Eugene Applebaum believed that providing the first opportunity for someone could change their life forever. Applebaum Family Philanthropy is proud to carry forward this conviction through the Applebaum Internship Program, an invaluable experience for university and college students in Southeast Michigan to enhance leadership, networking, and work skills in an internship cohort experience.
Launched in 2020, the Applebaum Internship Program (AIP) partners with many of Detroit’s cultural and non-profit institutions. The program is intentionally designed to expose students to the unique and strong fabric of the community and deepen their understanding of the variety of potential career opportunities within the sector.
Our family has always been focused on strengthening Detroit’s cultural arts. Creating a greater pipeline of professional leaders and interested participants who are forming relationships at this key life stage is vital and makes all the difference.
Each internship spans a minimum duration of eight weeks, with interns spending a minimum of 25 hours per week onsite and in person.
Eligible participants are undergraduate and college students attending a school in Michigan who are in their sophomore year or higher (equivalent) and based in Southeast Michigan during the summer. If a student resides outside of Southeast Michigan or has graduated before the start of the program, they are not eligible to participate.
For Summer 2026, Applebaum Family Philanthropy provides a $3,000 stipend to allow interns to focus fully on the program.
Each organization independently manages intern recruitment, selection, and placement.
The special value of the Applebaum Internship Program is the opportunity for students to share the diversity of their experiences as part of a collective cohort of peers. Participants meet bi-weekly in a series of learning enrichment sessions led by leaders in the field to strengthen collaboration, engage in meaningful dialogue, advance their leadership development skills, and build vital relationships.
Many small to mid-sized cultural organizations operate on the edge—rich in creativity but under-resourced behind the scenes, often limited in their ability to hire skilled administrators, marketers, fundraisers, and finance professionals. In response to this systemic challenge, ArtOps was created in 2013 to provide high-quality administrative services to the nonprofit cultural sector. Over time, ArtOps has become a vital backbone for certain arts organizations across Southeast Michigan, offering support in development, finance, marketing, and executive leadership.
To learn more about ArtOps, click here to view their website.
Belle Isle Conservancy’s mission is to protect, preserve, restore and enhance the natural environment, historic structures, and unique character of Belle Isle as a public park for the enjoyment of all – now and forever. The park is home to the Belle Isle Aquarium, Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory, Dossin Great Lakes Museum, Belle Isle Nature Center, the James Scott Memorial Fountain, and more.
To learn more about Belle Isle Conservancy, click here to view their website.
Coaching Detroit Forward is a nonprofit that coaches Detroit high school students in writing, photography, graphic design and other creative fields. Award-winning local journalists, authors, communications professionals, photographers and designers teach students and share their expertise through summer camps and workshops. Through Coaching Detroit Forward, students gain mentors who guide them through college applications, internships, jobs and careers.
To learn more about Coaching Detroit Forward, click here to view their website.
The College for Creative Studies (CCS) is a nonprofit, private college authorized by the Michigan Education Department to grant Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. Located in midtown Detroit, CCS strives to provide students with the tools needed for successful careers in the dynamic and growing creative industries. CCS fosters students’ resolve to pursue excellence, act ethically, engage in their responsibilities as citizens, and learn throughout their lives. With world-class faculty and unsurpassed facilities, students learn to be visual communicators who actively use art and design toward the betterment of society. The College is a major supplier of talent to numerous industries, such as transportation, film and animation, advertising and communications, consumer electronics, athletic apparel, and many more. Its graduates are exhibiting artists and teachers, design problem solvers and innovators, as well as creative leaders in business.
To learn more about College for Creative Studies, click here to view their website.
About the Community Arts Partnership (CAP)
The Community Arts Partnerships (CAP) program of the College for Creative Studies reaches the Detroit community by providing free art and design classes & resources to youth and their families. The CAP approach to community arts education is based on a visual arts curriculum inspired by art making, team teaching, and team learning. Programs are individually crafted with the host organization.
To learn more about the Community Arts Program, click here to view their website.
