Social Work Practice
Direct practice, interventions, clinical models, and practitioner decision-making.
176 opportunities · 108 traditional · 68 nontraditional
Traditional (108)
- Fund for Research and ExperimentationDissertation awardFahs-Beck Fund for Research and ExperimentationSmall grants for practice-relevant research and for doctoral dissertations, aimed squarely at social work and allied practice fields. One of the few funders whose scope is the profession itself.$5k–$20k · Annual cycle · May, Nov
- Scholarships, fellowships and research awardsDissertation awardNASW FoundationSmall named awards for social work students and researchers, including dissertation support and practice-improvement awards administered through the profession's membership association.$1k–$10k · Annual cycle · Feb, Mar
- Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant (R21)Federal grantNational Institutes of HealthShort, higher-risk projects: feasibility work, new measures, early-stage intervention development. No preliminary data required, which is what makes it the usual first NIH grant for a social work researcher.up to $275k · Several times a year · Feb, Jun, Oct
- Faculty grant programFoundation grantLois and Samuel Silberman FundSupports social work faculty doing applied research and curriculum development tied to practice in the field, with a long-standing interest in the connection between schools of social work and service agencies.up to $50k · Annual cycle
- Alzheimer's Association Clinician Scientist Fellowship For All (AACSFA)FellowshipAlzheimer's AssociationMentored fellowship for licensed, practicing clinicians building a research career in Alzheimer's and all other dementias. Applications are welcomed from all research areas including psychosocial investigations, care interventions and health equity, so a doctorally trained clinician in a patient-contact discipline can propose caregiving or care-delivery research.up to $200k · Annual cycle · Aug, Oct
- Community Health Matching Grant ProgramFoundation grantBlue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan FoundationTwo-year matching grants to Michigan nonprofit community organizations testing new approaches to a health problem. Suits a community agency partnering with a social work researcher on a pilot-and-evaluate design, since the foundation asks for evidence-based and community-inspired solutions across behavioral health, maternal and child health, senior health, nutrition and health care access.up to $25k per year · Several times a year · Jan, Feb, Apr, May, Aug, Oct
- James L. Rudolph Career Development Award (NIA IMPACT Collaboratory)Early-career awardNIA IMPACT Collaboratory (Hebrew SeniorLife / Brown University)A two-year mentored career development award preparing early-stage investigators to lead embedded pragmatic clinical trials that improve dementia care. It funds the preparatory work — secondary data analysis, intervention development, outcome measure development — rather than a trial itself, which suits social work researchers building toward a first large dementia-care award.$240k · Annual cycle · Sep
- Mind and Body Interventions to Restore Whole Person Health via Emotional Well-Being Mechanisms (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Optional) — PAR-25-449Federal grantNational Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), NIHA phased award for mechanistic trials asking HOW mind and body interventions — mindfulness meditation, yoga, acupuncture, massage and other brain- or body-based practices — change emotional well-being, and how that in turn relates to whole person health. The R61 phase establishes feasibility over one to two years and, on milestone review, the R33 phase funds the full trial for two to four more. The design requirement is unusual and worth reading closely: the primary outcome must be an innovative MECHANISM of emotional well-being, not symptom reduction, with the Whole Person Health Index as a sup to $475k per year · Several times a year · Feb, Jun, Oct
- ACS Postdoctoral FellowshipsFellowshipAmerican Cancer SocietyMentored stipend support for postdoctoral researchers in cancer research training programs, across ACS extramural discovery science priorities including behavioral, psychosocial and health services research. Includes a paid parental-leave provision with a matching extension of the award term.$66k–$70k stipend · Several times a year · Jun, Dec
- Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation FellowshipDissertation awardCharlotte W. Newcombe FoundationFunds the final year of dissertation writing for doctoral candidates whose work engages significant questions of religion, ethics, morals, and values. Social welfare and social work Ph.D. students working on moral dimensions of care, faith-based service delivery, or ethics of practice fit the frame.$34k stipend · Annual cycle · Nov
- NIJ FY 2026 Research and Evaluation of Services for Victims of CrimeFederal grantNational Institute of Justice (with the Office for Victims of Crime), U.S. Department of JusticeFunds research and evaluation on crime victims' needs and victim services. Category 1 covers law enforcement-based victim services and evaluations of other victim service programs; Category 2 covers technology-facilitated abuse, including nonconsensual deepfake images.up to $1.5M · Annual cycle · Jun, Jul, Aug
- Addressing Health Outcomes for Individuals With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) and/or Rare Diseases (RD) PCORI Funding Announcement — Cycle 3 2026Foundation grantPatient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI)Funds patient-centered comparative effectiveness research on people with intellectual and developmental disabilities or rare diseases. Emphasis areas include access to person-centered care and health-system approaches to care transitions, including the pediatric-to-adult transition.up to $12M · Several times a year · Jan, May, Sep
- Transformation of Mental Health CareFoundation grantKlingenstein Third Generation FoundationUp to two awards of $200,000 over two years to test novel mental health care delivery or prevention models for children and adolescents, including adaptations for non-traditional settings and digital approaches. Implementation and service outcomes must be measured.$200k · Annual cycle · Aug, Nov
- Grant for ResearchersFoundation grantLouisville InstituteSupports academic and scholarly research on North American Christianity and cognate fields, explicitly including faith-based institutions and religion and social issues — a fit for social work researchers studying congregations, faith-based service providers, or religiously grounded community practice. Funds sabbatical and research leave, project costs and research support, or a combination. Applicants may apply individually or as teams of up to three researchers.up to $55k · Annual cycle · Sep
- Pastoral Study Project GrantTraining & capacityLouisville InstituteFunds practitioners in pastoral leadership to carry out a focused study project on a question arising from their own practice. Applicable to chaplains, church-based social service staff and other faith-sector practitioners who want protected time and resources to study a practice problem. Grantees attend a mandatory two-day consultation with travel and lodging covered.up to $20k · Annual cycle · Aug
- ESRC React Awards (pilot)Rapid-response fundUK Research and Innovation – Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)Six-month awards for time-critical social science that supports UK policymakers or frontline public service practitioners, including rapid evidence reviews, evidence synthesis and urgent data collection.$64k–$127k · Rolling / open · Oct
- Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health (R03 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)Pilot / seed fundingNational Institutes of Health — Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD, participating IC)Small two-year grant for implementation and de-implementation research: pilot work, secondary analysis and method development on how evidence-based health interventions are adopted and sustained. NICHD is a participating institute; clinical trials are not accepted under this NOFO.up to $50k per year · Several times a year · Feb, Jun, Oct
- Nuffield Foundation Main Grants (Research, Development and Analysis Fund)Foundation grantNuffield FoundationFunds research, development and analysis projects addressing the Foundation's five priority questions on a prosperous, fair and inclusive UK society, including social welfare, justice and institutions.up to $635k · Several times a year · Oct
- Insight GrantsFederal grantSocial Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)SSHRC's main investigator-led research grant for the social sciences and humanities, including social work. Two streams by budget size, 2 to 5 years, proposed by individuals or teams.$10k–$500k · 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
- Research Scholar Grants (RSG)Early-career awardAmerican Cancer SocietyIndependent investigator grants for researchers early in their first faculty appointment, across the cancer research continuum. Psychosocial, behavioral and health policy projects are eligible where they fit ACS priority research areas.up to $215k per year · Several times a year · Jun, Dec
- Modular R01s in Cancer Control and Population Sciences (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)Federal grantNational Cancer Institute (NIH)A modular-budget R01 for cancer control and population science, explicitly naming cancer survivorship, cancer-related behaviours and behavioural interventions, health care delivery, digital health and implementation science as in-scope.up to $250k per year · Several times a year · Feb, Jun, Oct
- Partnership Engage GrantsFoundation grantSocial Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)One-year grants for short-term partnered research between a postsecondary institution and a single non-academic organisation, addressing a challenge that organisation actually faces.$10k–$50k · Several times a year · Mar, Jun, Sep, Dec
