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Role Description

CAA is seeking a talented and motivated graduate student to join our team for a summer research internship focused on a high-priority strategic question: How can EPR program funds be leveraged — alongside other public and private capital — to catalyze economic development in the waste and recycling sector?

The primary deliverable is a substantive white paper that will directly inform CAA’s program design and stakeholder engagement in its emerging EPR states. This is not a passive research role. The intern will work closely with CAA’s program and policy teams, engage with state-specific context, and develop actionable recommendations that could shape how EPR-funded economic development is structured for years to come.

Key Responsibilities

• Research, draft, and finalize a white paper examining financing mechanisms and economic development strategies applicable to CAA’s EPR programs.
• Organize work around the following focus areas:
• CAA Program and State Landscape Assessment
  • Review and analyze CAA’s program structure, funding mechanisms, and EPR plan requirements in Washington, Minnesota, Maine, and Maryland, focusing on Maryland.
  • Map the regulatory, programmatic, and financial landscape in each target state.
  • Identify constraints and flexibilities in how EPR program funds may be deployed under existing laws and program plans.
• Mapping State Economic Development Resources
  • Catalog economic development programs, incentives, and financing tools available in Washington, Minnesota, Maine, and Maryland.
  • Identify which programs have been accessed by waste and recycling sector entities and assess barriers to greater uptake.
• Financing Mechanisms and Capital Pathways
  • Research and document how recycling facilities, composting operations, and end market businesses have been financed.
  • Assess the role of multiple capital types, including private equity, philanthropic capital, public and private grants, and EPR program funds.
  • Identify innovative financing structures that have been or could be deployed in this sector.
• Community and Employee Ownership Models
  • Research examples of worker-owned cooperatives and community ownership structures in the waste and recycling sector.
  • Assess how these ownership models have been structured and supported.
  • Explore how EPR fund structures could support cooperative and community ownership.
• Innovative Program Design Recommendations
  • Develop actionable recommendations for how CAA can design grant programs and investment criteria.
  • Identify opportunities to leverage EPR funds as catalysts for attracting matching capital.

Qualifications

• Current enrollment in a graduate program in public policy, environmental policy, urban planning, public administration, business, economics, finance, sustainability, law, or a related field.
• Strong research and writing skills, with the ability to synthesize complex information and produce clear, well-structured policy documents.
• Demonstrated interest in sustainability, circular economy, waste management, environmental justice, or economic development.
• Ability to work independently, manage a research project across a summer timeline, and deliver a publication-quality written product.

Requirements

• Familiarity with Extended Producer Responsibility policy, recycling systems, or solid waste management.
• Experience with economic development finance, infrastructure financing, or public-private partnerships.
• Knowledge of cooperative or employee ownership models, CDFIs, or community development finance.
• Familiarity with one or more of the focus states: Maryland, Minnesota, Maine, or Washington.
• Experience conducting policy research in an applied or professional setting.

Benefits

• Location: Fully Remote
• Pay Rate: $25.00 per hour. Since this is a temporary position, it is not eligible for benefits.
• Interns must have their own laptop and access to high-speed internet.

Company Description

Circular Action Alliance (CAA) helps producers comply with Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws, delivers harmonized best-in-class services, and works with governments, businesses, and communities to reduce waste and increase recycling.