About Design Core Detroit
Design Core Detroit champions design-driven businesses and their role in strengthening Detroit’s economy. It offers services to strengthen, grow and attract design businesses, increases market demand for design services, and tells Detroit’s design story locally and globally. Design Core is a department within the College for Creative Studies.
To learn more about Design Core Detroit, click here to view their website.
Since its founding in 1921, the Detroit Historical Society (the Society/DHS) has been dedicated to ensuring that the history of our region is preserved so that current and future generations of metro Detroiters can better understand the people, places and events that helped shape our lives.
To learn more about the Detroit Historical Society, click here to view their website.
The Detroit Institute of Arts strives to be the town square of our community, a gathering place for everybody and create experiences that help each visitor find personal meaning with the art, individually, and with each other.
To learn more about Detroit Institute of Arts, click here to view their website.
Detroit Opera is the premier multi-disciplined producer and presenter for opera, musical theatre, and dance in the Great Lakes Region. Based in the city of Detroit, the organization engages artists of national and international stature for stellar main stage and outreach performances and provides compelling cultural enrichment programs for the diverse audiences and communities that it serves, making it one of Detroit’s pillars of arts and culture.
To learn more about Detroit Opera, click here to view their website.
Detroit Public Theatre (DPT) produces nationally recognized plays and programs with world-class writers, directors, actors, and designers in the heart of Midtown Detroit’s thriving cultural district. We create bold, relevant work that illuminates the thrills, joys, and challenges of our shared human experience.
To learn more about Detroit Public Theatre, click here to view their website.
The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, Inc. was formed as a 501 (c) (3) with the mission of developing access on the Detroit International Riverfront. The entire vision is 5 ½ miles of Riverfront property, from the Ambassador Bridge to Gabriel Richard Park, just east of the Belle Isle Bridge, and will include the construction of a continuous RiverWalk along with plazas, pavilions, and green spaces. The Conservancy is responsible for the improvement, operations, maintenance, and programming of the Detroit International Riverfront in perpetuity.
To learn more about Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, click here to view their website.
The Detroit Symphony Orchestra, America’s fourth-oldest, has a history as varied and exciting as that of its hometown. The DSO has been at the center of Detroit’s musical heartbeat for more than 130 years. Now, two decades into the 21st century, the DSO is spreading a forward-thinking, accessibility-first mission throughout Detroit and the world. The DSO prides itself on artistic excellence and a commitment to the city that we call home.
To learn more about Detroit Symphony Orchestra, click here to view their website.
The Detroit Zoological Society (DZS), which operates the Detroit Zoo and Belle Isle Nature Center, creates meaningful connections between people, animals and the natural world so all can thrive. Whether educating the community, engaging in sustainability and conservation work, or providing for the well-being of the animals in its care, the DZS is dedicated to igniting positive change in all it does.
To learn more about Detroit Zoological Society, click here to view their website.
Michigan Central Art advances creative innovation and public engagement across art, design, technology and society. Grounded in the Station’s history as a gateway of movement and exchange, we follow the former rail lines outward—linking neighborhoods, institutions and communities. In dialogue with local and global partners, we bring the world to Detroit, hosting international programs, residencies and festivals.
To learn more about Michigan Central Art, click here to view their website.
Motown Museum is the ongoing heartbeat of the Motown legacy—a global tourist destination for music and history fans that celebrates the authentic story of Motown from its humble beginnings to its emergence as the “Sound of Young America” and beyond. The Museum brings together fans, people and ideas from different generations and it captures the imagination to fuel dreams and inspire accomplishments.
To learn more about Motown Museum, click here to view their website.
Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit empowers Detroit area youth with the skills they need to achieve excellence: on stage and in life. Through intentional, innovative programming, youth engage in comprehensive arts training, professional mentorship, and college & career pathways support to cultivate leaders and life-long learners.
To learn more about Mosaic Youth Theatre, click here to view their website.
To learn more about the Applebaum Internship Program, please contact Applebaum Family Philanthropy at hello@applebaumphilanthropy.org.
