School Social Work
School-based services, education systems, and student well-being.
46 opportunities · 26 traditional · 20 nontraditional
Traditional (26)
- Education Research GrantsFederal grantInstitute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of EducationThe main federal source for education research, structured around exploration, development, efficacy and replication. The natural home for school social work and school-based intervention work.$100k–$4M · Annual cycle · Aug
- Research grants on educationFoundation grantSpencer FoundationEducation research at several scales, from small grants through large field-initiated studies, with a standing willingness to fund qualitative and historical work that federal panels find hard to score.$50k–$500k · Several times a year
- Research-Practice Partnerships: Collaborative Research for Educational ChangeFoundation grantSpencer FoundationFunds established researcher-practitioner partnerships doing collaborative education research with districts, agencies, or community organisations, with a stated priority on educational inequality.up to $400k · Annual cycle · Jul, Oct
- Vision GrantsPilot / seed fundingSpencer FoundationPlanning grants for teams developing ambitious large-scale education research projects aimed at transforming educational systems toward greater equity. Supports 12-18 months of planning, not the study itself.$75k · Annual cycle · Aug, Sep
- NAEd/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship ProgramDissertation awardNational Academy of Education / Spencer FoundationOne-year fellowship supporting doctoral candidates writing education-related dissertations, across disciplines including social work. Fellows receive $30,000 in two installments plus professional development.$30k · Annual cycle · Oct
- Pilot Hybrid Effectiveness-Implementation Trials for Mental Health Interventions (R01 Clinical Trial Required)Pilot / seed fundingNational Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institutes of HealthPilot-scale hybrid trials developing and testing mental health interventions together with implementation strategies in accessible community, school, online or routine care settings.up to $750k · Several times a year · Feb, Jun, Oct
- NAEd/Spencer Dissertation FellowshipDissertation awardNational Academy of EducationSupports 35 doctoral candidates a year whose dissertation research focuses primarily on education, with funding plus two retreats and a senior-scholar mentor.$30k · Annual cycle · Oct
- NAEd/Spencer Postdoctoral FellowshipEarly-career awardNational Academy of EducationNon-residential fellowship for early-career education researchers, providing a year of salary support plus mentorship from a senior scholar and three professional development retreats. About 20 fellows a year.$80k · Annual cycle · Oct
- Research Training Programs in Special Education — 84.324BTraining & capacityInstitute of Education Sciences (IES), National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER), U.S. Department of EducationFunds programmes that prepare researchers to conduct special education and early intervention research. FY 2027 competes two topics: Early Career Development and Mentoring in Special Education, and Methods Training for Special Education Research.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Aug, Sep, Oct
- Accelerating Solutions to Improve Access and Quality of Empirically-Supported Practices for Youth Mental Health (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)Federal grantNational Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institutes of HealthResearch on barriers to youth mental health care for people from birth to age 25, covering intervention optimisation, workforce development, system integration and service delivery strategies.Amount not published · Several times a year · Feb, Jun, Oct
- Research Training Programs in the Education Sciences — 84.305BTraining & capacityInstitute of Education Sciences (IES), National Center for Education Research (NCER), U.S. Department of EducationFunds programmes that prepare people to conduct rigorous education research. For FY 2027 two topics are competed: Early Career Development and Mentoring, and Methods Training for Education Research.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Aug, Sep, Oct
- Using Longitudinal Data to Support State Education Policymaking — 84.305SFederal grantInstitute of Education Sciences (IES), National Center for Education Research (NCER), U.S. Department of EducationFunds use of statewide longitudinal data systems to generate evidence for state and local education programme and policy decisions, including access to high-quality education and academic achievement.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Aug, Sep, Oct
- Using Longitudinal Data to Support State Education Policymaking in Special Education — 84.324SFederal grantInstitute of Education Sciences (IES), National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER), U.S. Department of EducationFunds state agencies to use statewide longitudinal data systems to produce evidence for state and local decisions about learners with, or at risk for, disabilities.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Aug, Sep, Oct
- AERA-NSF Research GrantsFoundation grantAmerican Educational Research AssociationNSF-supported AERA grants for rigorous quantitative studies of education policy and practice that analyze large-scale federal, international, or state longitudinal administrative datasets. Relevant to social work researchers studying schooling, youth outcomes, and education-linked inequality using NCES, NSF, or SLDS data. Institutions may not charge indirect costs, and grantees may not hold concurrent funding for the same project.$25k–$35k · Annual cycle · May
- Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT)Federal grantSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)Funds implementation of the SBIRT public health model for children, adolescents and adults in primary care, community health settings and schools, focused on underage drinking, opioid use and other substance use. Requires client-level SPARS reporting.up to $995k per year · Periodic calls · Jul
- Racial Equity Research GrantsFoundation grantSpencer FoundationFunds education research projects that examine or address racial inequality in education, with stated interest in youth and educator mental health, workforce development, and quantitative methods for studying equity.up to $75k · Annual cycle