- Connection GrantsTraining & capacitySocial Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)One-year grants for events and outreach activities aimed at short-term, targeted knowledge mobilization: conferences, workshops and dissemination of research to practice and policy audiences.$10k–$50k · Several times a year · Feb, May, Aug, Nov
- ERC Starting GrantEarly-career awardEuropean Research Council (European Commission)Bottom-up grants for individual researchers starting their own independent team, in any field including social sciences and humanities. No predetermined research priorities.up to $1.6M · Annual cycle · Oct
- Partnership GrantsFoundation grantAlaska Mental Health Trust AuthorityThe Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority is a state corporate authority that administers a dedicated trust for Alaskans experiencing mental illness, developmental disabilities, substance use disorders, traumatic brain injury and Alzheimer's disease. Partnership Grants fund capacity building, planning, outreach, workforce and service development against four priority areas: prevention and early intervention, crisis response, treatment and recovery, and ongoing support and wellbeing. For a social work researcher this is a route to funded planning, needs assessment and programme development work Amount not published · Several times a year · Feb, May, Aug, Nov
- Appel à projets générique (AAPG) 2027Federal grantAgence nationale de la recherche (ANR)France's main open competition, and the route by which most French social science research gets funded. The 2027 edition is organised into 57 research axes spanning disciplinary and cross-cutting themes, with the social sciences and humanities explicitly in scope, and keeps five instruments — including JCJC for young researchers without a permanent team, and PRC/PRCE for collaborative projects with academic or non-academic partners, which is the natural vehicle for research done jointly with a social agency. Two-stage process with a short pre-proposal first.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Oct, Mar
- NWO Talent Programme – Veni (Social Sciences and Humanities)Early-career awardDutch Research Council (NWO)Veni is the entry rung of the Netherlands' flagship personal-grant ladder (Veni–Vidi–Vici), giving a recently graduated PhD three years of protected funding to pursue research of their own choosing. The SSH round covers pedagogics, sociology, psychology, public administration, development studies, law, demography and related fields, so social work questions are squarely in scope. The award is to the individual and is designed to buy independence early, before an academic career has hardened around someone else's agenda. Two-stage: pre-proposal, then full application and interview.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Sep, Jan
- SNSF Project FundingFoundation grantSwiss National Science Foundation (SNSF)The SNSF's workhorse open call: researchers propose on a topic of their own choosing, in any discipline including the social sciences, and the scheme explicitly welcomes practice-related questions alongside purely theoretical ones — which matters for applied social work research. Grants run one to four years and can be held individually or as a collaborative project with up to three applicants, allowing a genuine multi-site design. Two fixed submission dates a year, so the planning rhythm is predictable. Note the 2026 rule change capping researchers at one submission per twelve months and two Amount not published · Several times a year · Apr, Oct
- Competitive Grant Cycle (Letter of Inquiry)Foundation grantEpiscopal Health FoundationA large Southeast Texas health funder making competitive grants around three impact drivers — strengthening comprehensive care, activating community voices, and maximizing connections to health coverage and benefits — with strategic priorities in food and nutrition security, maternal health and diabetes prevention. Community-voice and coverage-navigation work is a natural fit for social work practice partners, though the Foundation is explicit that it generally does not fund standalone research.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Jun, Jul, Sep
- Investigator Initiated Clinical Trials of Complementary and Integrative Interventions Delivered Remotely or via mHealth (R01 Clinical Trial Required) — PAR-25-268Federal grantNational Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), NIHAn R01 for fully remote efficacy or effectiveness trials of complementary and integrative interventions, with a strict design constraint: there must be no in-person contact at all between research staff and participants. Everything — recruitment, consent, delivery, assessment, retention — happens at a distance or through mobile health tools. That constraint is the point, because it tests whether these interventions can reach people who cannot get to a clinic: rural residents, unpaid caregivers, people with disabilities or transport barriers, and people whose work hours make in-person research Amount not published · Several times a year · Feb, Jun, Oct
- Mentor-Based Postdoctoral Fellowship in Rehabilitation ResearchTraining & capacityNational Multiple Sclerosis SocietySupport goes to a mentor-institution combination that recruits, selects and trains postdoctoral fellows for careers in rehabilitation research applied to MS and similar disorders. The Society states mentor and fellow may come from a variety of fields including medicine, physical, occupational or speech therapy, psychology, rehabilitation engineering, nursing or other fields, and training may be fundamental or applied.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Aug
- Roybal Centers Cross-Center Call for Proposals: Clinical Trials on Behavioral Interventions in AgingPilot / seed fundingNIA Edward R. Roybal Centers for Translational Research (national coordinating site)A single coordinated call routed across 14 NIA-funded Roybal Centers, each with its own aging theme, funding fully powered clinical trials of behavioral interventions in aging framed by the NIH Stage Model. Applicants pick the center whose theme fits their proposal and follow that center's instructions; several centers accept investigators from any U.S. institution, which makes this the main externally-open door into university-hosted Roybal pilot infrastructure.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Oct, Dec
- SSCR Career Development Awards (Round 3)Training & capacityNIHR School for Social Care Research (SSCR)Training and development awards for social care researchers and practitioners to build the skills needed to reach the next step of their research careers. Run by the NIHR School for Social Care Research, a research and capacity-building partnership of English universities with its directorate at the University of York, focused on adult social care. One of the very few UK awards aimed squarely at practitioner-researchers rather than established academics.Amount not published · Periodic calls · Sep
- SSH Open Competition XSPilot / seed fundingDutch Research Council (NWO)A deliberately small, deliberately fast grant for testing a promising idea — the Dutch answer to the pilot-study gap. No thematic restriction inside the social sciences and humanities, minimal paperwork, and a distinctive review model in which applicants anonymously peer-review each other's proposals rather than waiting on a standing panel. Useful for a social work researcher who needs to establish feasibility, build a measure, or run a small community study before mounting a full project bid. The 2026 call runs in three rounds across the year.Amount not published · Several times a year · Sep
- MSCA Postdoctoral FellowshipsFellowshipEuropean Commission – European Research Executive Agency (REA)Europe's largest individual postdoctoral fellowship, open to every discipline and to researchers of any nationality, funding a move to a host organisation in another country for advanced training and an independent project. The inter-sectoral strand matters for this field: the host can be a non-academic organisation, so a social work postdoc can be based in an NGO, a public agency or a service provider rather than a university department. Because the fellowship is portable and the project is the applicant's own, it is one of the few European routes to genuine early-career independence across bAmount not published · Annual cycle · Sep
- Child & Family Well-Being GrantsFoundation grantThe Duke EndowmentGrants to Carolinas nonprofits serving children and families who have experienced or are at risk of abuse and neglect, in three streams: implementing tested programs, advocating for system improvement, and innovation where proven models do not yet exist.Amount not published · Several times a year · Jun, Dec
- RR&D Research Career Development Program (CDA-1, CDA-2, CDEA)Early-career awardU.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Research and Development — Rehabilitation Research and Development ServiceMentored career development awards giving clinically and non-clinically trained researchers protected time to become independent VA investigators, on projects relevant to the health and function of veterans with disabilities.Not a cash award · Several times a year · May, Nov
- Building Strong Family Relationships: Prevention and Intervention in Child WelfareFoundation grantSauer Family FoundationMinnesota-focused funding for prevention and intervention in child welfare. The foundation explicitly funds direct service, research, field building and systems change, and lists research organizations among eligible applicants.Amount not published · Several times a year · Feb, Sep
- Development of Psychosocial Therapeutic and Preventive Interventions for Mental Disorders (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Required)Federal grantNational Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institutes of HealthDevelopment and early testing of novel psychosocial therapeutic and preventive interventions, with emphasis on demonstrating that the intervention moves a defined mechanism linked to mental disorder risk or maintenance.Amount not published · Several times a year · Feb, Jun, Oct
- Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)Federal grantNational Institutes of Health (NIMH is a participating institute)Studies that identify, develop and test strategies for overcoming barriers to the adoption, adaptation, sustainability and scale-up of evidence-based interventions, programmes and policies in clinical and community settings.Amount not published · Several times a year · Feb, Mar, Jun, Jul, Oct, Nov
- Effectiveness Trials for Post-Acute Interventions and Services to Optimize Longer-term Outcomes (R01 Clinical Trial Required)Federal grantNational Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institutes of HealthDefinitive effectiveness trials of therapeutic and service interventions for the post-acute phase of mental health conditions in youth, adults and older adults, including tests of mechanism.Amount not published · Several times a year · Feb, Jun, Oct
- Full-Scale Hybrid Effectiveness-Implementation Trials for Mental Health Interventions (R01 Clinical Trial Required)Federal grantNational Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institutes of HealthHybrid trials that test the effectiveness of a mental health intervention and an implementation strategy at the same time, in community, school, online, or routine care settings, including mechanisms of action.Amount not published · Several times a year · Feb, Jun, Oct
- Health Services Research in Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders (HSR-ADRD)Foundation grantAlzheimer's AssociationTargeted funding program for health services research strengthening dementia detection, diagnosis and post-diagnostic care pathways, examining barriers to timely access, quality and care coordination across the care ecosystem. One of the closest fits in the disease-foundation world for social work researchers studying service delivery, care navigation and disparities in dementia care.up to $250k · Annual cycle · May, Jul
- Community Grants ProgramFoundation grantThe Research Foundation (Kansas City)A regional health funder distributing roughly $1.7 million a year to organisations with health-centred missions serving Jackson County, Missouri, with a priority on urban Kansas City. The 2026 cycle funds two purpose areas, expanding access to care and promoting health equity. Awards are one-year only and most fall between $25,000 and $50,000, though applicants are told to request what the programme actually needs. This is a practical vehicle for a community agency to fund an intervention with an embedded evaluation designed alongside a social work researcher.$25k–$50k · Annual cycle · Jun, Jul
- Feasibility Clinical Trials of Mind and Body Interventions for NCCIH High Priority Research Topics (R34 Clinical Trial Required) — PAR-25-274Pilot / seed fundingNational Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), NIHThe planning-and-feasibility rung of NCCIH's mind and body portfolio: a three-year R34 to work out recruitment, retention, intervention fidelity, dose and outcome measurement before committing to a full trial. For a social work researcher who has a promising group or community-delivered practice and no trial-scale preliminary data, this is the step that makes a later R01 or R61/R33 credible — and it is one of the few NIH mechanisms that will pay for the unglamorous work of proving a protocol can actually run in a real service setting. Restricted to conditions NCCIH has designated as high-priorup to $450k · Several times a year · Feb, Jun, Oct
- FY26 Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP) Impact AwardFederal grantU.S. Department of Defense — Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP), Defense Health AgencyFunds applied, use-inspired and practice-oriented research with near-term major impact on one of the FY26 PRMRP topic areas — which include Suicide Prevention, PTSD and Maternal Mental Health. A Partnering PI option supports two collaborating investigators, at least one of whom must be a clinician researcher. Clinical trials are not allowed.$2.8M–$3.6M · Annual cycle · May, Jul, Aug
- IMPACT Collaboratory Health Care Systems Scholars ProgramTraining & capacityNIA IMPACT Collaboratory (Hebrew SeniorLife / Brown University)A one-year mentored immersion placing mid-career investigators inside a health care system to build durable partnerships, learn the system's workflows and priorities, and lay groundwork for future embedded pragmatic trials in dementia care. It funds relationship and capacity building rather than a discrete study, which is unusual and well matched to social work's practice-partnership tradition.$120k · Annual cycle · Apr, May
- Medical Forensic Access InitiativeFederal grantHHS Office on Women's Health (OASH)OWH NOFO WH-AST-26-004 funds practical, data-driven and scalable projects supporting states, tribal communities, health care systems and other entities to improve access to medical forensic examinations for women and girl survivors of violence. Because the design centers data collection and systems improvement, it is a direct fit for social work researchers who evaluate sexual assault response systems and SANE capacity.up to $1M · Annual cycle · Jul, Aug
- Development of Interventions to Prevent and Treat Substance Use Disorders and Overdose (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Optional)Federal grantNational Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), NIHPhased cooperative-agreement funding to develop and test interventions preventing or treating substance use disorders and overdose, including behavioral interventions and digital therapeutics alongside pharmacological and device approaches.up to $3M per year · Several times a year · Feb, Jun, Oct
- Pilot Health Services and Economic Research on the Treatment of Drug, Alcohol, and Tobacco Use Disorders (R34 Clinical Trial Optional)Pilot / seed fundingNational Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), NIHPilot and preliminary services or economic research preparing for a larger effectiveness trial: access, quality, affordability and uptake of substance use and tobacco treatment, including services for co-occurring medical and mental health conditions.up to $450k · Several times a year · Feb, Jun, Oct
- Academic Research Grants ProgramFoundation grantBorchard Foundation Center on Law and AgingSmall research grants for scholarship on new or improved public policies, laws and programmes that improve quality of life for older adults, especially those isolated by poverty, language, culture, disability or lack of education. Results must be publishable in academic journals.up to $20k · Annual cycle · Sep, Oct
- Building Communities of Recovery (BCOR)Federal grantSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)Funds recovery community organisations to deliver peer recovery support services led by people with lived experience of substance use and co-occurring disorders, plus housing and employment linkage. Requires client-level SPARS data at intake, 6 months and closeout.up to $350k per year · Periodic calls · Jul
- 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
- Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) ProgramFederal grantSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)Cooperative agreement to implement court-ordered community-based treatment for adults with serious mental illness, working with civil courts and community partners. Aims to reduce hospitalisation, homelessness and criminal justice contact.up to $750k per year · Periodic calls · Apr
- ACS Institutional Research Grants (IRG)Pilot / seed fundingAmerican Cancer SocietyA block grant to an institution rather than to an individual investigator: the institution runs its own internal competition and awards pilot projects to newly independent junior faculty so they can generate preliminary findings for national funding. For a social work researcher this is an internal pilot-funding route rather than a direct application.$400k–$480k · Varies by programme
- NIDCD Cooperative Agreement for Clinical Trials in Communication Disorders and NIDCD Clinical Trial RoutesFederal grantNational Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), NIHNIDCD's own routing page for clinical trial applications, and unusually concrete about where a trial belongs. Lower-risk trials go through the NIH parent R01 announcements (PA-25-305 for clinical trial required, PA-25-303 for basic experimental studies with humans) when the trial needs no FDA oversight, carries safety risks no greater than routine medical care, is not powered to change health policy or standard of care, and is not an NIH-defined Phase III trial — generally under $500,000 annual direct costs. Higher-risk or pivotal trials go through the NIDCD-specific cooperative agreement PAR-up to $500k per year · Varies by programme
- ESRC Responsive Mode: Research Grants (Round Two)Federal grantUK Research and Innovation – Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)Researcher-led social science grants for basic, applied or strategic research on any ESRC-remit topic, including social policy, social care and social work. Social science must be more than 50% of the research focus and effort.$445k–$1.3M · Rolling / open
- Alcohol Treatment, Pharmacotherapy, and Recovery Research (R01 Clinical Trial Required)Federal grantNational Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), NIHR01 support for clinical trials on alcohol use disorder treatment and recovery: behavioral therapies, mechanisms of behavior change, precision medicine, recovery, and medications development.up to $500k per year · Several times a year · Feb, Jun, Oct
- Cancer Prevention and Control Clinical Trials Planning Grant Program (R34 Clinical Trials Optional)Pilot / seed fundingNational Cancer Institute (NIH)Planning grants to gather the information needed to design a cancer prevention or control trial: characterising the study population, testing recruitment approaches, assessing intervention feasibility and resolving operational risks before a full trial.up to $225k per year · Several times a year · Feb, Jun, Oct
