Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture

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ArtCorps Student Worker Program

Application Guidelines for Organizations

2023-2024 Academic Year | Application closed

What is the Phoenix ArtCorps?

Thank you for your interest in applying to host a student worker through the City of Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture! Inspired by programs like the Los Angeles County Arts Internship Program and Public Allies Arizona, the Phoenix ArtCorps is a student employment program from the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) that seeks to provide students with the comprehensive skills, mentorship, and experience they need to launch their arts and culture careers.

Why host a student worker?

Hosting a student worker is a great way to gain professional experience to advance your career, open up capacity for special projects or initiatives within your organization, and make a legitimate, meaningful impact on a young person's life. Students work 400 hours over the 2023-2024 school year at the rate of $17/hr (around 15 to 20 hours a week during the full-year term). Each organization receives an all-inclusive grant of $8,900 to cover salary, payroll taxes, equipment, and more.

Ready to apply?

This application is currently closed.

An Overview

Position Details: Students work 400 hours from October 9, 2023 - May 3, 2024, for $17 an hour (around 15-20 hours a week). Student workers have the option of completing their program at an accelerated rate by rate by working full-time to complete 400 hours.

Host Eligibility: Organizations that are returning or a current general support grantee must be based in the city of Phoenix and be able to provide equipment and physical workspace within the city limits. Please note that there are no requirements for supervisors.

Supervisor Commitment: Supervisors spend 5 hrs/week managing their student workers and attend occasional orientations and training.

Award Amounts: Organizations receive an all-inclusive grant amount of $8,900 to pay the student worker's salary, taxes, and fees, with any remaining funds to be used for administration.

From your allocated funds, organizations will reserve a $500 professional development stipend for student workers to receive at the end of their employment to further their professional education in the field.

Application Materials: Applications consist of a few organizational questions, a job description, and prior acknowledgment from the organization's leadership (an executive director, CEO, board chair, artistic director, or similar position) committing to the program. Multiple applications are welcome.

More Info: Register for an info session on Wednesday, July 12, 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Contact the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture Community Programs an Engagement Manager at 602.495.0191 or elida.acosta@phoenix.gov.

Apply: This application will not be submitted through MARGO. Please submit your application through Survey Monkey. Please note: the application must be completed in one session. You cannot save work in the portal.

Submit your application

Timeline

Application and Interviews July - August 2023

Applications close July 19: Applications for organizations close Wednesday, July 19, 2023.
Positions posted by POAC on August 10, 2023: POAC reviews and selects positions by August 10, 2023.

Organizations confirm acceptance by Friday, August 4, 2023.

Students apply Aug 10- September 15: Students apply directly to organizations.

Organizations conduct interviews and extend offers.

Positions filled September 20: All positions are filled by Wednesday, September 20, 2023.

Onboarding and Orientation - September 2023

Funding First week of October: POAC disburses initial funding to organizations by the first week of October.

Organizations onboard student workers in payroll and other systems.

Supervisor orientation September 13: Supervisors attend a three-hour in-person orientation on Wednesday, September 13, 2023, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Entrance survey September 22: Students complete an entrance survey by Friday, September 22, 2023, at 5:00 p.m.

Employment Period October 9, 2023 - May 3, 2024

Employment starts October 9, 2023: Student workers start as early as October 9, 2023, and no later than October 30, 2023.
Student Worker Welcome October 6, 2023: Students attend a two-hour general orientation on Friday, October 6, 2023, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Ongoing student programs: Students attend supplemental programs one or two days each month.
Supervisor Check-In: Supervisors participate in a virtual check-in by Wednesday, December 6, 2023. Organizations receive their remaining funding once the check-in is complete.
Employment ends May 3, 2024: Student workers end as early as May 3, 2023.
Celebration May 3, 2024: Students and supervisors attend a closing celebration on Friday, May 3, 2024, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Supervisors and students complete an exit survey by May 3, 2024.

About the Program

Each student worker will work 400 hours in an in-person, remote, or hybrid setting over the 2023 - 2024 school year. Schedules are expected to accommodate the student’s academic and personal responsibilities such as school or other part-time employment. This averages to around 15 to 20 hours of employment a week.

For their work, each student worker will receive a wage of $17 an hour (before taxes) for a total amount of $6,800, which will be administered by the host organization through their existing payroll systems. Each student will also receive an additional $500 professional development stipend once their employment is complete (see below). To this end, POAC will disburse an $8,900 award to each organization in two installments: $5,000 at the beginning of the programming and the remaining $3,900 within 45 to 60 days or by the supervisor's check-in deadline of December 6, 2023. Student workers should not receive healthcare, retirement, or other employment benefits from the host organization. Any additional hours or payments are at the discretion of the host organization.

