The Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture today announced a transformative new collaboration with Bloomberg Philanthropies to bring the Bloomberg Arts Internship (BAI) program to LA County. Beginning this summer, 48 rising public high school seniors will receive paid summer internships at 22 local arts and cultural institutions, gaining hands-on work-based learning and professional experience, as well as college preparation training. A full list of internship opportunities for the 2026 summer program will be posted on lacountyarts.org/BAI-students on April 8.

Started in 2012, the Bloomberg Arts Internship program connects high school and college students with paid summer internships at cultural organizations in Baltimore, Boston, Detroit, New Orleans, New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. This year, the program is expanding to Los Angeles County and San Francisco.

The expansion to Los Angeles represents a milestone moment—bringing BAI’s proven model of workforce development, mentorship, and college readiness to the West Coast and to LA County, as the most populous county in the nation and a global creative capital. It augments the Department of Arts and Culture’s Creative Career Pathways for Youth work, which emerged out of the 2017 Cultural Equity and Inclusion Initiative (CEII), and complements the Department’s longstanding LA County Arts Internship Program, which provides paid arts internships for college students. BAI aligns with the goals of the Countywide Cultural Policy, which emphasizes fostering an inclusive and equitable arts ecosystem, strengthening the creative economy, and ensuring that all communities have access to cultural resources.

Through LA County BAI, the Department of Arts and Culture will offer rising public high school seniors 8-week paid summer internships from June 15 - August 7, 2026 at local arts and culture organizations, along with professional development, college preparation support, dedicated mentorship, and educational and cultural field trips. Interns will participate in workshops focused on writing skills, college application guidance, and career exploration, culminating in a professional portfolio that includes a cover letter, résumé, and work samples from their internship site. In recognition of the ongoing mental health crisis among young people, the program’s curriculum will also incorporate mental health awareness and support.

"This partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies expands transformative career opportunities for young people across Los Angeles County," said Los Angeles County Chair and First District Supervisor Hilda L. Solis. "It builds on the Cultural Equity and Inclusion Initiative (CEII) and its Creative Career Pathways directives, work I championed through a motion I authored in 2015. A decade later, it is powerful to see that vision continue to grow, connecting more young people to meaningful opportunities. The launch of the Bloomberg Arts Internship program reflects my commitment to a creative economy where every young person, regardless of zip code, has a clear pathway to succeed."

"The LA County Department of Arts and Culture is proud to launch this partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies, allowing us to expand access to the arts, college and career readiness, and the kind of high-impact creative programming LA County’s young people deserve," said Kristin Sakoda, Director of the Department of Arts and Culture. “By connecting high school students with paid internships at LA’s extraordinary cultural organizations, we open doors for youth—providing them with real-world experience, arts learning, network building, and skills for the creative economy, or any path they choose. Plus, students will reap the benefits of participating in the arts—from education to mental health, social connection, creativity, civic engagement, and tools for their future economic success, while participating organizations receive new funding support to further engage youth. It’s an exciting start to a new program legacy with potential for generational impact."

While the Bloomberg Arts Internship takes place within the walls of cultural organizations, the program fosters essential workplace skills for any career sector, such as communication, problem-solving, team-building, and civic engagement. Additionally, the curriculum includes mental health awareness and support. By partnering with public schools and paying a living wage, BAI reaches students from all backgrounds, helping them secure experience crucial to accessing future education or career opportunities.

The program is fully funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, which will provide resources for participating organizations to hire interns, support necessary staffing, and implement program enhancements.

Given the size and scale of Los Angeles County, the department established geographic parameters for eligible organizations interested in hosting interns. Arts and cultural institutions based in specific regions of the County, such as the San Fernando Valley and South LA, applied last fall to participate in this initial year; 22 organizations were selected.

The Department of Arts and Culture has designed this regional approach to support equity and access for LA County youth, who may face barriers travelling far distances to access internships, and has encouraged participating organizations to recruit interns from nearby public high schools.

On April 8, the department will post all 48 positions for the 2026 BAI summer program on its website at lacountyarts.org/BAI-students. The arts and cultural organizations hosting internships will also post on their websites and social channels. All are encouraged to promote the April launch of student internship opportunities through their networks. The summer 2026 inaugural year internship opportunities will take place at the following participating intern host partners:

826 LA
Artist Success Institute/African Soul International
Boyle Heights Arts Conservatory
Filipino American Symphony Orchestra
Friends of the McGroarty Arts Center
Get Lit
Grand Performances
Heidi Duckler Dance
HERO Theatre
Las Fotos Project
Latino Film Institute Youth Cinema Project
Latino Theatre Company
LTSC Community Development Corp
Mission Opera
Outside in Theatre
Plaza de la Raza
Street Poets
The Blank Theatre
The Ebell of Los Angeles
The H.E. Art Project/ArtworxLA
Tia Chucha's Centro Cultural
Womens Voices Now

About the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture
The mission of the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture is to advance arts, culture, and creativity throughout Los Angeles County. It provides leadership, services, and support in areas including grants and technical assistance for nonprofit organizations, countywide arts education initiatives, commissioning and care for civic art collections, research and evaluation, pathways to the creative economy, professional development, free community programs, and cross-sector creative strategies that address civic issues. For more information, visit lacountyarts.org. Learn more about our workforce development programs for young people and adults on the Creative Career Resources and Opportunities page.

About Bloomberg Philanthropies
Bloomberg Philanthropies invests in 700 cities and 150 countries around the world to ensure better, longer lives for the greatest number of people. The organization focuses on creating lasting change in five key areas: the Arts, Education, Environment, Government Innovation, and Public Health. Bloomberg Philanthropies encompasses all of Michael R. Bloomberg’s giving, including his foundation, corporate, and personal philanthropy as well as Bloomberg Associates, a philanthropic consultancy that advises cities around the world. In 2024, Bloomberg Philanthropies distributed $3.7 billion. For more information, please visit bloomberg.org, sign up for our newsletter, or follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Threads, Facebook, and X.