- 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
- Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)Pilot / seed fundingNational Cancer Institute (lead) with NIMHD and other NIH Institutes and CentersTwo-year exploratory R21 for dissemination and implementation studies that test strategies for overcoming barriers to adoption and sustainability of evidence-based health interventions, practices and policies. NIMHD is a participating Institute.up to $275k · Several times a year · Feb, Jun, Oct
- Exploratory Grants in Cancer Control (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)Pilot / seed fundingNational Cancer Institute (NIH)Two-year exploratory grants for the early conceptual stages of novel cancer control ideas, including new techniques, methodologies or applications in population-based cancer research. Preliminary data are not expected.up to $275k · Several times a year · Feb, Jun, Oct
- ESRC Responsive Mode: New Investigator Grants (Round Two)Early-career awardUK Research and Innovation – Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)Grants for early career social scientists making the transition to research independence, on any ESRC-remit topic. Supports a first substantial project as principal investigator.$127k–$445k · Rolling / open
- National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative — Category II Treatment and Service Adaptation (TSA) CentersFederal grantSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)Funds centres that provide national expertise on specific childhood trauma types, populations or service systems, and that adapt, refine and support implementation of evidence-based trauma treatments. Includes a SAMHSA-directed evaluation.up to $600k per year · Periodic calls · Jul
- Alcohol Health Services Research (R34 Clinical Trial Optional)Pilot / seed fundingNational Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), NIHR34 planning grant for pilot and preparatory alcohol services research on treatment access, affordability, insurance and cost structures, implementation of evidence-based care, and reducing disparities.up to $450k · Several times a year · Feb, Jun, Oct
- Alcohol Health Services Research (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)Federal grantNational Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), NIHFull R01 support for research on closing the alcohol use disorder treatment gap: access to treatment, treatment appeal, cost and insurance structures, dissemination and implementation, and disparities in access.up to $500k per year · Several times a year · Feb, Jun, Oct
- Insight Development GrantsPilot / seed fundingSocial Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)Seed funding for research in its initial stages: developing new research questions and experimenting with new methods, theoretical approaches or ideas. One to two years.$10k–$100k · Annual cycle · Feb
- P.E.O. Scholar AwardsDissertation awardP.E.O. InternationalMerit-based awards of up to $25,000 for women pursuing doctoral-level degrees at accredited institutions, usable for dissertation-stage research and living costs. Open across disciplines.up to $25k · Annual cycle
- Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BHWET) Program for ProfessionalsTraining & capacityHealth Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Bureau of Health WorkforceFunds accredited graduate programmes, including master's and doctoral social work programmes, to establish or expand paid field placements and internships in behavioural health, with emphasis on children, adolescents and transitional-age youth, trauma-informed care, SUD treatment, interprofessional team-based care and clinical supervisor development.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Jan
- Forte Project GrantsFoundation grantForte – Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and WelfareForte is Sweden's national research council for health, working life and welfare — the closest institutional match in Europe to a social work research funder. The annual project grant is a free-standing, investigator-initiated three-year grant: applicants formulate their own question anywhere inside Forte's remit, which explicitly covers social policy, social services, welfare provision, the labour market, public health and care organisation. Proposals are assessed by nine subject panels, several of which (social policy, welfare services, working life) map directly onto social work scholarshipAmount not published · Annual cycle · Jan, Feb, Mar
- Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BHWET) Program for ParaprofessionalsTraining & capacityHealth Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Bureau of Health WorkforceFunds community-based experiential training, field placements and internships for students becoming mental health workers, peer support specialists and other behavioural health paraprofessionals, with a focus on children and transitional-age youth who have experienced trauma. Optional second tier supports registered apprenticeships.Amount not published · Periodic calls · Jul
- AmeriCorps Competitive and Formula Grant Opportunities (Florida)Federal grantVolunteer FloridaFlorida's service commission administers AmeriCorps Competitive and Formula subgrants to organisations working on education, economic opportunity, conservation, healthy futures and veteran support, with priority for workforce development, environmental stewardship and community quality of life. The published guidance package includes budget templates and an evaluation plan form, so measurement design is a scored part of the application and a natural point of entry for a university evaluation partner. Applications are submitted through eGrants with supporting documents through Blackbaud GrantmaAmount not published · Annual cycle · Feb
- National MS Society Research GrantsFoundation grantNational Multiple Sclerosis SocietyAnnual investigator-initiated grant program tied to the Society's Pathways to MS Cures Roadmap. The page states the Society supports fundamental as well as applied studies, nonclinical or clinical, explicitly including projects in patient management, care and rehabilitation, and values proposals focused on underserved and understudied ethnic and racial MS populations.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Oct, Nov
- AmeriCorps Arkansas State GrantsFederal grantEngage Arkansas (Arkansas Service Commission)Engage Arkansas subgrants AmeriCorps State operational funds to Arkansas organisations and, on the same page, sets out the VISTA, NCCC and AmeriCorps Seniors routes for organisations whose work does not fit the state stream. The scale gate here is unusually low — operational grants support the equivalent of at least five full-time members, against the 10 to 20 members several other commissions require — which makes it one of the more accessible national service doors for a small community agency working with a university research partner.Amount not published · Annual cycle
- AmeriCorps Texas Operating and Planning GrantsTraining & capacityOneStar Foundation / OneStar National Service CommissionOneStar is the Texas service commission and subgrants AmeriCorps State funds on two lines: operating grants for organisations enrolling members, and a planning grant for organisations designing an AmeriCorps programme for the following cycle. The planning grant explicitly cannot pay for AmeriCorps members, meaning the money goes to programme design, partnership building, needs assessment and measurement architecture — the phase where a social work researcher's contribution is the substance of the award rather than an add-on.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Apr
- Behavioral Health Workforce Development Technical Assistance (BHWD-TA) ProgramTraining & capacityHealth Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Bureau of Health WorkforceFunds a single national technical assistance provider that supports HRSA's behavioural health workforce grantees, including BHWET for Professionals, BHWET for Paraprofessionals and Graduate Psychology Education recipients, to help those training programmes expand the supply of behavioural health providers.Amount not published · Periodic calls · Mar
- Myotonic Dystrophy Foundation Research Grants and FellowshipsFoundation grantMyotonic Dystrophy FoundationMDF funds three standing mechanisms in myotonic dystrophy. The Research Fellows Program supports pre- and postdoctoral fellows. The two-year Early Career Scholar Program is the one worth a social work researcher's attention: MDF states it supports basic, translational, clinical and care-focused projects, and care-focused is the wording that admits care delivery, support and outcomes work. A Pilot Grants Program runs semiannually for one-year studies. MDF also issues targeted RFAs for strategic initiatives and small grants for travel and open-access publication.Amount not published · Several times a year
- Soutien aux equipes de recherche (SE), secteur Societe et cultureFederal grantFonds de recherche du Quebec - Societe et culture (FRQSC)Four-year team funding from Quebec's social sciences and humanities research fund, supporting an ongoing scientific program rather than a single project. Built for standing research teams, including teams configured in partnership with practice or community settings, with supplements available for partnership, inter-regionality and college-based research. The multi-year, programmatic structure fits a social work research group sustaining several linked lines of inquiry.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Oct