Beyond the student worker's salary and professional development stipend, the rest of the grant award of $1,600 can be used for payroll taxes, equipment purchases, offset expenses, or other costs of hosting a student worker. No separate application is necessary. All organizations will receive an administrative stipend.

Focus and Impact

Through a combination of independent research, hands-on tasks, guided training, and collaborative work, students should be provided with a comprehensive introduction to arts and culture administration while focusing on a particular department or skill set. To maximize the student worker’s learning and make the most of their time for your organization, we recommend designing the position around a specific project, initiative, or program cycle that can be completed or administered from start to finish within the course of the employment period. We would also encourage you to think about how the position can be used to engage the public, impact the community, or directly benefit residents in the City of Phoenix.

Supervisor Commitments

As a supervisor, your primary role is to ensure the educational quality of the employment experience, serve as a professional mentor for the student, and take care of your student worker as a human being. In this vein, you can expect to spend around five hours each week actively managing your student worker by responding to emails, reviewing materials, having conversations, and holding meetings.

Additionally, supervisors will be required to fulfill professional and mentorship commitments, including:

Supervisor Orientation: A three-hour supervisor orientation in-person on Wednesday, September 13, 2023, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Student Worker Welcome: A two-hour welcome and general orientation for students on Friday, October 6, 2023, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Supervisor Check-In: An informal check-in is to be completed virtually by December 6, 2023.
Celebration: A two-hour informal celebration on Friday, May 3, 2024, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Beyond gatherings, supervisors are also expected to complete entrance and exit surveys for the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture, conduct at least one performance review for the student at the end of the semester, and furnish a letter of reference. POAC will provide active guidance, training, and other support. Students will also participate in monthly check-ins, site visits, or other professional development opportunities. More details about training, orientations, and other processes will be provided at the appropriate time.

Stipends and Professional Development

To enrich and enhance the employment experience, a $500 professional development stipend will be allocated from the total grant award for the student worker, which can be used to register for conferences, attend training, or other professional development opportunities.

Supervisors and host organizations can also organize professional development workshops for student workers, such as site visits, presentations, or workshops. Budgets are available to support each professional development opportunity. More information will be provided at the appropriate time.

Organizational Eligibility

ArtCorps is open to Phoenix-based organizations that are current General Support Program grantees from the City of Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture or previously participated in the ArtCorps Student Worker Program. If unsure whether your organization qualifies, email the Community Engagement and Programs Manager at elida.acosta@phoenix.gov. Please note that while there are no requirements for individual supervisors, we recommend that applicants have been in their position for at least one year.

Additionally, organizations must be able to provide the student with a physical space to work in Phoenix, a computer, and all other materials necessary for work. If the organization does not have a brick-and-mortar office or is working remotely, other options include a co-working space or the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture. Please note: home offices cannot be used to provide student workspace. Please email elida.acosta@phoenix.gov to explore further options.

Student Eligibility

To apply for a position, students must fulfill a combination of residency and enrollment requirements:

Currently enrolled or recently graduated: Students must be currently enrolled in an undergraduate degree program at an institution of higher education OR have graduated within the last nine months.

Degree programs may be in-person or online. Students must be 18 years or older. There is no minimum number of classes or other enrollment status students need to take or meet.

Institutional or individual residency: Students must be attending an institution of higher education with a physical location in Phoenix OR the student must live and reside in Phoenix.

Arizona State University: If you do not live in Phoenix and are attending Arizona State University, you must be taking a class or have your major based at ASU Downtown or ASU West.
Maricopa Community College System: If you do not live in Phoenix and are attending a Maricopa Community College, you must be taking a class or be registered at Phoenix Community College, Gateway Community College, Paradise Valley Community College, or South Mountain Community College.

Graduate students are ineligible to apply. More information about student eligibility will be communicated to host organizations once positions have been approved.

Preparing Your Application

To host a student worker, all you'll need to do is submit a job description and supporting materials through our application form, which is divided into four parts:

Organizational profile: Basic contact information, a mission statement or description, and the size of your organization (your annual budget).
Job description: A general summary or overview of the student worker position, a list of specific responsibilities, and any desired qualifications (200 words max each).
Supervisor profile: Your contact information, a professional biography, an informal cover letter or statement of interest (250 words max), and an optional resume / CV.
Demographic questionnaire: An optional set of demographic questions to help us ensure our programs are representative of the larger community.

While the application is relatively short compared to other grants or programs, producing a thoughtful job description can still take some time, and the application is expected to take around 1 to 3 hours to complete.

Processes

Once the application period closes, you'll receive an email from POAC confirming your submission. Then, after a brief review for fit and eligibility, student worker positions will be approved by August 10, 2023.

Once the student worker positions are approved, host organizations will post the position on their website and begin recruiting. POAC will also post a centralized list on its website to help promote the positions.

