MSW Program Grants and Scholarships

Application Deadline: Rolling Deadline

The School of Social Work (SSW) invites grant applications from MSW and PhD students to support individual student projects for anti-racism work, with a specific focus on confronting anti-Blackness, racism against Indigenous peoples, and confronting white supremacy. The goal is to inclusively support students working within SSW or in communities seeking to confront racism to the greatest degree possible. Such funding could be for projects, programming, or partnerships with external organizations. Grants will be made up to the amount of $1,000. Students must identify an SSW faculty or staff member who will advise on the project. Project funding can be used for student support (financial aid award or hourly pay), to support partnership with outside experts and communities, travel and event costs (when allowed by the university). Students are eligible for one grant in an academic year.Students who would like to brainstorm potential project ideas are invited to contact Professor Daicia Price ( [email protected] ) and Professor Larry Gant ( [email protected] ).

Anti-Racism Fund Individual Student Project Grant Application

The Blavin MSW Scholarship Award provides support to a former U-M undergraduate Blavin Scholar, or if there there are no MSW candidates who are former Blavin Scholars, to provide support to a student who has spent time in the foster care system.

• Blavin MSW Scholarship Application

The Caren Kaplan Endowed Scholarship Fund was established in memory of University of Michigan School of Social Work alumna Caren Kaplan, MSW '80. The Scholarship provides support for MSW students with a preference for students pursuing a Welfare of Children & Families pathway with demonstrated commitment to child welfare reform with a focus on addressing the issue of chronic neglect. Applicants must be current MSW students intending to graduate in December 2024 or April 2025.

• Caren Kaplan Endowed Scholarship Application

Application Deadlines:

• Early Application: December 1
• Priority Application: February 1
• Final: March 1

The Child Welfare Scholarships are awarded to incoming on-campus full-time MSW students who are interested in becoming child welfare specialists. Special consideration will be given to students who have had personal life experience within the child welfare system and/or are interested in working with the Native American community. The purpose of the program is to train committed specialists in child welfare. Following graduation, child welfare specialists have worked as child welfare social workers, therapists working with maltreated children, program managers, community organizers, and policymakers. Please click the following link for more information.

Child Welfare Scholarship Program and Application Information

The Clarice Ullman Freud Fellowships and the Clarice Ullman Freud Individual Research Fellowship were made possible by a gift from the estate of Clarice Ullman Freud along with matching funds from the Ann and Robert Lurie Family Foundation. Professor Freud was the Director of Field Education while on faculty at the U-M School of Social Work.

The 2025 Freud Fellows will support the ongoing work of the Office of Field Education (OFE) with a heavy emphasis on integrating equity-based teaching practices in various elements of the field experience. Determination of awards is based on an evaluation of previous academic work, writing skills, recommendations, and other professional experiences, including human services experience (paid or volunteer) and the applicant's written supplementary statement. Applicants will also go through an interview with the OFE Team.

• Freud Fellowship Application

The Clarita Mays Memorial MSW Scholarship Fund was established to provide support for MSW students in memory of Clarita Mays, MSW '86, who passed away on July 16, 2018.

• Clarita Mays Memorial Scholarship Application

Application Deadlines:

• Early Application: December 1
• Priority Application: February 1
• Final: March 1

The Community Scholars program engages on-campus students with a specialized interest in community change work. Community Scholars follow one of two tracks: Community-Based Initiative (specialized focus on community change in Detroit) or National Community Scholars (specialized focus in national community change placements). On-Campus students are welcome to express an interest in both tracks; however, it is only possible to be accepted into one track.

As one of our Community Scholars Programs, the purpose of the Community-Based Initiative (CBI) in Detroit is to train and support a new generation of social workers dedicated to community and social change in urban cities, neighborhoods, and communities. This is done through on-campus coursework and field placements based in Detroit and surrounding areas including Highland Park, Hamtramck, and Dearborn. Upon graduation, CBI scholars work as community organizers, policymakers, program planners, organization managers and administrators, evaluators, and foundation staff within Michigan, the US, and internationally. Incoming students who are genuinely committed to community-based work in urban areas will be selected for the CBI program.

Community-Based Initiative Program and Application Information

Application Deadlines:

• Early Application: December 1
• Priority Application: February 1
• Final: March 1

The Community Scholars program engages on-campus students with a specialized interest in community change work. Community Scholars follow one of two tracks: Community-Based Initiative (specialized focus on community change in Detroit) or National Community Scholars (specialized focus in national community change placements). On-Campus students are welcome to express an interest in both tracks; however, it is only possible to be accepted into one track.

As one of our Community Scholars Programs, the purpose of the National Community Scholars Program (NCS) is to prepare professionals for enabling young people and adult allies to create community change.

National Community Scholars will gain skills to organize groups for social action, plan programs at the local level, advocate for socially just policies, and develop community-based services.

National Community Scholars Program and Application Information