- DFG Individual Research Grants (Sachbeihilfe)Foundation grantDeutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation, DFG)The central bottom-up instrument of German research funding and the one most social work academics in Germany will use. Any qualified researcher at a German institution can propose a project with a clearly defined topic and duration, in any discipline, with no submission deadline at all — proposals go in when they are ready, via the elan portal. A distinctive sub-track matters for the field: 'long-term projects' in the humanities and social sciences carry continuous funding for seven to twelve years, which is what makes cohort studies, longitudinal welfare research and large corpora feasible.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- Government of Ireland Postdoctoral Fellowship ProgrammeFederal fellowshipIrish Research Council / Taighde Eireann - Research IrelandIreland's flagship all-disciplines postdoctoral fellowship, funding a one- or two-year fellowship at an eligible Irish higher education institution. Bottom-up and non-directed, so social work, social policy and social care topics compete on their own merits, and the scheme welcomes pioneering proposals in new and emerging fields and interdisciplinary research.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Aug, Oct
- DFG Walter Benjamin ProgrammeFederal fellowshipDeutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation, DFG)A postdoctoral fellowship built around mobility: an early-career researcher takes their own project to a new institution, either abroad on a monthly fellowship or within Germany on a funded postdoctoral position. Beyond salary or stipend it covers direct project costs, travel, publication costs and, where relevant, foreign and cost-of-living allowances and child benefits — the practical details that decide whether a fellowship is actually takeable by someone with dependents. Submission is rolling, so it can be timed to a doctoral defence rather than a call cycle.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- 2026 AmeriCorps State Funding Opportunity (California)Federal grantCalifornia Volunteers, Office of the GovernorCalifornia's state service commission subgrants federal AmeriCorps State funds and member positions to California nonprofits and public agencies working in education, climate action, disaster services, environmental stewardship and food security. Applicants must submit performance measure documentation on provided templates, a logic model for each service activity, and an evaluation plan summary — requirements that make an academic evaluation partner a normal part of a competitive application. Members receive a living stipend and a Segal Education Award.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Feb
- AmeriCorps Rhode Island Grant CompetitionFederal grantServeRI (Rhode Island Service Commission)Rhode Island's service commission subgrants AmeriCorps State funds to organisations that design evidence-informed programmes addressing documented community needs, recruit and supervise members, and contribute matching funds. The explicit evidence-informed design requirement is the hook for research partnership — an applicant must justify its model against evidence, which is work a social work researcher can supply. The same page also maps the other national service doors (National Direct, VISTA, NCCC and AmeriCorps Seniors) for organisations whose fit is outside the state stream.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Aug, Sep
- FY 2026 Volunteer Generation FundFederal grantAmeriCorps (Corporation for National and Community Service)A federal fund investing in volunteer management practice — recruitment, retention, training and infrastructure for volunteer-engaging organisations — administered through state service commissions, which in turn subgrant to nonprofits in their states. Because the fund is explicitly about improving volunteer management practice, it is one of the few national service streams that routinely supports practice-improvement studies, needs assessments and capacity evaluation of the volunteer workforce, an area of direct interest to social work researchers studying informal helping and organisational Amount not published · Annual cycle · May
- ASWB Regulatory Research Grant ProgramFoundation grantAssociation of Social Work Boards (ASWB)Funds research on social work occupational and professional regulation: examination pass rates, licensure impact, supervision, practice standards, electronic practice and regulatory enforcement. ASWB may share its test-taker demographic and performance datasets with funded researchers.Amount not published · Periodic calls · Jun
- ESRC Postdoctoral FellowshipsFederal fellowshipUK Research and Innovation - Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)A consolidation fellowship for the immediately post-PhD stage, funding the fellow to develop publications, networks, research skills and professional skills from existing doctoral work. Explicitly not a route to fund new research. Well suited to social work doctoral graduates converting a thesis into publications and a fundable research programme.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Jun
- Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship ProgrammeFederal fellowshipIrish Research Council / Taighde Eireann - Research IrelandIreland's national doctoral scholarship, covering stipend, a fees contribution and research expenses for postgraduate research at an eligible Irish institution. Bottom-up and non-directed across all disciplines, with an average success rate the Council states as 18%. The standard funding route for a social work PhD in Ireland.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Aug, Oct
- Domestic Violence Prevention Initiative (DVPI)Federal grantIndian Health Service, Office of Clinical and Preventive ServicesA congressionally mandated IHS grant program funding domestic and sexual violence prevention and treatment across Indian Country: victim advocacy, intervention, case coordination, policy development, community response teams, sexual assault examiner programs and community and school education. IHS specifies evidence-based and practice-based models that are culturally appropriate and community-driven, so funded projects carry real evaluation and practice-research work.Amount not published · Periodic calls
- Psychosocial Research (PSR) GrantsFoundation grantCraig H. Neilsen FoundationFunds studies of psychological and social wellbeing after spinal cord injury, and the development and testing of interventions. Three mechanisms: Postdoctoral Fellowships, Investigational Grants (two years), and Interventional Testing Grants (up to three years).Amount not published · Annual cycle · Jan, Mar, Jul
- Switzer Research Fellowship ProgramFederal fellowshipNational Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), Administration for Community LivingFellowships awarded to individuals, not organizations, to carry out research on rehabilitation, independent living and the experiences and outcomes of people with disabilities. Two tiers: Merit for earlier-career researchers and Distinguished for senior researchers.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr
- Cancer Prevention and Control Clinical Trials Grant Program (R01 Clinical Trial Required)Federal grantNational Cancer Institute (NIH)Funds investigator-initiated clinical trials in cancer prevention and control covering early detection, screening, prevention, healthcare delivery, quality of life and survivorship. Trials of cancer diagnosis or oncologic therapy are explicitly excluded.Not a cash award · Several times a year · Feb, Jun, Oct
- Pfizer Competitive Grants (Independent Grants for Learning & Change)Foundation grantPfizerCorporate independent-grants programme that posts public Requests for Proposals in defined health topic areas, funding investigator-initiated research, quality improvement and education projects designed and run entirely by the applicant organisation.Amount not published · Periodic calls
- Community Partnerships and InvestmentsFoundation grantWounded Warrior ProjectWWP makes grants and investments to military and veteran organisations across five focus areas, and separately funds applied research and white papers on caregiving, brain injury telerehabilitation and military family well-being.Amount not published · By invitation
- Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood (HMRF) Grants - FORGE Fatherhood, HEART, READY4LifeFederal grantHHS Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family AssistanceDiscretionary grants plus research and evaluation activities on responsible fatherhood, healthy relationships for adults, and relationship education for youth. Awards carry evaluation and performance-measurement requirements that researchers commonly partner on.Not a cash award · Periodic calls
- Líderes FellowshipFellowshipHispanics in PhilanthropyCohort leadership fellowship for mid-career Latine professionals working in philanthropy and nonprofits, focused on equity practice, peer networking and reflective practice through a racial-equity lens.Not a cash award · Annual cycle · Mar, Jun
- Adoption Opportunities Discretionary GrantsFederal grantHHS Administration for Children and Families, Children's BureauDiscretionary funds for projects removing barriers to adoption for children in foster care, including post-adoption services, kinship and pre-adoptive placement support, recruitment of families for older and minority children, and research on adoption outcomes.Amount not published · Varies by programme
- Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects (DRRP) ProgramFederal grantNational Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), Administration for Community LivingNIDILRR's main project grant mechanism, funding research, development, demonstration, training, dissemination and technical assistance on employment, independent living and community participation for people with disabilities. Sub-tracks include Knowledge Translation, Model Systems and the ADA Network.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr
- Science of Organizations (SoO)Federal grantU.S. National Science Foundation, Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic SciencesSupports research advancing theory on the design and management of organizations, the behavior and well-being of individuals within them, and the relationships between people, organizations and systems.Amount not published · Varies by programme
