Dow has a strong history of giving to the mid-Michigan area, providing support to a wide variety of community organizations, groups and charities. More than $3 million in annual donations in Midland, Saginaw and Bay counties are made through The Dow Chemical Company Foundation. Additionally, employees contribute their time and energy to a number of organizations. The community and the company both benefit when employees share their time with others.
Annual Community Contributions
Through the Dow Chemical Company Foundation, the company supports many different organizations in mid-Michigan and beyond. A partial list of the organizations is listed below:
Bay Area Community Foundation
City of Coleman Senior Support Project
The Conservation Fund
The Dow Chemical Company High School Leadership Institute
Food Bank Council of Michigan
Freeland Lions Club
Habitat for Humanity of Midland, Saginaw and Bay Counties
Junior Achievement of Central Michigan
Lake Huron Area Council Boy Scouts
Midland Center for the Arts
Midland Community Center
Pere Marquette Railroad Depot
Saginaw Family YMCA
The State Street Theatre
United Way of Midland County
Contribution Guidelines
Bay Area Community Foundation
The Dow Chemical Company Foundation supports the Bay Area Community Foundation by providing financial support to the Saginaw Bay Watershed Initiative. Contributions support the Sustainable Communities Initiative Fund to protect the environment.
City of Coleman Senior Support Project
The City of Coleman runs the Pere Marquette Senior Estates, a facility of comfortable, well-maintained apartments for seniors in the Coleman area. In 2005 the city determined the existing facility was not large enough to serve the senior population of the Coleman area, and so The Dow Chemical Company Foundation gave a financial contribution toward the completion of 30 more senior apartments in the facility.
The Conservation Fund
The Conservation Fund develops partnerships to preserve our nation's outdoor heritage - America's legacy of wildlife habitat, working landscapes and community open-space. The Dow Chemical Company Foundation supports these goals by contributing to the Sustainable Communities Initiative Fund to protect the environment.
The Dow Chemical Company High School Leadership Institute
The Dow Chemical Company High School Leadership Institute gives high school juniors (rising seniors) an opportunity to gain a taste of college life and to begin to develop leadership capabilities. Held on campus, The Dow Chemical Company High School Leadership Institute provides an intensive immersion into the study and practice of leadership. Through workshops, case analysis and recreation, students build confidence and abilities during the summer residential Institute that begins in summer 2007.
Food Bank Council of Michigan
Financial support from The Dow Chemical Company Foundation enables the Food Bank Council of Michigan to provide statewide leadership to food banks in their efforts to alleviate hunger through the distribution of surplus food to those in need. The Food Bank Council distributes millions of pounds of emergency food and personal care items to people in Michigan every year.
Freeland Lions Club
The Dow Chemical Company Foundation is a long-time sponsor of the Freeland Walleye Festival, the primary fundraising event for the Freeland Lions Club. The Freeland Lions Club supports many charitable organizations and non-profit groups in the Mid-Michigan area. They are also involved in many of the causes supported by Lions Club International, such as First in Sight and Sight Day, both of which aim to provide eyeglasses and eye care to people in need.
Habitat for Humanity of Midland, Saginaw and Bay Counties
Dow’s relationship with Habitat for Humanity began in the early 1980s. Since then, Dow has contributed millions in financial and product support. Thousands of our employees have volunteered their time to help with local builds and other Habitat activities over the past 25-plus years. In 2007, Dow sponsored, and our employees helped build, a home in Midland Township for a family of four.
Junior Achievement of Central Michigan
Young people learn about the economic realities of life through hands-on experiences in partnership with Junior Achievement, businesses and educators. Contributions from The Dow Chemical Company Foundation helped teach economic education and workforce readiness skills. In addition, many Dow employees volunteer their time to teach for Junior Achievement.
Lake Huron Area Council Boy Scouts
The Dow Chemical Company Foundation supports the Lake Huron Area Council Boy Scouts by making financial contributions that support programs on character building, citizenship, and physical and mental fitness.
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Midland Center for the Arts
The Midland Center for the Arts brings innovative ideas and exciting events to the Mid-Michigan community. Financial support from The Dow Chemical Company Foundation helps fund the Matrix:Midland Festival, museum programming, and the Summer Art Fair.
Midland Community Center
The Midland Community Center is a public non-profit organization providing recreational fitness, wellness, creative arts, youth and senior programs to all populations and ages. The Dow Chemical Company Foundation supports a number of the Center's programs, such as recreational programs for senior citizens and day care for children. In addition, the Foundation is a key sponsor of the annual Dow Run/Walk. Dow employees are an important part of the Run/Walk as well, participating as runners and volunteers during the event.
Pere Marquette Railroad Depot
Located in Bay City’s central business district on the east side of the Saginaw River, the Pere Marquette Railroad Depot is the original Bay City station of the Flint and Pere Marquette Railroad Company. Opening in 1904, the depot remained active in service until 1969, at which time it was vacated and began a period marked by vandalism and progressive deterioration. Great Lakes Center Foundation purchased the depot in June of 2003 to undertake its full and complete historic restoration, and The Dow Chemical Company Foundation is financially supporting this ambitious project.
Saginaw Family YMCA
The YMCA of Saginaw annually serves 10,000 members and another 10,000 program participants, campers and community members. Core values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility are incorporated into a wide variety of programs and activities that nurture the healthy development of children, teens, families, adults and seniors. The Dow Chemical Company Foundation supports the Saginaw Family YMCA and the Foundation’s financial contributions are helping to restore the Y’s Fordney Street Facility.
The State Street Theatre
The State Theatre exists to enrich the arts & cultural opportunities of people in the Tri-Counties and the surrounding communities. Built in 1908 during the booming lumbering era in Michigan, the State Theatre was known as the Bijou and was one of many vaudeville and burlesque houses in downtown Bay City. The Bijou was renovated in 1930 by renowned architect C. Howard Crane whose impressive body of work includes the twin Fox Theatres in Detroit and St. Louis, Missouri. Using local labor, Crane designed the theatre as a Mayan temple, using hand-crafted plaster casts to construct the 9,500 square foot theatre inside an existing structure. As the years went on and the theatre owners changed, the stunning Mayan murals on the inside of the theatre were painted over, and water damage became evident on the ceilings. In addition, the auditorium itself started to deteriorate. To restore the theatre to its former beauty, The Dow Chemical Company Foundation provided financial support for a restoration project.
United Way of Midland County
The United Way of Midland County supports programs across Midland County that strengthen families, nurture children and youth, promote health and healing, increase self-sufficiency and encourage volunteerism and community-building. The Dow Chemical Company Foundation sponsors the annual campaign kick-off breakfast, and contributions from Dow employees make up a large portion of the funds raised for area programs.
Contribution Guidelines
Requests for Dow contributions must address a social, economic, educational, or environmental need in a city/community in which The Dow Chemical Company has a presence. This ongoing, competitive charitable contribution process is designed to support eligible non-profit organizations or governmental agencies/departments that have identified projects that will enhance the quality of life within our community.
Please follow these guidelines when submitting a contribution request:
- All requests must be submitted in writing on the organization's letterhead
- Describe the goals and activities of the organization or project
- Explain the project and how the community will benefit
- Provide the specific dollar amount of funding requested and a description of how it will be used
Please send your request to: The Dow Chemical Company Foundation, 47 Building - Public Affairs, Midland, MI 48667.
Please keep in mind that Dow does not contribute to religious organizations, individual requests/sponsorships, trip expenses, non-501(c)(3) organizations, organizations that charge fees or dues, or lobbying organizations
If you would like to know more about applying for support, please contact us.
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