- Minority Dissertation Fellowship in Education ResearchDissertation awardAmerican Educational Research AssociationOne-year dissertation fellowship for advanced doctoral students from racial and ethnic groups underrepresented in higher education whose research addresses education topics, with mentoring workshops and an AERA Annual Meeting presentation.up to $25k · Annual cycle · Nov
- Mental Health Awareness Training Grants (MHAT)Training & capacitySubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)Funds mental health awareness and literacy training for school staff, emergency responders, law enforcement, veterans, service members and caregivers. Grantees report quarterly on numbers trained and numbers linked to services.up to $200k per year · Periodic calls · Jul
- Small Research Grants on EducationFoundation grantSpencer FoundationField-initiated grants for education research projects broadly conceived, running one to five years. A common entry point for school-based studies by doctorally trained researchers.up to $50k · Several times a year
- Research for Future Skills, Education and Working LifeFoundation grantResearch Council of Norway (Forskningsrådet)Norway's national research council runs this call off its welfare-and-education portfolio plan, and the four themes — education and working life in transition, competence and skills development, learning and inclusion in education, and inclusive and well-functioning working life — read as a social work and social policy agenda. Grants are substantial and long: three to six years of funding for a full project team. Relevant for school social work, transitions out of care and into employment, labour-market inclusion of disabled and migrant populations, and workforce studies of the welfare servicAmount not published · Annual cycle · May
- Resilient Children and Families Request for ProposalsFoundation grantCambia Health FoundationAn RFP from the corporate foundation of Cambia Health Solutions supporting school-based health and wellness services, with explicit emphasis on centering student and parent or caregiver voice and leadership. School social work and youth behavioral health researchers working with districts in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain West are squarely in scope.Amount not published · Periodic calls · Aug
- Special Education Research Grants — 84.324AFederal grantInstitute of Education Sciences (IES), National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER), U.S. Department of EducationNCSER's main research grant programme, covering topics including autism spectrum disorders; early intervention and early learning; families of children with disabilities; social, emotional and behavioural competence; systems, policy and finance; and transition to postsecondary life.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Dec, Jan, Feb
- Education Research Grants — 84.305AFederal grantInstitute of Education Sciences (IES), National Center for Education Research (NCER), U.S. Department of EducationNCER's main research grant programme. Topic areas include early learning programmes and policies; social, emotional and behavioural context; English learners; postsecondary and adult education; improving education systems; and literacy.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Dec, Jan, Feb
- Environmental Education (EE) Grants ProgramTraining & capacityU.S. Environmental Protection AgencyFunds locally-focused environmental education projects that build community and school capacity, with EPA-supplied logic-model, work-plan and evaluation templates. Nonprofits, tribal organisations, education agencies and universities may apply.Amount not published · Periodic calls · Mar
- Research Grants on Improving the Use of Research EvidenceFoundation grantWilliam T. Grant FoundationFunds studies of how research evidence gets used in decisions affecting young people, including theory-building, measurement development, and evaluations of efforts to increase research use in policy and practice.Amount not published · Several times a year
- Health Care program grantsFoundation grantThe Duke EndowmentFunds health care innovation in the Carolinas across five priorities: school-based mental health, population health, access to care for vulnerable populations, maternal and infant health, and the Healthy People Healthy Carolinas initiative.Amount not published · Several times a year · May, Jun, Nov, Dec
Nontraditional (20)
- Community and science grant programsFoundation grantChan Zuckerberg InitiativeCorporate-linked philanthropy funding community organisations, education and science infrastructure, with open calls that do not require a university affiliation.Amount not published · Periodic calls
- NEA Foundation Learning and Leadership GrantsTraining & capacityNEA Foundation (affiliated with the National Education Association)Grants from the union-affiliated NEA Foundation for individual professional development or group collegial learning, with action research named explicitly as a supported group activity. Useful to school social workers and other specialized instructional support personnel who want to fund a study group, an inquiry project, or conference travel tied to practice improvement.up to $5k · Annual cycle · Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
- With Youth For Youth (WYFY) — Western New YorkParticipatory grantmakingCommunity Foundation for Greater BuffaloA 24-member youth advisory board aged 13-17 directly awards over $2 million in grants of $25,000-$150,000 to out-of-school-time and youth sports programs across nine Western New York counties.$25k–$150k · Annual cycle · Jan, Feb
- Envision Equity GrantsPilot / seed fundingNEA FoundationSmall practitioner-led grants for school staff to design and try equity and anti-racism projects with students over 12 months. Specialized instructional support personnel, which includes school social workers, are explicitly eligible.up to $5k · Annual cycle · Sep
- ED/IES Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) ProgramPilot / seed fundingInstitute of Education Sciences (IES), U.S. Department of EducationContracts for small businesses to develop and evaluate education technology. Includes a Direct to Phase II track specifically for commercialising evidence-based innovations originally created by university or non-profit researchers.$250k–$1M · Annual cycle · Apr, May, Jun
- Youth Leadership GrantsParticipatory grantmakingCommunity Foundation for Southeast MichiganTwice-yearly grants of $2,500-$20,000 for youth-led projects in seven southeast Michigan counties, reviewed and recommended by a Youth Advisory Committee of young people.$3k–$20k · Several times a year