- VA Advanced Fellowship Program in Mental Illness Research and Treatment (VISN 5 MIRECC)FellowshipU.S. Department of Veterans Affairs — VISN 5 Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical CenterTwo-year postdoctoral research and clinical training fellowship in serious mental illness. Offers two positions, one for an MD fellow and one Allied Health slot explicitly open to social work alongside psychology, nursing and pharmacy.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Nov, Dec
- Child Well-being Program (unsolicited letter of inquiry)Foundation grantDoris Duke FoundationThe Child Well-being Program funds work to promote healthy child development and prevent abuse and neglect, currently centred on prevention-oriented child welfare. Unsolicited letters of inquiry are accepted from US nonprofits through an open online form.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- Creating Opportunity & Independence (COI)Foundation grantCraig H. Neilsen FoundationOne- and two-year grants to nonprofits serving people with spinal cord injury, in three categories: Community Activities (peer engagement), Life Transitions (post-injury community integration) and Accessibility For All (barrier removal).Amount not published · Annual cycle · Jan, Apr
- California Health Care Foundation grants and Innovation FundFoundation grantCalifornia Health Care FoundationSolicited and unsolicited project grants, plus program-related investments through the Innovation Fund, for work improving quality, cost and access to care for Californians with low incomes.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- NASW Foundation Doctoral Fellowships (Eileen Blackey and Jane B. Aron)Dissertation awardNASW FoundationNamed doctoral fellowships administered by the NASW Foundation to support social work doctoral students' dissertation research, alongside the Social Work HEALS doctoral fellowship.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Jan, Feb, Mar
- DAV Charitable Service Trust GrantsFoundation grantDAV (Disabled American Veterans) Charitable Service TrustQuarterly grant cycles funding physical and psychological rehabilitation and direct-service programmes for ill and injured veterans and their families, including housing, mobility and therapeutic programming.Amount not published · Several times a year · Jan, Apr, Jul, Oct
- Smart Reentry Demonstration ProgramFederal grantBureau of Justice Assistance, U.S. Department of JusticeSupports state, local and tribal governments to implement comprehensive and collaborative reentry strategies and to establish or expand an intervention that reduces recidivism. A final report evaluating the strategy or intervention is a required deliverable. Priority consideration goes to applicants committing to partner with a local evaluator for an independent evaluation that includes, to the maximum extent possible, random assignment.up to $1.1M · Annual cycle · Sep, Oct
- Second Chance Act Community-based Reentry ProgramFederal grantBureau of Justice Assistance, U.S. Department of JusticeFunds community-based organisations and tribal governments to provide mentoring and transitional services, before and/or after release, for people returning from adult correctional facilities assessed as moderate to high risk for recidivism.up to $1M · Annual cycle · Oct, Nov
- Navigator Emergency Department Diversion Models for Non-Urgent Mental Health Concerns (R01) — PAR-25-289Federal grantNational Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), NIHSupports research testing the effectiveness, implementation and optimisation of patient navigation models that divert youth with non-urgent mental health problems away from emergency departments. A companion R34 (PAR-25-288) funds pilot tests.Amount not published · Several times a year · Feb, Jun, Oct
Nontraditional (68)
- Finding your regional and community foundations (Candid)In-kind resourceCandidMost community foundations never post a national call, so their money is invisible unless you go looking. Candid's directory and the free Funding Information Network locations are how you find the ones near your study site.Not a cash award · Rolling / open
- Crowdfunding for research projectsCrowdfundingExperimentAll-or-nothing crowdfunding for discrete research projects. Realistic for pilot data, participant payments or a small community study — and the campaign itself is public engagement.$1k–$25k · Rolling / open
- Feedback and listening grantsParticipatory grantmakingFund for Shared InsightA funder collaborative paying non-profits to collect and act on feedback from the people they serve — effectively funding applied measurement inside human service organisations.$10k–$100k · Periodic calls
- Emergent VenturesRapid-response fundMercatus Center, George Mason UniversitySmall fast grants to individuals with an unusual idea, decided in weeks with a short application and no institutional overhead. Useful precisely where a conventional grant cycle is too slow to matter.$1k–$100k · Rolling / open
- Direct Action Visionary GrantsFoundation grantAmerican Psychological FoundationGrants of up to $60,000 for community interventions delivering an evidence-based psychological intervention or resource in real-world settings, aligned to priorities including serving marginalized communities, ending prejudice and stigma, and preventing violence.up to $60k · Several times a year · Jan, Mar, Apr, Jul, Sep, Oct
- Community-Based Participatory Research GrantsFoundation grantSociological Initiatives FoundationFunds community-based participatory research that connects research to social change, including research on language learning and behaviour and its intersection with policy — a route for work with immigrant and linguistic-minority communities.$15k–$30k · Annual cycle · Aug
- CommonSpirit Health Community Grants ProgramParticipatory grantmakingCommonSpirit HealthHospital community benefit grants that must address a significant health need named in the local hospital's Community Health Needs Assessment or implementation strategy, serving underserved populations in that hospital's service area.up to $150k · Annual cycle · Jul, Aug, Sep
- General BKO Funding (Community Advisory Council review)Participatory grantmakingBrooklyn Org (Brooklyn Community Foundation)Multi-year general operating support of up to $45,000 a year for up to three years, with full proposals reviewed by a Community Advisory Council of Brooklyn residents after a site visit. Applications are accepted year-round.up to $45k per year · Several times a year · Apr, Sep
- Building Disaster-Ready Human Services Systems ChallengePrize or challengeU.S. Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Human Services Emergency Preparedness and ResponseA federal prize competition, in two tracks, for implementation-ready and scalable solutions that strengthen human services systems' disaster response capability. Cash prizes, no grant application cycle.$200k–$400k · Periodic calls · Jul, Aug, Sep
- Engagement Award: Building Capacity for Small Organizations To Engage in Patient-Centered Comparative Clinical Effectiveness Research (CER) — Fall 2026 CycleTraining & capacityPatient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI)Two-year awards helping small community organisations prepare to engage in patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research. Awardees also receive PCORI technical assistance and join a peer learning network.up to $300k · Several times a year · Mar, Oct
- Engagement Award: Convening Support — Fall 2026 CycleTraining & capacityPatient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI)Funds multi-party convenings, meetings and conferences that bring patients, families, caregivers and the healthcare community together around patient-centered CER, or that disseminate PCORI-funded research findings.up to $125k · Several times a year · Mar, Oct
- Fast Forward Accelerator for Tech and AI NonprofitsTraining & capacityFast ForwardAn accelerator for early-stage tech and AI-powered nonprofits, combining unrestricted cash with mentorship, curriculum and a Demo Day. Useful for researchers whose tool or evidence product sits inside a nonprofit.from $25k · Annual cycle · Aug, Sep
- Engagement Award: Dissemination Initiative — Fall 2026 CycleTraining & capacityPatient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI)Supports organisations and communities in actively disseminating published PCORI-funded research results to specific audiences so those audiences can use the findings in healthcare decision making.up to $300k · Several times a year · Mar, Oct
- General Fund GrantsParticipatory grantmakingSeeding JusticeOregon's long-running participatory grantmaking fund: applications are reviewed and decided by a committee of social justice organizers from across the state rather than program officers. Offers operating support to smaller 501(c)(3) groups and project support to larger, fiscally sponsored, and unincorporated groups, with an explicit route for groups that have no fiscal sponsor at all.$7k–$15k · Several times a year · Mar, Sep
- Rapid Response FundRapid-response fundHeadwaters Foundation for JusticeFast, unrestricted general operating grants for Minnesota organizing groups facing an urgent threat or a time-sensitive opportunity. Eight cycles a year with rolling deadlines and money out within 30 days of the application deadline, which makes it usable for documenting or responding to a fast-moving policy or community crisis alongside a research partner.$15k · Several times a year · Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
- Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation Portfolio FundingPilot / seed fundingDraper Richards Kaplan FoundationVenture-philanthropy funding for early-stage social enterprises, delivered as either unrestricted grant funding or investment capital over three years and released in tranches, alongside intensive board-level engagement and pro bono capacity support. The unrestricted character is the point for research-minded organizations: it can pay for the measurement infrastructure, outcome tracking and evaluation partnership that restricted programme grants normally exclude.up to $300k · Rolling / open
