Businesses who are awarded grants receive up to a 50% reimbursement of what they pay their intern, up to $7,500 per internship.

Eligible applicants are businesses with physical operations facilities in Nebraska, including for-profit businesses and non-profit organizations. State and federal government entities, governmental subdivisions, and public and private colleges and universities are not eligible.

Eligible internships are:

• Employment of a student in a professional or technical position for a limited period of time in which the student (a) gains valuable work experience, (b) increase knowledge that assists with career decision-making, and (c) assists the business in accelerating short-term business objectives
• Pay at least federal minimum wage
• Are of a sufficient duration to allow students to gain valuable work experience

For additional information contact: rose.baker@nebraska.gov

A business will be limited to a maximum of 25 awarded internships in a 12-month period. A business may apply for no more than two consecutive grants for the same student. 

You may hire your student any time after you have submitted your grant application and before your Hiring Period End Date. However, if your intern starts prior to your contract start date, you will only be reimbursed for the wages that you pay between your contract start date and contract end date.

For additional information, please contact rose.baker@nebraska.gov

Eligible Students are students who are enrolled full-time in a post-secondary college or university in Nebraska, or are Nebraska residents enrolled full-time in a post-secondary colleges or universities outside Nebraska.

Students who have recently graduated from a post-secondary college or university are also eligible if they are either a resident of Nebraska or attended a Nebraska college or university as long as they apply to the internship within 12 months after they graduated.

Once the intern has been hired, they must self-verify their eligibility by completing and submitting the Student Verification Form online via internNE Symplicity Account (all interns need to have a profile and can sign up through internNEB.org). Your interns should navigate to the 'internNE Forms' tab located within their 'Profile' section and select 'add new' in order to complete the Student Verification Form.

At the completion of the internship or contract period, the student must complete a Student Evaluation Form. The Evaluation Form is located within the student's 'Profile' section, in the 'internNE Forms' tab.  The student will need to select 'Student Evaluation Form' listed next to their current internship on the right hand side.

You are not required to hire your intern using internNEB.org. However, businesses are required to create an internship posting in their internNE Symplicity profile as part of the application process. When you create the posting, you will need to indicate if and when you would like the posting to be listed live on the site for students to see and submit applications. If you find your intern using a method other than internNEB.org, the student will still need to create an account on internNEB.org in order to submit their required forms for the Grant Program.

The Department of  Econmic Development will review all complete applications starting on the next Application Review Date (see chart above under ‘When should I apply?’). The Department of  Econmic Development will contact you if we have any questions and notify you whether you application has been approved or denied.

1. Application Approval - Receive Notice of Award

You will receive a formal Notice of Award or Notice of Denial via email. Afterwards, your award information will be visible to the company's primary contact within the 'internNE Grant Award Information' section.

2. Execute Contract

A contract will be created and funds will be reserved for one year from the contract start date. Once the contract is provided to you via email, please print, sign and mail the original to the Department. We can accept facsimiles of the W-9 & ACH Enrollment Form; please email the completed form to ded.internNE@nebraska.gov.

3. Hiring Interns

A business may hire an intern at any time during the Hiring Period; Hiring Periods will be defined in the contract but are typically 6 months following the contract start date.

4. Student Completes Student Verification Form

Once the intern has been hired, they must self-verify their eligibility by completing and submitting the Student Verification Form online via their internNE Symplicity account (all interns need to have a profile on which can be created on internNEB.org). Your interns should navigate to the 'internNE Forms' tab located within their 'Profile' section and select 'add new' in order to complete the Student Verification Form.

6. Complete the Internship

7. Student Completes the Student Evaluation Form

At the completion of the internship or contract period, the student must complete a student Evaluation Form. The Evaluation Form is located within the student's 'Profile' section in the 'internNE Forms' tab.  The student will need to select 'Student Evaluation Form' listed next to their current internship on the right hand side.

8. Complete the Internship Completion and Request for Reimbursement Form

The Internship Completion and Request for Reimbursement Form is located within your 'internNE Grant Program Forms' section, select 'Completion Form For This Student'.

9. Submit payroll records

Payroll records must be provided to ded.internNE@nebraska.gov in order for your reimbursement request to be processed. Payroll records must show the student's total wages, hours, and weeks worked.

10. Receive reimbursement deposit

Once all documentation is submitted and reviewed by staff, you will receive an email confirmation. The requested amount is typically deposited within 10 to 15 business days after approval.

In order to meet the terms of the contract, the business will be required to submit:

1. A completed application

2. Internship position descriptions

3. An original executed contract

4. A W-9 & ACH Enrollment Form

5. Student Verification Forms (submitted by the students)

6. Student Evaluation Forms (submitted by the students)

7. Internship Completion/Request for Reimbursement Forms

8. Payroll records (documenting the student’s total wages, hours, and weeks worked)

The contract period is one year. However, all interns must be hired prior to the end of your Hiring Period. Currently, the Hiring Period ends six months after your Contract Start Date.

Businesses may be reimbursed at the end of each internship or at the end of your last approved internship. If an internship extends beyond the end of your contract period, you should request reimbursement at the end of your contract period.

To request reimbursement:

1. Verify that you have an executed contract (if your contract has not been executed, please sign and mail an original copy of the contract, along with the W-9 & ACH Enrolment Form)

2. Log in to internNE.com

3. Click on ‘internNE Grant Program Forms’

4. Find your intern and click on ‘Completion Form for this Student’

5. Submit the Completion Form

6. Send an email to ded.internNE@nebraska.gov with the intern’s payroll records (documenting the intern’s total wages, hours, and weeks worked); if you uploaded your payroll records to the Completion Form you must still notify the Department that you have submitted your Completion Form

You should see a list of all of your interns on internNE.com when you click on ‘internNE Grant Program Forms'.If you do not see your intern listed, the student likely did not submit the required Student Verification Form. Please ask your student to create an account on internNE.com and submit a Student Verification Form.

Once approved, your award information will be visible on internNE.com by your company’s primary contact. On internNE.com, click on ‘internNE Grant Award Information.’