Writing Intern

Writing Intern

Cambridge, MA • Remote - US

Government Partnerships

Remote

Intern

Join Cartwheel to help tackle the student mental health crisis.

Kids spend most of their days in the classroom. And teachers and staff, who play a vital role in their development, are often the first to notice when something is off. But with 1 in 5 young people struggling with mental health, schools are getting crushed by a downward spiral in student crises and staff burnout.

With large increases in state and federal funding for healthcare innovation, schools are reimagining what mental health support can look like for their students, staff, and families.

Cartwheel is an early-stage startup building technology-enabled mental health services that put schools at the center. We see our role as supporting both families and the on-campus school staff who see kids every day. This means:

• Earlier intervention
• Higher student and family engagement in care
• Better coordination among the trusted adults in a student’s life

Kids shouldn't just aspire to get out of bed and drag themselves to class. They should be able to experience joy. They deserve to envision and build a life they’re excited to live. If you join Cartwheel, you’ll help make this vision a reality for millions of students across the country. We’re backed by top investors including Menlo Ventures, General Catalyst, Reach Capital, and A Street Ventures, and we're looking for mission-driven teammates to join our team.

LOCATION: Remote

START DATE: September 2026

ROLE TYPE: Paid Internship

COMPENSATION: Paid per project, typically $500–$2,000 depending on scope and complexity (roughly 10–30 hours of work)

ABOUT THE ROLE

Cartwheel is the nation's largest mental health provider working with K-12 schools — more than 375 districts across 16 states and growing fast. In 2026, billions of dollars in new state and federal funding will reshape how America invests in youth mental health, and Cartwheel is at the center of that conversation.

We're looking for an extraordinary writer to help us make the case — to governors, legislators, agency leaders, and school district decision-makers — that Cartwheel is the partner that turns those investments into real outcomes for kids and families.

This is not a grant writing role. This is a storytelling and persuasion role. You'll take the messy, complicated reality of what it looks like to deliver mental health care inside schools — the data, the policy constraints, the clinical outcomes, the parent who finally got her kid help — and turn it into writing that moves people to act. The audiences range from state legislators to cabinet secretaries, and the work ranges from a polished proposal responding to a statewide RFP to a two-page briefing that lands on a governor's desk.

This is an early-career role on a function that's being built right now. You'll work alongside leadership and the Government Partnerships team. The best candidate for this role may not have a background in government contracting. You’re someone who learned to write by writing. You know how to make complex ideas clear, how to build a narrative arc, and how to write for an audience that doesn’t share your vocabulary. You care about the craft and you want to point it at something that matters.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

Write a piece of the proposals

• Draft a section of a statewide RFP response or sole-source justification package — a case study, an outcomes narrative, a program description
• Turn a rough summary of outcomes data or an implementation story into a page or two of clear, compelling prose

Write for a policymaker

• Draft a short briefing, leave-behind, or one-pager aimed at a specific legislator, agency, or governor's office audience
• Turn a family's story or a school's results into a short, honest narrative that could sit inside a real leave-behind

Sharpen existing content

• Take an existing draft and tighten it — cut what's bloated, surface what's buried, sharpen the ask
• Help build out a piece of the team's reusable content library — a case study, a proof point, a model description

WHO YOU ARE

Must have…

• Currently enrolled in a strong journalism or writing program, or equivalent independent experience — able to take on individual writing projects (typically 10–30 hours each) on a rolling basis throughout the term
• Strong raw writing talent, demonstrated through a portfolio of published writing (student newspaper, campus publication, journalism coursework, internship clips, or independent writing) that shows clear, narrative-driven storytelling for a general audience
• Experience writing for or communicating with audiences that are busy, skeptical, and not experts in your subject area
• Sharp editorial instincts: You can look at a piece of writing and tell what’s missing, what’s bloated, and what’s buried
• Ability to tailor written content by audience and political or institutional context
• Coachable and eager to learn quickly in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment with multiple concurrent deliverables; developing strong self-editing instincts
• Genuine interest in youth mental health, education, or public policy — you don't need deep domain expertise on day one, but you need to care enough to build it quickly
• Open to flexible work arrangements, including hourly, project-based, or fellowship-style

Nice to have…

• Experience writing government-facing content: RFP responses, grant proposals, legislative briefings, policy documents, or equivalent
• Familiarity with K–12 education, school-based mental health, or pediatric behavioral health
• Familiarity with state-level Medicaid, RHTP, or education funding mechanisms
• Experience supporting government affairs, public affairs, or policy teams in a growth-stage company
• Experience building or managing a content or asset library for a sales or partnerships team
• Prior work in healthcare technology, edtech, or mission-driven organizations

Cartwheel is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We embrace diverse backgrounds and perspectives and an inclusive work environment. We're committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, disability status, or veteran status.

