Restoration Finance and Analysis Intern

About the Program:

WRI's Global Restoration Initiative informs, 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, nature and 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 and Enable pillars, which focus on investing in restoration projects, piloting innovative blended finance models, and creating the necessary political, economic, and social conditions for investment.

In this role, you will learn about the rapidly maturing land restoration sector, one of the most cost-efficient, but under-financed, nature-based solutions. You will connect with innovative restoration businesses and nonprofits, gain familiarity with the financial mechanisms and capacity building that support them, and conduct research about the public policies and financial incentives that encourage high-quality, locally led, and targeted restoration. As a valuable member of the team, you will work alongside experts in geospatial science, finance, and international policy working to scale restoration at local, national, and global levels.

You will also provide programmatic support to our diverse funding portfolios by attending team calls, preparing materials for training sessions, and drafting communications and articles.

The activities of this internship will be shaped by your learning interests and the needs of the team. Examples of current team priorities include piloting outcome finance models for restoration with potential buyers, developing national payment for ecosystem services policies, and onboarding the newest cohort of TerraFund investees. Opportunities may arise for you to contribute more heavily to investor engagement, data analysis, or policy analysis.

Your work will primarily focus on the team's portfolio in Africa, but you may also support the ongoing workstreams in India and Brazil as needed. You will report to the Restoration Finance Project Manager and the TerraMatch Product Specialist.

Internship Learning Outcomes:

• Learn about restoration finance, projects, and outcomes through data analysis, desktop research, literature reviews, and participation in programmatic activities across the Restoration team.

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

• Contribute to communication products including blog posts, presentations, impact stories, and more to help showcase restoration champions.

• Contribute to policy development and engagement with targeted research deliverables such as briefs, copyediting support, and desktop review.

You will gain experience in the following areas:

• Land Restoration - Through familiarization with projects and businesses that restore land

• Building partnerships - Through attending calls with our numerous programmatic partners and contributing to shared activities requiring cross-team communication

• Restoration Finance - Through inputs to our processes of investing directly in restoration projects and businesses and by contributing research to building new mechanisms to finance restoration outcomes

• Policy analysis - Through researching and synthesizing policy issues related to land restoration and assisting with the drafting of issue briefs and other policy documents.

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.

• Experience with analysis of quantitative and qualitative data and experience communicating insights derived from that data.

• Experience with data tools such as Excel, R, or similar preferred.

• Experience with economic analysis a plus.

• Experience communicating insights derived from data analysis.

• Experience with learning on the job, with demonstrated ability to work both independently as well as part of a team.

• Experience staying organized and prioritizing effectively 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 is required. Working proficiency in French or Portuguese is desired but not required.

• Existing work authorization in the United States is required.

• Must be able to work from the WRI office in Washington DC at least 8 times a month.

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 January 22, 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: Integrity, Innovation, Urgency, Independence, Respect.

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 team in Human Resources carefully reviews all applications.

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