Rather than applying through a centralized form administered by POAC, students will apply directly to individual positions through each organization's respective website, email, or other process. Organizations will then be free to interview candidates August 10, 2023 - September 15, 2023, at their discretion.

Once you're ready to make an offer to a student, all you'll need to do is have the student verify their eligibility by completing an online form. Once POAC has received the form and confirmed the student's eligibility, we'll send you an email so you can move forward with an official offer. Positions must be filled by September 18, 2023. Any organizations that are unable to meet the deadline will have their position rolled over into the summer 2024 cycle of applications. Organizations that have had their positions rolled over twice will be required to reapply and forfeit their grant.

Once positions have been filled, hiring and onboarding will take place from August - September. Students can begin working as early as October 9, 2023. Students must begin their positions no later than October 30, 2023.

Selection Criteria

Submitting an application does not guarantee a student worker. While our goal is to host as many positions as possible, this is a competitive process, our resources are limited, and we are only able to award a limited number of positions each cycle. In the event that the program receives more applications than our capacity allows, positions will be awarded based on the following criteria:

Representation and Diversity: Diversity and representation in regard to the larger arts and culture community, including but not limited to an art form or discipline, professional department or focus, organizational budget and size, city council district, and demographics of supervisors.
Organizational Value: The use of the student worker position to open capacity or advance a specific project or initiative within the organization.
Public Impact: The measure of community engagement and public impact of any projects or initiatives advanced through the position.
Professional Value: The personal motivation and professional impact of hosting a student worker upon the supervisor.

Selection Rubric

Specifically, applications will be evaluated on a nine-point scale according to the following rubric:

Category / Score	3 Strong	2 Moderate	1 Weak	0 Absent
Responsibilities	Detailed	Clear	Unclear	Absent
	The application presents a thorough, comprehensive, and detailed overview of the student worker position, provides a concrete list of specific tasks or projects, and identifies who the student will be working with.	While the application presents a clear overview of the student worker position, specific tasks or projects could have been identified more concretely.	The application provides a vague or abstract overview of the student worker position that makes it difficult to tell what the student worker will actually be doing.	The application does not provide an overview of the student worker position or detail specific responsibilities
Design	Comprehensive	Focused	Unfocused	Absent
	The student worker is given meaningful and significant work across multiple areas or departments of the organization as a fully integrated team member.	The student worker is given meaningful and significant work within a single area or department as an integrated member of the team.	The student worker is given work that appears ancillary, insignificant, or unclear, such that it is difficult to see how they are integrated into the organization as a member of the team.	It is unclear whether the student's work will have any impact on the organization
Intent	Sincere	Intentional	Unintentional	Absent
	The supervisor centers the student worker by expressing a personal desire or motivation to mentor a young person in their professional career in a persuasive and compelling manner.	While the supervisor expresses the desire or motivation to mentor a young person in their professional career, it could have been more personal, centered, or expressed in a more persuasive or compelling manner	While the supervisor does not express a desire or motivation to mentor a young person in their professional career, they express the motivation to host a student worker for other reasons such as professional growth or organizational impact	The supervisor's motivation or desire to host a student worker appears questionable, exploitative, or is simply absent

Please note: Previous supervisory experience is not a criterion, nor are previous student worker or internship programs within the organization. All criteria will be evaluated through the statement of interest, the job description, and other application materials. If all criteria are met or equal, applications may be entered into a process of randomized selection.

Multiple Applications

While organizations are welcome and encouraged to submit and host multiple student worker positions, multiple positions will only be awarded if all applying organizations are awarded at least one position. For example: if 17 organizations applied, we would be able to award multiple positions. However, if 25 organizations applied, we probably wouldn't. This being said: as applications will be selected primarily on the basis of representation and diversity, submitting multiple applications for different professional departments may increase the likelihood that your organization receives a student worker. If you have any questions, feel free to email elida.acosta@phoenix.gov to discuss further.

Returning Applications

Suppose your organization currently participating in the ArtCorps Student Worker program and you would like to extend or renew your student worker position, you do not need to fill out a new application. Instead, all you need to do is reach out to your point of contact with the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture and let them know. More details will be provided at that point in time.

Info Session

To help individuals and organizations learn more about the program and prepare their applications, POAC will be offering a virtual info session on Wednesday, July 12, 2023, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Phoenix MST on WebEx. Register for this info session and expect a brief presentation of the program and ample time for Q&A. Recordings will be available after the info session.

Consultations and Feedback

If you can't make the info sessions, POAC staff are also happy to provide individualized feedback on job descriptions through emails or one-on-one meetings.

If you'd like to request feedback, schedule a meeting, or there's anything you'd like to discuss the program before applying, reach out tothe Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture Community Programs and Engagement Manager at 602.495.0191, book a 30-minute one-on-one, or email her at elida.acosta@phoenix.gov.