- Nonprofit Finance Fund Financing (Term Loans, Bridge Loans and Lines of Credit)Training & capacityNonprofit Finance FundA CDFI lender that supplies working capital, bridge loans against committed grants and contracts, lines of credit and term loans to mission-driven nonprofits, paired with financial-management consulting. For social work research it is most relevant as reimbursement-gap financing: agencies delivering the intervention under study can borrow against a signed contract so service delivery and data collection do not pause between payments, and NFF's advisory arm builds the financial-management capacity that a multi-site evaluation depends on.$250k–$8M · Rolling / open
- Opportunity FundRapid-response fundBread & Roses Community FundA rapid-response fund with monthly deadlines for special projects or emergencies falling outside a group's ongoing work — demonstrations, coalition efforts, conferences and forums responding to emerging issues. Because grant decisions across Bread & Roses sit with community members rather than staff or professional program officers, this is a genuinely participatory small-grant route, useful for convening costs, community forums and quick-turn documentation alongside a research partner.up to $1k · Several times a year · Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
- Community Engagement Pilot Grant Program (CE-Pilot)Pilot / seed fundingColorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CCTSI), University of Colorado AnschutzTwo-tier pilot funding for community-academic research partnerships: $8,000 Partnership Development Projects for new partners, and $30,000 Joint Pilot Projects for established partnerships doing T3/T4 translational work in real-world community settings.$8k–$30k · Annual cycle · Jan, Feb
- Echoing Green FellowshipFellowshipEchoing GreenA competitive fellowship for founders at the earliest stage of a social-change organization, giving $100,000 in seed funding over 18 months plus leadership support. Useful for building the capacity to document and evaluate your own work.$100k stipend · Annual cycle
- Twilio.org Impact Access ProgramIn-kind resourceTwilio (Twilio.org)Product credits and ongoing discounts on Twilio's SMS and voice platform for nonprofits and social enterprises. Practical for text-based data collection, EMA/diary studies, reminder trials and participant follow-up.$100 · Rolling / open
- SBIR and STTR (America's Seed Fund)Pilot / seed fundingU.S. Small Business Administration (coordinating 11 participating federal agencies)Equity-free federal seed funding to small businesses to develop and commercialise a technology or service. Several participating agencies, including HHS components, award it as contracts rather than grants.$323k–$2.2M · Several times a year
- ARISE-HIV LAUNCH ChallengePrize or challengeNIH Office of AIDS Research (OAR)A $1 million two-phase implementation-science prize on access, delivery, engagement, and retention for long-acting HIV prevention and treatment. Phase 1 rewards the idea; Phase 2 pays for the implementation and evaluation plan.up to $1M · By invitation · Aug
- NAPSW Innovative Program Award and Research GrantPilot / seed fundingNational Association of Perinatal Social Workers (NAPSW)A $1,000 one-time seed award for perinatal social workers to fund special programmes or research efforts that lack other funding, including evidence-based practice implementation and best-practice evaluation.$1k · Annual cycle · Feb
- The Elevate PrizePrize or challengeThe Elevate Prize FoundationAn annual prize to ten social-impact leaders, giving unrestricted funding plus a two-year visibility, growth-strategy and leadership programme. Winners are surfaced by nomination and then invited to apply.$300k · Annual cycle · Apr, May, Jun
- Unlocked Futures (Catalyze cohort)Training & capacityNew ProfitA year-long cohort for nonprofits led by formerly incarcerated and directly impacted social entrepreneurs, combining unrestricted money with convenings, strategic advising and leadership development.$110k · Annual cycle · Feb
- SozialMarie Prize for Social InnovationPrize or challengeUnruhe Privatstiftung (SozialMarie)Fifteen annual prizes totalling EUR 50,000 for implemented, currently running social innovation projects in Central and Eastern Europe. Unusually open: individuals, companies, NGOs, and public administration may all submit.$2k–$15k · Annual cycle · Jan
- Hubert E. Sapp Regular Grant CycleParticipatory grantmakingSouthern Partners FundGrants for rural grassroots organizing in a 12-state Southern region, decided by a grants committee of SPF members who are themselves rural community leaders and current or former grantees.up to $5k · Annual cycle · Apr, May
- Microsoft Nonprofit Azure Grant and Cloud DiscountsIn-kind resourceMicrosoftA standing annual Azure credit grant plus deep discounts on Microsoft 365, Copilot and Dynamics for verified nonprofits. Supports the data infrastructure an organisation needs to document and evaluate its own work.$2k per year · Rolling / open
- Seed FundParticipatory grantmakingCrossroads FundGeneral operating, start-up, or project grants of up to $15,000 for Chicago-area social change organizations, decided by a Grantmaking Committee that includes Giving Project participants alongside board and staff.up to $15k · Annual cycle · Feb
- Small Grant Opportunities (Growing Advocacy, Conference Access, Language Translation, Inclusive Transportation)Training & capacityNew York State Council on Developmental DisabilitiesA recurring set of small state-agency grants, including Growing Advocacy for organisations run and led by people with developmental disabilities, that can fund advocacy capacity, access costs and translation.$1k–$10k · Periodic calls
- 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
- Awesome Foundation micro-grantsParticipatory grantmakingThe Awesome FoundationNo-strings $1,000 grants awarded monthly by autonomous local chapters of roughly ten micro-trustees each, for community, social innovation, accessibility and public-interest projects. Useful for small pilot documentation or community data work that cannot wait for a grant cycle.$1k · Several times a year · Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
- AWS Imagine GrantPilot / seed fundingAmazon Web ServicesAnnual competitive corporate grant giving registered nonprofits unrestricted cash plus AWS credits to build or modernise technology for mission delivery, including data and AI projects that support evaluation and measurement.up to $200k · Annual cycle · Mar, Apr, May, Jun
- Awesome Foundation micro-grantsParticipatory grantmakingThe Awesome Foundation (independent chapters)A network of independent local chapters where ten trustees each put in $100 a month and pick one project to fund outright, with no strings attached and no institutional paperwork.$1k · Rolling / open · Jan, Feb, Mar
- SPARC (Social work with groups: Practice, Advocacy, Research and Community) GrantsPilot / seed fundingInternational Association for Social Work with Groups (IASWG)Small seed grants and formal endorsement for innovative group-work projects in practice, education, training or research. Since 2013, 49 of 71 endorsed projects received funding totalling about $40,000.$400–$1k · Several times a year · Jun, Nov
- AARP Purpose PrizePrize or challengeAARPAn annual prize for people aged 50 and over who founded nonprofits serving the needs of Americans 50+, giving cash plus a year of organisational support to grow the nonprofit's impact.$75k · Annual cycle · Mar, Apr, May
- Awesome Foundation Micro-GrantsPilot / seed fundingThe Awesome FoundationNo-strings $1,000 grants awarded monthly by autonomous local chapters for projects with community benefit. Application is a short form with no reporting requirement and no equity or IP claim.$1k · Several times a year · Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
- Community Vision Lending and Real Estate AdvisingTraining & capacityCommunity Vision Capital & ConsultingA certified CDFI pairing flexible loans with culturally centred real estate and financial-management consulting for mission-driven organizations in California, aimed particularly at helping community organizations secure and preserve the physical space they operate from. Space stability is an underrated precondition for longitudinal community-based research: an agency displaced mid-study takes the cohort with it, and the advising side builds the financial-management capacity that grant-funded research administration requires.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- Los Angeles County Open Solicitations (WebVen / Vendor Self Service)Evaluation contractCounty of Los AngelesLA County's standing procurement portal, where every county department — including Public Health, Mental Health, Children and Family Services and Public Social Services — posts open solicitations, including RFPs for evaluation, analysis and professional services.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- KCRHA Funding OpportunitiesEvaluation contractKing County Regional Homelessness AuthorityThe Seattle/King County CoC lead agency's competitive funding portal, listing open and anticipated procurements — CoC NOFO local competitions, youth homelessness demonstration funds, and re-procurements of rapid re-housing and supportive housing.Amount not published · Several times a year
- eMMA — eMaryland Marketplace AdvantageEvaluation contractState of Maryland, Department of General ServicesMaryland's online procurement platform connecting vendors with contracting opportunities from state, county and local government entities, including health and human services solicitations. Registered vendors get bid notices and submit responses online.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- Sponsored Projects ProgramIn-kind resourceAllied Media ProjectsAMP fiscally sponsors projects making media for liberation, providing financial stewardship and administrative capacity so a project without its own nonprofit status can receive funding for community documentation and participatory media research.Not a cash award · Rolling / open