We participate in E-Verify. Please be prepared to provide acceptable documentation to verify your identity and work authorization

Cartwheel uses AI-assisted tools to support our hiring process. This may include tools that help organize and surface applications for recruiter review, AI-powered candidate communications and scheduling, interview recording and documentation, and an AI chat tool available to candidates during the process. All hiring decisions are made by Cartwheel recruiters and hiring managers. No candidate is selected or eliminated from consideration solely by an automated system. All hiring decisions are made by humans. If you have questions about how AI is used in our process or would like to request an alternative review method, please contact talent@cartwheelcare.org

Note: Please do not contact our Care, Provider, or Patient Services lines regarding job postings or application status. These teams support our patients and families and are not involved in the hiring process. For all recruitment-related questions, please email talent@cartwheelcare.org.

Ready to apply?

Powered by

First name *

Last name *

Email *

LinkedIn URL *

Phone number *

Location

Resume *

Click to upload or drag and drop here

Cover letter

Click to upload or drag and drop here

Stay connected with Cartwheel. We'd like to text you about job openings, application updates, and recruiting events.

See our SMS Terms at: SMS TERMS

See our Privacy Policy at : Privacy Policy

Yes, I agree to receive recruiting and job-related text messages from Cartwheel Health at the phone number I provided, including messages sent using an automated system. Consent is not a condition of applying or of any employment. Message frequency varies. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out or HELP for help. See our SMS Terms at https://bit.ly/4ivCFVG

No, I do not want to receive recruiting or job-related text messages from Cartwheel.

Are you located in the United States? *

Yes

No

Are you authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship, now or in the future? *

Yes

No

In which state do you reside? *

Link to 2-3 writing samples that best represent your voice and range — student publication, coursework, or independent writing are all welcome. *

At least one should be on a complex or technical topic written for a general audience.

What best describes the context of most of your writing experience so far? *

Student or campus publication (newspaper, magazine, blog)

Academic coursework or research writing

Internship, work-study, or freelance writing

Independent projects (personal blog, newsletter, social platform, etc.)

Grant writing, RFP response, or technical/compliance writing

How would you describe your writing cadence over the past 1–2 years? *

I write on a regular (at least weekly) basis for a class, publication, or personal project

I write consistently but less frequently (a few times a month)

I haven’t had many opportunities to write yet, but I’m eager to build that habit

How would you describe your experience writing about complex, technical, or unfamiliar topics (e.g., health, policy, science) for a general audience? *

What makes you interested in Cartwheel and our mission? *

Voluntary Self-Identification

To comply with government reporting requirements, we invite candidates to participate in the self-identification survey below. Your completion of this form is entirely optional, and your decision will neither influence the hiring process nor any subsequent stages. Any information you choose to share will be kept confidential and stored in a secure file. As outlined in our Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we uphold a commitment to non-discrimination based on any protected group status specified in applicable laws.

Gender

Race

Race and ethnicity descriptions

Voluntary Self-Identification of Veteran Status

VEVRAA requires Government contractors to take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment protected veterans. To help us measure the effectiveness of our outreach and recruitment efforts of veterans, we are asking you to tell us if you are a veteran covered by VEVRAA. If you believe that you belong to any of the following categories of protected veterans, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.

Veteran status descriptions

Disabled veteran

A veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military and is entitled to disability compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to disability compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, or was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability

Recently separated veteran

A veteran separated during the three-year period beginning on the date of the veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S military, ground, naval, or air service

Active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran

A veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge was authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense

Armed Forces service medal veteran

A veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military ground, naval, or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985 (61 Fed. Reg. 1209).

Veteran status

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability Status

Form CC-305

OMB Control Number 1250-0005

Page 1 of 1

Expires 04/30/2026

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

Disability descriptions

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

• Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
• Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
• Blind or low vision
• Cancer (past or present)
• Cardiovascular or heart disease
• Celiac disease
• Cerebral palsy
• Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
• Diabetes
• Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
• Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
• Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
• Intellectual or developmental disability
• Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
• Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
• Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
• Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
• Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
• Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
• Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
• Short stature (dwarfism)
• Traumatic brain injury

Disability status

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.

Req ID: R253