Ruth Fizdale Program Awardees

The Ruth Fizdale Program underwrites up to two research projects annually, with a grant of $3,000 per award, that link practice and policy issues with relevant social issues. The primary goal is to facilitate effective service delivery.  The program has provided these NASW Chapters with grants to conduct pilot research projects targeted to a specific emerging issue.

Grant Awardees 1999-2019

Ruth Fizdale Chapter Research grant awardees have included:

• 2020-2021—NASW-New Jersey Chapter and NASW-Oklahoma Chapter. The New Jersey Chapter proposes a two-year, multi-faceted project, Building Bridges: Increasing Access to Telemedicine in Low-Income and Rural Communities, environments where it is always a challenge to provide patients with the best level of health care. The Oklahoma Chapter will examine the number of licensed social workers in each region and county of Oklahoma and supplement the workforce data by tracking the number of social workers per county with NASW-OK Chapter membership. It also will examine the current continuing education trends of social workers throughout the state. 
• 2019-2020—NASW-Kansas Chapter and NASW-Ohio Chapter.  The Kansas Chapter used the Fizdale grant to survey the social work profession’s landscape in the state and surrounding area and present this data to policymakers and legislators to make them aware of the profession’s needs. The NASW Ohio Chapter used the Fizdale Grant to fund research and development into agency accessibility of social service systems to Ohio immigrants with multiple barriers to access.  
• 2018-2019—Ruth Fizdale Award not given. The Award Panel determined no proposals met all of the criteria and guidelines.
• 2017-2018—Ruth Fizdale Award not given. The Award Panel determined no proposals met all of the criteria and guidelines.
• 2016-2017—NASW Georgia Chapter. The Georgia Chapter used funding from the Fizdale grant to conduct further research to enhance the Chapter's TeleMental Health Practice Program and its Train the Trainer- Preferred Providers Series component.
• 2016-2017—NASW-Missouri Chapter. The Missouri Chapter used Fizdale funding to retrospectively assess the workplace safety needs of social workers, develop an evidence-based workplace safety and violence prevention training program, and provide the developed evidence-based workplace safety and violence prevention training program to organizations and agencies that work with, and employ, social workers in Missouri.
• 2015-2016—NASW-Florida Chapter. The Florida Chapter collected data on social work supervision in Florida to identify the type of supervision that is occurring, the populations they are serving, the type of agencies where they are employed, the challenges they face, and the type of training they need.
• 2014-2015—NASW-Ohio Chapter.  The Ohio Chapter gathered data to understand educational debt among social workers in the state of Ohio, evaluate the outcome of the research, and assess the need for an educational debt relief program in Ohio.
• 2014-2015—NASW-South Carolina Chapter.  The South Carolina Chapter pursued "Perceptions of Social Work Safety: A Needs Assessment to Inform Practice in South Carolina."
• 2013-2104—NASW-Delaware Chapter.  The Delaware Chapter strived to expand the use of social media in the social justice community and expand Chapter membership by emphasizing social networking connections.
• 2013-2104—NASW-Texas Chapter.  The Texas Chapter initiated a Clinical Reimbursement Project, which focused on issues surrounding clinical reimbursement for social workers. 
• 2012-2013—NASW-Kentucky Chapter.  The Kentucky Chapter researched the demographics of social workers in Kentucky and informed state legislators about the state of social work in Kentucky. 
• 2012-2013—NASW-North Carolina Chapter.  The North Carolina Chapter sought to position social work as a lead profession within the Medical Home and Integrated Care Models in North Carolina.
• 2011-2012— Ruth Fizdale Award not given.  The Award Panel determined no proposals met all of the criteria and guidelines.
• 2010-2011— Ruth Fizdale Award not given.  The Award Panel determined no proposals met all of the criteria and guidelines.
• 2009—NASW-Massachusetts Chapter.  The Massachusetts Chapter pursued "Hospital Social Workers: The Needs They Address and the Services They Provide." 
• 2008 - 2009—NASW-Iowa Chapter.  The Iowa Chapter worked to provide opportunities for social work professional issues to be researched, analyzed, and utilized to develop goals for the social work profession. Read more in the Iowa Chapter Final Report.  
• 2005, 2006, and 2007—Ruth Fizdale Award not given.  The Award Panel determined no proposals met all of the criteria and guidelines.
• 2004-2005—NASW-Pennsylvania Chapter.  The Pennsylvania Chapter sought to strengthen the evidence in support of the need and right to universal health coverage for all Pennsylvania residents." 
• 2003-2004—NASW-Texas Chapter.  The Texas Chapter worked to determine the "relationship between U.S. Department of Labor and Texas Workforce Commission social work job classifications, and social work salaries in the state of Texas." 
• 2002-2003 —NASW-North Carolina Chapter.  The North Carolina Chapter worked on "Advancing Social Work Salaries: North Carolina as an Advocacy Model."
• 2000—NASW-Florida Chapter.  The Florida Chapter pursued "Affirmative Action: Social Policy for NASW Social Workers in Florida."
• 2000—NASW-New York State Chapter.  The New York State Chapter pursued "Linking Practice and Policy - Town Hall 2000 Initiative."
• 1999—NASW-Arkansas Chapter.  The Arkansas Chapter pursued "Acceptance and Employment of Professional Social Workers in Arkansas Public Schools."
• 1999—NASW-Idaho Chapter.  The Idaho Chapter worked on "Strengthening the Impact of School Social Work Services in Idaho."