Impact Internship Funding – Round One Application
Application Due:
Fri, Feb 19 @ Noon ET
Each summer, Business+Impact awards competitive grants for summer internships to MBAs and BBA juniors in the Ross School of Business as well as MPP students in the Ford School of Public Policy.
Â
There are two deadlines to apply: Friday, Feb. 19 by Noon ET and Friday, April 16 by Noon ET. Award decisions will be made in two rounds after each of these dates and they are based on the level of need (taking into account other funding being received), consideration of the position and organization’s impact, and the quality of the application.
Pivoting During a Pandemic: How Nonprofit Organizations Are Innovating and Adapting Through a Time of Crisis
Tues, Feb. 23 @ 6 pm
Virtual Event
The COVID-19 pandemic has created new realities and challenges while deepening and exposing existing inequities. Join B+I’s Board Fellowship Program for a panel discussion with nonprofit leaders on pivoting and adaptation.They will discuss their approaches to this complex and evolving new reality and how they are innovating to continue advancing their mission. Panelists for the forum include directors Pam Smith of United Way – Was and Darryl Johnson of Mentor2Youth, along with board members Ebon Wilkins of North Star Reach and Tim Carter of Ten Thousand Villages.
Black History Month Opening Event: A Conversation with LaTosha Brown
Business+Impact was a co-sponsor with U-M Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs (MESA)‘s Black History Month opening keynote event featuring LaTosha Brown. She shared thoughts on the future of democracy, voting, and social movements, and she discussed how storytelling and strategic messaging can build political power. Now you can watch a recording of the conversation below, and check out a list of other MESA Black History Month events.

Monitor Institute by Deloitte Presented Futurist Ideas for Social Sector Orgs Dealing with COVID-19
On Wed, Feb. 3, a representative from Deloitte and the Monitor Institute presented futurist thinking for the social sector on behalf of B+I’s +Impact Studio. Professor Jeffrey Sanchez-Burks interviewed Jen Holk, Strategy Manager at the Monitor Institute at Deloitte and Apoorva Kanneganti (MBA ’19), Senior Consultant at Deloitte Consulting. The Monitor Institute by Deloitte is a team that works with social impact-focused organizations. Ms. Holk and Ms. Kanneganti worked on a report showing tools for scenario planning.
Below are key resources from this event:
Michigan Business Challenge – Four Seigle Impact Track Teams Advance to Finals
Business+Impact wants to thank all the teams and judges involved in Semi-final round of this year’s Michigan Business Challenge – Seigle Impact Track! The competition has been very successful thus far, and the 9 teams from Round Two did a lot of hard work on their presentations. In addition to the 4 Impact Track teams moving on, a total of 4 teams will compete in the Innovation Track, and 4 teams will compete in the Invention Track.
The Seigle Impact Track finals will take place on February 26, 2021 online most of the day. The finals are closed to the public. The following teams will participate there:
- CLOVO Brand is a sustainable fashion company that produces the most comfortable and natural sheer tights using Tencel and a functional design to eliminate sagging, discomfort, and wardrobe malfunctions. Megan Martis (MS ’21)
- EQuity is a learning and development venture that provides digital training and coaching to help clients advance racial justice by developing emotional intelligence. Justin Woods (MBA/MSW ’21)
- Parcel Health designs and creates sustainable medication products. We have created a 100% recyclable medication bottle replacement to replace orange plastic prescription bottles to drastically reduce plastic waste. Melinda Su-En Lee (PharmD ’21), Victor Le (PhD ’21)
- SustainiUM’s technology collects heat generated by spent nuclear fuel, a form of nuclear waste, and uses this heat to dry wastewater sludge. Jacob Ladd (JD’23), Luyao Li (MS’21), Anya Shapiro (MS/MBA’22), Aniket Yadav (MS’21)
Impact News & Notes
- +Impact Studio partner BlueConduit featured in Wired
- When and How Your Company Should Take a Stand
- Why Big Tech’s swift reaction to the Capitol riot is a threat to democracy
- Alumnus gives $5M to create True Grit Scholarship at Ross School
- Martin, Dewar receive 2020 awards for public engagement
- Dow Sustainability Fellows Program extended at U-M through 2023
- U-M law clinic helps Michigan residents resolve workers’ claims
- Group calls to end Black-white funding disparities in science
- U-M progressing toward 2025 sustainability goals
- County by county, study shows social inequality in COVID’s toll
- ‘This deserves our attention.’ New data highlight LGBTQ scientists’ workplace challenges
- Corporate Giants Halt Political Donations After Insurrection at the Capitol
- Ex-Gov. Rick Snyder pleads not guilty as nine face charges in Flint water crisis
- CEOs spurn Trump and his allies: How big a blow? (featuring Jerry Davis)
- When Biden Becomes … Rooseveltian! (featuring Luke Schaefer)
- We need to build a lot of wind turbines. Will Americans agree to live near them? (featuring Susan Mills)
- Cachet Colvard: Seeking global solutions
Ross Event Highlights:
Ross DEI: The Intersection of Black Student/Student-Athlete Experiences II
Thurs, Feb. 18 @ 5:30 pm
CPO: The Person You Mean to Be
Mon, Feb. 22 @ 1 pm
Online

A Searchable Platform for All Things Impact at Ross and Across Campus
The Business+Impact Gateway provides you with a single location for all things impact. Here you’ll find all of the activities, people and key partners working to use their learning to make a real impact in the world.Â
SPOTLIGHT
Apoorva Kanneganti (MBA ’19)
Apoorva Kanneganti is a Senior Consultant with Deloitte Consulting, who recently supported the Monitor Institute by Deloitte in its COVID-19 response for the social sector. She co-authored a social sector scenario planning report, and developed workshops to support nonprofits and philanthropic organizations implement the report’s key findings. We caught up with her when she returned — along with her colleague from the Monitor Institute, Jen Holk — to deliver a webinar about the work to local nonprofits and Ross students and faculty. She attended Michigan Ross for her MBA to explore social impact, healthcare, and entrepreneurship.