- New York State Contract ReporterEvaluation contractState of New YorkNew York's official source of state contracting opportunities, described as bringing business and government together — the board where state health and human services agency solicitations, including evaluation and consulting services, are advertised.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- National Leadership Circle FellowshipTraining & capacityFoster AmericaA yearlong fellowship for people with lived experience of the child welfare system who now hold professional roles at agencies, universities and advocacy organizations, supporting them to develop and pursue system-change strategies together.Not a cash award · Annual cycle
- LAHSA Funding Opportunities (RFPs, RFQs and Statements of Qualifications)Evaluation contractLos Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA)The Los Angeles CoC lead agency's standing solicitation page, where it posts RFPs, RFQs and a pre-qualification RFSQ — including professional-services contracts for statistical and demographic surveying, not only service delivery.Amount not published · Several times a year
- Catalog of State Financial Assistance (CSFA) and weekly Notice of Funding Opportunity feedEvaluation contractIllinois Grant Accountability and Transparency Unit, Governor's Office of Management and BudgetIllinois' single authoritative statewide source of state financial assistance programme information, listing active grant programmes and open funding opportunities. Free email subscription delivers weekly notices of funding opportunities.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- PA eMarketplace — Commonwealth of Pennsylvania solicitationsEvaluation contractCommonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of General ServicesPennsylvania's online board where state agencies — including human services and health agencies — post Invitations for Bid, Requests for Proposal and Requests for Quote across services, including research and evaluation services.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- OASIS+ (One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services Plus)Evaluation contractU.S. General Services Administration (GSA)GSA's governmentwide multiple-award IDIQ program for professional services, with 13 domains including Social Services and Research & Development. Federal agencies place evaluation and research task orders against it.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- SAFE Housing NetworkIn-kind resourceA New Way of Life Reentry ProjectA national network of formerly incarcerated people that gives organisations the model, training, technical assistance and mentorship to open safe reentry homes and build the leadership of the women who live in them.Not a cash award · Rolling / open
- North Carolina electronic Vendor Portal (eVP)Evaluation contractState of North Carolina, Division of Purchase & ContractNorth Carolina's system connecting vendors with state government organizations that purchase goods and services, including health and human services evaluation and analytic contracts. Self-service vendor registration.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- Fiscal Sponsorship (fees and minimums)In-kind resourceCommunity InitiativesCommunity Initiatives acts as the legal and financial home for projects that are not their own nonprofit, handling grants management, payroll, HR, insurance, and tax compliance so a project team can hold research or evaluation funding.Not a cash award · Rolling / open
- Fiscal Sponsorship ProgramIn-kind resourceTSNE (Third Sector New England)TSNE provides a legal and employment home for mission-aligned charitable projects, including contract and grant management, legal, HR, payroll and benefits, so a project without its own 501(c)(3) can hold research or evaluation awards.Not a cash award · Rolling / open
- SAM.gov Contract OpportunitiesEvaluation contractU.S. General Services Administration (SAM.gov, Integrated Award Environment)The single federal portal where every agency posts procurement notices, including the evaluation, data-collection and policy-research solicitations that never circulate on academic listservs.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- New York State Grants Management (Grants Gateway / Statewide Financial System)Evaluation contractNew York State Grants ManagementCentral New York State system for finding state grant opportunities, managing awarded contracts and requesting payments. Search for open grants runs through the Statewide Financial System.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- Multnomah County Bids and ProposalsEvaluation contractMultnomah County, Oregon — Purchasing (Department of County Management)Multnomah County procures services for its health clinics, jails, libraries and animal and human services through a central purchasing office, with solicitations posted to a public bids-and-proposals portal.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- OregonBuys — Oregon state procurement platformEvaluation contractState of Oregon, Department of Administrative ServicesOregon's procurement platform where state agencies post bid opportunities and blanket contracts, including the route for Oregon Health Authority and human services evaluation and analytic solicitations.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- Fisher Service Awards (formerly the Newman's Own Award)Prize or challengeFisher House Foundation (with Military Times Foundation)An annual competition recognising innovative nonprofit programmes that improve quality of life for active duty, Reserve, National Guard members, veterans and their families. Winners must file 6-month and 1-year evaluation reports.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Mar
- Families and Workers FundFoundation grantFamilies and Workers FundA pooled donor fund making grants and building partnerships in two areas: 21st Century Benefits, which works to streamline access to public benefits such as healthcare, childcare, and food assistance, and Uplifting Careers, which supports inclusive workforce development and employer investment in workers. Both lines routinely involve implementation research and evaluation partners.Amount not published · Varies by programme
- Peg's Foundation mental health grantsFoundation grantPeg's FoundationAn Ohio family foundation whose primary grantmaking area is mental health, awarded to tax-exempt organisations through an open-call application session managed via its online portal.Amount not published · Periodic calls
- HSH Procurement OpportunitiesEvaluation contractSan Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH)San Francisco's homelessness department posts its RFPs and RFQs here, including consulting contracts explicitly for programme evaluation and for standing up and facilitating an advisory group of people with lived experience.Amount not published · Varies by programme
- Chuffed.org Crowdfunding for Social CausesCrowdfundingChuffed.orgA social-enterprise crowdfunding platform built for non-profits, charities and social enterprises running campaigns in health, education, environment, social welfare and community work.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- Listen4Good feedback capacity-building cohortsIn-kind resourceListen4GoodCohort-based capacity building that equips nonprofits to gather, analyse and act on feedback from the people they serve, with feedback tools and methodology, coaching and technical support, data analysis help, peer learning and a resource library; a practical route to client-voice evaluation in human services.Not a cash award · Periodic calls · Dec
- 100&ChangePrize or challengeJohn D. and Catherine T. MacArthur FoundationOpen competition for a single $100 million grant to fund one proposal that promises real and measurable progress in solving a critical problem of our time; proposals must set out both a problem and its solution, judged as impactful, evidence-based, feasible, durable and just.up to $100M · Periodic calls
- ACS Research Review Committee Approval (research access to ACS clients, staff and administrative data)In-kind resourceNYC Administration for Children's Services (ACS)Route by which university researchers, graduate students and program evaluators obtain approval to study children and families served by New York City's child welfare agency, its staff, foster parents, contract agencies or administrative data.Not a cash award · Rolling / open
- KP Mental Health Scholars Academy Community Grants (MHSA Community Fund)Training & capacityKaiser Permanente Northern California (Fund for Health Education at the East Bay Community Foundation)Grants to nonprofit organisations, via the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Fund for Health Education at the East Bay Community Foundation, to expand the pipeline of mental health professionals with an emphasis on California's communities; its first grant funded research and a UCSF Healthforce Center report on expanding the pipeline of behavioral health paraprofessionals.Amount not published · By invitation
- Heluna Health Fiscal SponsorshipIn-kind resourceHeluna HealthFiscal sponsorship and third-party administration (contracts and grants management, HR, payroll, accounting, IT) for public health and social service programs of academic institutions, government agencies and community organizations.Not a cash award · Rolling / open
- Engaged Scholarship Research/Creative Activities Grants Program for Faculty and StaffParticipatory grantmakingEngagement Scholarship ConsortiumOne-year grants for scholarship that is mutually beneficial for university scholars and communities, with stakeholder inclusion and community partner roles expected; collaborative projects across disciplines and institutions are encouraged.up to $5k · Annual cycle · Oct
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
- School Social Work
- Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
- Substance Misuse and Addictive Behaviors
- Sustainable Development, Environmental and Climate Justice
- Work and Work-Life Policies and Programs