NASW Foundation Annual Fund Mission

• the profession – by honoring and investing in social workers past, current, and future;
• the practitioner – by enhancing social workers’ knowledge and skills; and,
• the public – by providing information and resources to help individuals, families and communities.

Fundraising activities for the NASW Foundation Annual Fund are essential to pay for operating expenses, including staff salaries, overhead, and the programmatic costs that enable us to serve these audiences. We fund these expenses with voluntary contributions from donors, including friends, NASW members, corporations, and others; as well as awards and grants from government agencies, foundations, and other entities interested in our work. The NASW Foundation is not funded through NASW Membership dues. Certain states require written disclosures for nonprofit organizations soliciting contributions. Please follow this link to individual state disclosures.

Annual Fund Goals

• identify, develop, and respond to social work policy and practice issues;
• assist with rapid response to social crises;
• support practice-based research, so that practice and research are directly linked;
• raise the visibility of social work and enhance public esteem for the profession;
• support the development of cutting edge continuing education and training that addresses critical issues; and,
• promote the appropriate application of new technology to the practice of social work. 

Ways Foundation Serves Profession, Practice, And Public

The NASW Foundation serves the profession, the practice, and the public in broad and diverse ways.  Follow this link to learn more about programs, events, and other activities via a Foundation infographic.   A brief summary is listed below:

• Scholarships and Fellowships - Awarded $330,000 in BSW, MSW, and PHD Scholarships to 120 social work students nationally.
• Public Education - Raised the profession's visibility by funding Informed Health Mini-Documentary videos for national television that reached more than 51 million U.S. homes (54% of all homes).
• NASW Chapters - Helped raise $140,000 to support specific NASW Chapter local charitable and educational activities.
• Social Work Disaster Assistance - Raised $30,000 for social workers and others in Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands.
• Schools of Social Work Pinning Ceremonies - Included 42 schools and 2,534 pins.
• Grants Enabled Training to Social Workers To Provide Services To Clients - NASW/Hartford Supervisory Leaders In Aging, Health Care Social Work, HIV/AIDS and Mental Health, and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.
• NASW Social Work Pioneers® - Assist in inducting new Pioneers and implementing annual Pioneer event.
• Social Work History - Preserve and promote NASW and Social Work History and NASW Archives.
• International - Participate in Social Work Day at the United Nations, host international delegations, and Global Observatory-data collection on progress on the global agenda the past two years.

Ways You Can Help

• participate in special events and seminars;
• donate to, and spread the word about, special online fundraising campaigns;
• support Annual Fund year-end donor direct mail appeals & Spring email appeals;
• participate in the national NASW Social Work Public Education Campaign; and,
• volunteer as Foundation Ambassadors who spread the foundation message and assist with fundraising campaigns.

If you would like to get involved in NASW Foundation opportunities to participate, please visit our Upcoming Events section, Our Work section for all program activities, and our Supporters section; and/or contact us for more information at naswfoundation@socialworkers.org.