Project Sponsors

Clients and organizations that sponsor a Dow Fellows team are selected based on alignment with the primary aims of the Dow Sustainability Fellows Program: protecting the climate and advancing a circular economy. Clients identify one or two key contacts within their organization to guide the project and liaise between the team and the organization. These contacts also facilitate dialogue between the team and relevant stakeholders, within and outside of the client organization. The key client contacts are considered part of the project team and meet periodically with the Dow Fellows to offer input on the project and respond to the team's questions. Ideally, client contacts dedicate about 10% of their time between January and December to support the project.

In addition, clients agree to the following:

• As needed, provide Fellows with space for meetings and data collection activities
• Supply relevant background information from prior work (reports, data)
• Review and provide input on preliminary findings and recommendations prior to project completion
• Plan to use project outcomes upon completion of the Fellows project—a critical component of demonstrating project impact 
• Join the project team’s final presentation (December) to celebrate your collective success, as available

Clients will receive:

• A commitment of four to five Masters Fellows collectively contributing more than 400 hours to the project
• A document outlining the scope of work and timeline for completion
• A published report and presentation, along with any other agreed-upon deliverables
• An ethical process that follows U-M and Dow Fellows guidelines

Sponsorship and Dow Fellows Program Support 

We are happy to discuss how your organization's sustainability priorities and goals are in alignment with the Dow Fellows Program and how you may support future sustainability leaders. Please email the leadership team: Dow-Fellows-Program-Staff@umich.edu.