Montana NEW Leadership asks that you identify funding to support your participation in the program.  This exercise serves you in two ways:  1) this relives you of the financial cost of participation and 2) you gain experience advocating for yourself and your abilities. Please note that the $500 expected is a small percentage of the overall cost of the program.  Montana NEW Leadership Directors and the University of Montana have identified a number of program sponsors who cover much of the cost of this special opportunity. Please <a href="/um-students/newleadership/sponsors ">see our list of sponsors on our Sponsors page. </a><br/> <br/>We suggest that you identify an advisor or advocate who can help you identify a source for this $500 in funding.  Many universities or departments have special funding that is available to students who are able to provide a clear and reasoned case as to why they should receive this funding.</p> <p>Only a limited number of scholarships are available from the Montana NEW Leadership Program, so we ask that you demonstrate that you have made every effort to identify funding prior to requesting such a scholarship.

First, think about why you want to participate in this program. Why is it valuable?  What do you hope to gain from participation? </p> <p>Next, think about why you deserve to participate and to be funded. What have you already accomplished which demonstrates your commitment to leadership development?  Why would you in particular benefit from participating in Montana NEW Leadership?  How can you show that you work hard to achieve your goals and are successful in  your role as a student? </p> <p>Finally, how does your participation benefit your champion or your institution?  Are you a strong member of their department or organization?  Does your participation help to demonstrate your organization’s commitment to women’s leadership?  Consider these points and develop a short paragraph that you can email to a proposed champion and include a link to the program. In your email, note that you would like to follow-up with them about your request and try to set a meeting to discuss this request in more detail.

The organizations that supports your participants in the Montana NEW Leadership program can come from your campus or your wider community.</p> <p>People you could approach on campus include: a professor, the chair of your department, an advisor in a program such as an honors college, an academic or athletic advisor, a supervisor in your workplace, provost, president, or student leadership organization.</p> <p>If you are unable to identify funding on campus, people you could approach off campus include: service clubs, women’s leadership organizations, elected officials, large businesses such as banks or multi-national corporations, etc.