Employer

Applications for the Fall 2026 round are open until August 7th!

As a participating host employer for the RI Clean Energy Internship Program, you’ll provide mentorship and real-world experience for students or recent graduates who are interested in clean energy careers. Once you create an account and upload required documents, you'll receive an award letter via email announcing full acceptance into the program. Once you are an approved employer, you can click the "View Students" tab to browse our portal of college students and recent graduates seeking internship opportunities for the current program round. See below for the program timeline, eligibility requirements, and an overview of the program process.

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How to Apply 

If you are a new employer, please view the instructions below. For more details, please read the session’s process document under “Program Documents” 

Previously approved employers' online applications will be saved, and their account will be marked back to 'awaiting approval' at the beginning of the session. You will be able to use your existing login credentials and update any information previously provided, but you will still have to submit new internship position(s), and an updated W9 document should be uploaded (if applicable). 

Step 1: Register for a new account here.  

Step 2: Log in and fill in all of the necessary information fields, and upload a recent W9 and financial capability statement describing the payroll system used.

Step 3: Once your company has been approved for the program, you will be able to post an internship job description on the Internship Board.

Program Timelines

Please note that while there is 16 weeks between the session's beginning and end, we only subsidize internships up to 12 weeks, totaling a maximum of 480 hours within this period. 

Summer 2026

• February 27, 2026 - Student and Host Company applications open
• April 9, 2026 - Student and Host Company applications due
• April 16, 2026 - Optional early offer letter deadline
• May 4, 2026 - Optional early internship start date
• May 14, 2026 - Deadline for signed offer letter submissions to program staff
• June 1, 2026 - Summer 2026 session begins
• August 28, 2026 - Summer 2026 session ends
• September 11, 2026 - Deadline for reimbursement packages  

Program Participation Steps  

Step 1: Complete the application steps above. 

Step 2: During the session's enrollment window, you will be able to review all eligible student applicants in the portal. Contact any eligible applicant you’re interested in to set up an in-person or online interview.  

Step 3: You may select up to two interns. After selecting your interns, first have them sign an offer letter. Once signed, send it to Abbie Hasenfus at OER (abigail.hasenfus@energy.ri.gov) and Savannah Goncalves (savannah.goncalves.ctr@energy.ri.gov), before the submission deadline in order to have your funding reserved. You can find our offer letter template under “Program Documents”.   

Step 4: Once the offer letter is signed, mark them as a match on the portal. For guidance, please view the Portal Guide under “Program Documents”. Once this is done, their information will not be able to be viewed by others.  

Step 5: Countersign the offer letter and return to program staff. This serves as your official agreement with the program for the session, and we will not provide reimbursement without it.  

Step 6: Submit your reimbursement package to Jacob Curran (Jacob.Curran@commerceri.com) and Abbie Hasenfus (abigail.hasenfus@energy.ri.gov). Program staff will the reimbursement packages ahead of the reimbursement deadline, which you can find on the timeline page. You will need the following six items: 

1. A countersigned offer letter. 
2. A completed reimbursement sheet, provided via email in reimbursement instructions
3. A signed W-9 form dated within 1 year of the reimbursement deadline. 
4. Backup documentation in the form of paycheck stubs and/or a payroll summary showing YTD wages and applicable taxes paid for each intern. 
5. An up-to-date ACH form for reimbursement. 
6. A completed mandatory survey, link provided via email in reimbursement instructions

We will not provide any reimbursements for packages submitted past the deadline on the timeline section

For more details, please read our host company process document under “Program Documents” 

Eligibility Requirements 

To participate in the program, all of the following requirements must be met: 

1. Be an eligible clean energy company. For the purposes of this program, program staff defines a clean energy company as “an employer engaged in whole or in part in goods and services, or advanced and applied technologies that significantly reduce or eliminate the use of energy from non-renewable sources, including, but not limited to: energy efficiency; demand response; energy conservation and those technologies powered in whole or in part by the sun, wind, water, biomass, alcohol, wood, fuel cells,” and “any renewable, non-depletable or recyclable fuel.” Program staff in their sole discretion makes the determination of whether an applicant is considered a clean energy employer. 
2. Be registered to do business in Rhode Island.  
3. Successfully demonstrate that your organization has a formal office in Rhode Island. 
4. Provide adequate proof that your organization is able to pay your intern(s) and all associated costs associated with employment. 
5. Cannot be an academic or government entity.