Paid Fellowship and Internship Compete for Graduates

Colorado Springs employers recruiting early-career talent will face a 22-month paid fellowship and a 10-week summer internship competing for the same candidates.

Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Internships

Paid Fellowship and Internship Compete for Graduates

Live Poll

Would you consider a paid nonprofit fellowship after graduating?

El Pomar Foundation of Colorado Springs is accepting applications for its 2027 fellowship through Dec. 15, a paid 22-month program for recent college graduates and early-career professionals. Its paid 10-week summer internship for rising college juniors and seniors opens applications on Jan. 5.

Why it matters

For operators, the foundation's paid, structured early-career programs illustrate how a Colorado Springs institution is recruiting and developing entry-level talent over a long horizon rather than through short-term placements. Businesses competing for the same recent graduates may find the model worth comparing against their own internship and fellowship structures.

The fellowship runs 22 months and was established in 1991, while the summer internship runs 10 weeks and dates to 1994. The foundation, founded in 1937, contributes more than $30 million annually through grants and programs.

The players

El Pomar Foundation

A Colorado Springs-based philanthropic foundation founded in 1937 that funds grants and programs, contributing more than $30 million annually.

Spencer and Julie Penrose

The couple who founded El Pomar Foundation in 1937 and whose philanthropy established the institution.

The details

The fellowship places fellows in full-time roles with the foundation alongside a professional development curriculum, giving participants structured training while they work. The summer internship is a shorter, paid stint open to students still completing their undergraduate degrees. Both programs run on separate application cycles, with the fellowship closing in mid-December and the internship opening in early January.

1937: El Pomar Foundation founded by Spencer and Julie Penrose.
1991: Fellowship established.
1994: Summer internship program established.
Dec. 15, 2026: Fellowship application deadline.
Jan. 5, 2027: Summer internship applications open.

Market Landscape

The programs extend a philanthropic mission established in 1937 into structured workforce development, with the fellowship dating to 1991 and the internship to 1994. The combination of a long fellowship and a short summer internship gives early-career candidates two distinct entry points into the foundation.

Operators hiring recent graduates or early-career professionals in the Colorado Springs area should note that a major local foundation is competing for the same candidates on a structured, paid basis. Hiring managers may want to review how their own internship and entry-level programs compare on duration, pay, and development content.

The takeaway

Businesses recruiting early-career talent in Colorado Springs should compare their internship and entry-level structures against this long-running paid model before the next hiring cycle. Track the foundation's December and January application windows as a signal of how local employers are competing for recent graduates.