- KYSTATS Data Request ServiceIn-kind resourceKentucky Center for StatisticsKentucky's state longitudinal data agency fulfils custom data requests, including linked education-to-workforce records, for outside researchers. Aggregate requests are usually free, making this a research input rather than a cash award.Not a cash award · Rolling / open
- DESE Research Partnership and Confidential Data Access for External ResearchersIn-kind resourceMassachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Office of Planning and ResearchMassachusetts DESE accepts external research proposals through a research portal and can share confidential student-level data under FERPA research exemptions in limited circumstances. This is data and partnership access, not cash.Not a cash award · Several times a year · Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
- CDE Funding Opportunities Portal (Available and Projected Funding)Evaluation contractCalifornia Department of EducationCalifornia's education agency runs a searchable funding portal listing programs currently accepting applications, programs projected to open, and past funding results. Useful for tracking state-level education solicitations before they circulate widely.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- NYSED Funding Opportunities and Competitive Service Contract ProcurementsEvaluation contractNew York State Education DepartmentNYSED's single portal for both grants it administers and competitive service contract procurements — RFPs, RFQs and other bidding opportunities. The procurement side is where evaluation and technical-assistance contracts appear.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- Fairfax County Department of Procurement and Material ManagementEvaluation contractFairfax County, VirginiaFairfax County's central procurement department handles purchasing and contracting for all county agencies, and operates a Vendor Pitch Portal that lets a firm present its services to county agencies and the school system at once.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- ISBE Funding Opportunities and Notices of Funding OpportunityEvaluation contractIllinois State Board of EducationIllinois's state education agency posts its Notices of Funding Opportunity here, ordered by proposal due date, under a merit-based review policy with a published appeals window. It also recruits volunteer grant evaluators.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- TEA Grant Opportunities (Requests for Application)Evaluation contractTexas Education AgencyTexas's state education agency posts discretionary and formula Requests for Application on a standing portal. Each RFA carries its own program guidelines, eligibility, due dates and application forms.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- DESE Grant Funding Opportunities (RFP postings)Evaluation contractMassachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary EducationMassachusetts DESE posts current and previous grant RFPs in a listing searchable by fund code, program name, posting date, or deadline, with awards administered through the EdGrants and GEM$ systems.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- NJDOE Discretionary Grants (Notice of Grant Opportunity)Evaluation contractNew Jersey Department of EducationNew Jersey awards discretionary grants to selected agencies to address specific education initiatives, publishing guidelines as a Notice of Grant Opportunity that walks applicants through the competition.Amount not published · Annual cycle
- DonorsChoose Classroom Project RequestsCrowdfundingDonorsChoosePublic-school educators post itemised requests for classroom resources and donors fund them; when a request is fully funded DonorsChoose buys the items and ships them to the requester.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- NCES Restricted-Use Data LicenseIn-kind resourceNational Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of EducationA license under which IES loans confidential NCES survey data — far more detailed than the public-use files — to a qualified U.S. organization for a defined research project.Not a cash award · Rolling / open
- ERDC P20W Data RequestsIn-kind resourceWashington State Education Research and Data Center (ERDC), Office of Financial ManagementResearchers can request redacted aggregate, unredacted aggregate or individual-level data from Washington's P20W data system, spanning early learning, K-12, higher education and workforce, through ERDC's web-based data request form.Not a cash award · Rolling / open
- Research Training Institute on Cluster-Randomized TrialsTraining & capacityInstitute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Research, with Northwestern University (STEPP Center / IPR)An intensive in-person summer institute that trains education researchers to plan, design, conduct and interpret cluster-randomized trials; Northwestern pays lodging, instruction and course materials, with limited travel support in special cases.Not a cash award · Annual cycle · Apr
- Texas Education Research Center (P-20/Workforce Data Repository) AccessIn-kind resourceTexas Education Research Center, The University of Texas at AustinProposal-based researcher access to the Texas Education Research Center data repository at The University of Texas at Austin, with a full data inventory and a searchable data dictionary created by THECB.Not a cash award · Rolling / open
Other clusters
- Adolescent and Youth Development
- Aging Services and Gerontology
- American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian and Global Indigenous Populations (Indigenous Cluster)
- Asian and Asian-Pacific Islander Focused-Research
- Black and African Diaspora Focused-Research
- Child Welfare
- Communities and Neighborhoods
- Crime and Criminal Justice
- Disability
- Gender
- Gender-Based Violence
- Health
- History
- Inequality, Poverty, and Social Welfare Policy
- International Social Work and Global Issues
- Immigrants and Refugees
- LatinX Focused-Research
- Mental Health
- Military Service Members, Veterans and Their Families
- Organizations and Management
- Race and Ethnicity
- Research Design and Measurement
- Research on Social Work Education
- Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
- Social Work Practice
- Substance Misuse and Addictive Behaviors
- Sustainable Development, Environmental and Climate Justice
- Work and Work-Life Policies and Programs