The Nasw Foundation Inc

What The Nasw Foundation Inc does

The Nasw Foundation Inc is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization established in 2001 and headquartered in Washington, D.C. It functions as the philanthropic entity affiliated with the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), channeling private donations, institutional grants, and partner contributions into programs that strengthen the social work profession. Its programmatic portfolio spans scholarships and fellowships for social work students and practitioners, disaster relief funding for social workers affected by crises, the NASW Pioneers recognition program, and broader public education initiatives aimed at elevating understanding of the profession. Since inception, the Foundation has raised and invested approximately $40 million across these activities.

The Foundation's business model is that of a grant-funded nonprofit rather than a revenue-generating enterprise: funding comes from individual donor contributions (with disclosed giving tiers starting at $25 and extending to $5,000), larger institutional grants (including a disclosed $913,610 award from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), and partnerships with entities such as the Telligen Community Initiative and the Tamara L. Harris Foundation, as well as with academic institutions administering scholarship and fellowship programs. There is no evidence of a commercial product, fee-for-service offering, or proprietary technology platform; the Foundation's "deliverables" are programmatic grants, recognition, and educational content. Leadership comprises a small staff anchored by a Director (Robert Arnold) and an Acting Assistant Director (Brian Williams), consistent with a lean charitable operating structure.

Strategically, the Foundation's value proposition is its affiliation with NASW and its ability to aggregate fragmented individual giving and institutional grantmaking into mission-aligned professional support. Its principal exposure is funder concentration on a small number of large institutional awards supplemented by a long tail of small-dollar donors, which simultaneously stabilizes the long-run fundraising base and creates year-to-year volatility tied to grant cycles.

Name

The Nasw Foundation Inc

Legal name

National Association of Social Workers Foundation

Website

https://naswfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Nasw Foundation Inc is a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)(3) charitable organization that supports the social work profession through scholarships, fellowships, disaster relief, and public education, funded by donations and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Foundation Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

Keywords

• Social work scholarships
• Disaster assistance programs
• Professional recognition awards
• Nonprofit foundation services
• Social work education campaigns

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The foundation generates revenue primarily through donations from individuals, organizations, and supporters. Various designated funds accept contributions including the NASW Foundation Annual Fund, Social Work Public Education Campaign, NASW Social Work Pioneers, The NASW Legacy Project, Memorial & Tribute Fund, Social Work Disaster Assistance Fund, and Willard C. Wichers Ethics Education Fund.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The NASW Foundation Inc is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization that supports the social work profession by administering scholarships, fellowships, disaster relief assistance, and professional recognition awards. It also runs public education campaigns and supports research initiatives that strengthen the social work field.

Product overview

The NASW Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization founded in 2001 to support NASW's charitable, educational, and research initiatives. It operates as a portfolio of programs rather than a unified technology product. The foundation administers multiple distinct programs including scholarships and fellowships (Consuelo W. Gosnell Memorial Scholarship, Verne LaMarr Lyons Memorial Scholarship, Eileen Blackey Doctoral Fellowship), recognition programs (NASW Social Work Pioneers®), disaster relief (Social Work Disaster Assistance Fund), public education campaigns, and various specialized funds. The foundation also supports chapter activities, policy research, ethics education, and international initiatives. Since its creation in 2001, it has raised and invested approximately $40 million on programs serving the social work profession, practitioners, and the public.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Scholarship and Fellowship Programs Financial support programs that provide scholarships and fellowships to social work students and practitioners pursuing advanced education and professional development.
• Disaster Assistance Fund Emergency financial relief program that assists social workers impacted by natural disasters and catastrophic events.
• Professional Recognition Awards Recognition programs that honor individual social workers and organizations for exceptional contributions to the profession.
• Public Education Campaigns Public-facing campaigns designed to raise awareness about social issues, the social work profession, and the contributions of social workers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Since 2001, raised and invested approximately $40 million on programs and activities
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Loyola University School of Social WorkmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partnered on Illinois social work workforce study funded by Telligen Community Initiative.
• NASW California ChaptermajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Partnered with two schools of social work (CSU Northridge and CSU Chico) to distribute disaster assistance funds to areas most impacted by California wildfires.
• University of Iowa School of Social WorkmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Partnered on Iowa social work labor force assessment funded by Telligen Community Initiative.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNASW and NASW Foundation partnered with CDC in the FASD National Partner Network and Collaborative for Alcohol-Free Pregnancy, a cross-discipline public health initiative to prevent substance-exposed pregnancies.
• Health Behavior Research and Training Institute at The University of Texas at Austin Steve Hicks School of Social WorkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNASW Foundation partners with HBRT on national initiatives to engage social workers in preventing alcohol- and substance-exposed pregnancies, with support from CDC (award totaling $913,610).
• Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in FASD National Partner Network, collaborating on SBIRT pocket card development for alcohol screening and brief intervention.
• American College of Obstetricians and GynecologistscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in CDC Collaborative for Alcohol-Free Pregnancy, working to encourage health professionals to incorporate proven FASD prevention strategies.
• American Academy of PediatricscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in CDC Collaborative for Alcohol-Free Pregnancy, contributing to FASD prevention efforts and toolkit development.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Others

• Council on Foundations: Membership association of foundations and corporate giving programs in the US. Indirect peer as an industry body representing NASW Foundation's broader funding ecosystem, useful for benchmarking operational practices and donor engagement norms.

Direct peers

• American Nurses Foundation: Philanthropic arm of the American Nurses Association, administering scholarships, research grants, and disaster relief for nurses. Closest structural analog: a 501(c)(3) foundation operating under a major national professional association, with parallel programs in scholarships, workforce research, and wellness support.
• National Education Association Foundation: Philanthropic arm of the NEA providing scholarships, grants, and disaster relief to educators. Same operating model: foundation serving a national professional association's members with scholarships, public education, and chapter-level support.
• Council on Social Work Education: National accrediting body for social work education that administers its own research and scholarship programs. Directly comparable to NASW Foundation in mission (advancing social work profession), funding model (grantmaking and donations), and beneficiary base (social workers and students).
• American Association of University Women (AAUW): 501(c)(3) nonprofit administering fellowships and scholarships for women in graduate and professional education programs. Highly comparable structure, donor model (designated funds, pin/recognition programs), and beneficiary (graduate students pursuing professional degrees).
• American Psychological Association Foundation: Charitable arm of the APA that funds psychological research, scholarships, and public education campaigns. Comparable as a profession-affiliated foundation supporting education, research, and recognition programs for a single licensed profession.

Broad incumbents

• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Largest US philanthropy focused on health and healthcare workforce, including social determinants of health. Operates in overlapping domains (health workforce research, social work-adjacent initiatives) but at vastly greater scale; serves as an upper-bound reference for comparable grantmaking activity.
• American Bar Foundation: Charitable research affiliate of the American Bar Foundation supporting empirical legal research and policy. Comparable as a foundation tied to a national professional association, focused on workforce research and policy institute activity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/NASWFoundation
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/socialworkers
• Facebookfacebook.com/NASW-Foundation-175777515902178
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-nasw-foundation-inc
• Instagraminstagram.com/naswfoundation

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Nasw Foundation Inc