The NASW Foundation is committed to enriching the social work profession and empowering social workers to be leaders in social policy and practice. To this end, the Foundation administers a variety of educational, research, and training programs – including scholarships, fellowships, recognition awards, and NASW Chapter research projects – in an effort to fulfill its core mission of enhancing the well-being of individuals families and communities through the advancement of social work policy and practice. The Foundation also is home to the NASW Social Work Pioneers®, the Social Work Disaster Assistance Fund, the International Program, the National Social Work Public Education Campaign, and a wide array of other projects that serve the profession, the practitioner, and the public.
Related Foundation Programs & Resources
Social Work Ethics & Law Institute
Center in Foundation created by NASW Legal Defense Fund to enhance social workers' understanding of legal & ethical issues.
NASW Social Work Pin Program
Pin Program instills pride in the profession via pins, for purchase, by schools of social work for graduating students.
Upcoming Events
Get involved in Foundation events and activities including the Fall NASW Social Work Pioneers® Annual Program & Luncheon.
NASW Foundation Staff
Do you have questions about Foundation programs, events, and activities? Our staff members are happy to assist.
The latest information on Foundation programs, people, activities, and events. Read More>>
What friends and supporters are saying about us . . .
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"The NASW Foundation is essential to honoring the history of the social work profession through the NASW Social Work Pioneers and supporting future social workers with awards for students and new professionals. We can only move forward in our efforts to advance social justice and social welfare if we know where we have come from and the NASW Foundation is critical in that endeavor."
Valerie Arendt, MSW, MPP - NASW North Carolina Chapter Executive Director
“The NASW Foundation is important because it consistently and persistently supports practice and scholarship that dares to be progressive, responsive, and relevant to diverse groups of people and social issues, including my own as a doctoral candidate. It is clear to me and my work with the Foundation that it truly supports and represents a group of individuals who are driven by sustainable solutions through meaningful work.”
Whitney Sewell, MSW - Doctoral Candidate, Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis and Jane B. Aron Doctoral Fellow
“The NASW Foundation scholarship helped me graduate from California State University, East Bay and it gave me the opportunity to receive my Masters in Social Work. It helped me achieve my dream of being a social worker in which I will be working with students and families and similarly to how the scholarship helped me achieve my goals, I hope to help the students and families I will be working with achieve their goals.”
Diana Perez, MSW – Consuelo W. Gosnell Scholarship Recipient
"The NASW Foundation is important because it allows its members to be recognized for their contributions to society. Through its financial support, the Foundation helps to foster the mission of the social work profession."
Mavis Smith, LMSW - Forensic Social Worker and 2017-2018 Verne LaMarr Lyons Scholarship Recipient
"Because of generous NASW Foundation funding, I was able to subsidize my dissertation research on the association between healthcare payer type and HIV health outcomes, which helps illustrate the impact that healthcare policy has on people living with HIV."
Emma Sophia Kay, PhD, MSW, LMSW - Postdoctoral Research Fellow, The University of Michigan School of Social Work and 2017-2018 Social Work HEALS Doctoral Fellow
"The NASW Foundation is important because it recognizes the significance of funding research that aims to understand the depth of social problems and their impact. My own dissertation research would not have been the same without the Foundation's support."
Jennifer Scott, PhD, MIA, LMSW - 2014 Eileen Blackey Doctoral Fellowship Recipient, Assistant Professor, Louisiana State University School of Social Work