and water; energy; and cities. Our 2,000+ staff work on the ground in more than a dozen focus countries and with partners in over 50 nations.

Internships at WRI are learning experiences designed for current students, recent graduates, and other candidates who wish to gain knowledge about a specific area of our work. We strive to attract diverse, intellectually driven candidates who have a passion for sustainability and development. WRI provides many internship opportunities throughout the year in all our programs.

WRI is committed to advancing gender, racial, and social equity for human well-being in our mission and applies this principle to our organizational and programmatic practices.

Our mission and values:

WRI's mission is to move human society to live in ways that protect Earth's environment and its capacity to provide for the needs and aspirations of current and future generations.

Our values are shared ideals that bind us together: Independence, Integrity, Impact, Partnership and Care.

Our culture:

WRI is committed to advancing gender and social equity for human well-being in our mission, including equal opportunities inemployment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, caste, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, or protected Veteran status.

Our People team carefully reviews all application

#LI-DNP

#LI-DNI