At the University:
Â
GINSBERG CENTER
Agriculture and Community Health Internship
Apply Now
Ginsberg Center announces that The Farm at St. Joe’s is seeking summer interns. The Farm uses sustainable agricultural practices to produce vegetables for families experiencing food insecurity, and weekly share distribution includes educational components related to food preparation and nutrition. Vegetables are sold at local markets, provided to patients and healthcare providers at numerous clinics, and distributed through St. Joe’s Farm Share program. The Farm is seeking an intern to actively participate in all aspects of sustainable vegetable production, the Farm Share, and additional programming needs.
Apply Here
Â
Â
Policy Talks @ The Ford School
The Ford School hosts a diverse array of timely, meaningful events that engage our students, community, and public policy leaders. During the coming month, the Ford School will host this wide-ranging and powerful series of talks on race, humanity and climate.
- History, reparations and policy 2.0Â – Feb 18
- Lisa D. Cook on diversity and innovation – Feb 18
- Halfway Home: Race, Punishment, and the Afterlife of Mass Incarceration – Feb 19
- Using multiple forms of data to talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion in liberal arts education – Feb 26
- Rebecca Carroll on “Surviving the White Gaze” – Mar 3
- A conversation about sustainability, social justice, and public policy (pictured)- Mar 8
- U.S. climate policy in 2021 and beyond – Mar 9
- 18th Peter M. Wege Lecture featuring Naomi Klein on climate crisis – Mar 10
- Lobbying and mass incarceration – Mar 11
39th Annual WCTF Career Conference
Thur and Fri, Mar. 4-5
Online
The Women of Color Task Force is excited to host its 39th annual career conference virtually. The conference is FREE this year; however, pre-registration is required to attend the workshops and keynote sessions. Review the information below for workshop descriptions, speaker details, and the full 2-day conference schedule.
More Info
The Poverty Narrative: Confronting Inequity
 Fri, Mar. 5 @ 9 am – 3 pm ET
Virtual Event
This free event is open to anyone interested in improving the narrative around poverty in the U.S. and promoting a better understanding of structural inequity. Each of the four sessions will have time for panelists to respond to questions from viewers. Register for the full-day event or just the sessions about which you’re most excited.
Sessions and Registration Here
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
Learning Levers
Application Due
Fri, Mar. 12
In recognition of James A. Kelly’s remarkable career reforming school finance, reducing inequities in schools, establishing high standards for teaching, and improving learning for all students, the School of Education is honored to launch a competition to inspire a new generation of problem-solvers and leaders. The goal of the James A. Kelly Learning Levers Prize is to support scalable, research-based innovative Ideas promoting student learning in pre-K-12 education.
Apply Here
In the Impact Community:
Â
U-M Community Invited to Join Equity Challenge
Sign up to participate during
Black History Month
United Way of Washtenaw County (UWWC) has a vision that by 2030 your zip code will no longer determine your opportunity in life. At present in Washtenaw County, it does. We have work to do and invite you to join the conversation to be part of the change and lend your power to fuel a social movement. Join United Way on a virtual self-guided learning journey examining the history and impacts of racism and how it shapes people’s lived experience in Washtenaw County. Along the way, you’ll also receive examples and tools on how to undo racism and build racial equity and justice.
More info
The New American Dream: Exploring How Next Gen Leaders are Reshaping the Vision
Wed, Feb. 24 @ 1 pm ET
Virtual Event
The mindset of Millennials and Gen Z, their values, and their choices may be reshaping the American dream for the better so that it’s a positive and constructive response to our society and our planet’s needs. What is the new dream and how does it look different across diverse racial or ethnic perspectives and experiences? What are the barriers and what is the role of the public and private sectors in helping to remove barriers? How will this new dream change the landscape of America, and influence our global community and how we respond to global challenges?Â
More Info and Registration
E4C Fellowship
Application Due
Sun, Feb. 28
The E4C Fellowship is a distinctive workforce development program in engineering for global development serving to activate and empower engineering students and early-career engineers worldwide to solve local and global challenges. Providing a unique platform to develop soft skills, and connect with international mentors and peers from all continents, this Fellowship offers leadership development opportunities that prepare the next generation of technical professionals to reach their fullest potential and deliver solutions that achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
More Info