Social Work Leadership Development Awards

Guidelines  |  Grantee List

Social Work Leadership Development no longer accepts applications for funding. The following guidelines are posted for reference purposes only.

The goals of the Social Work Leadership Development Awards are to:

• identify outstanding social work faculty and clinicians who are committed to improving the care of the dying and the bereaved;
• support these individuals in disseminating existing models of good care;
• encourage them to take leadership roles at their institutions and nationally;
• encourage the development of an intellectually vibrant, mutually supportive, and cross-fertilizing network of social work colleagues involved in multiple facets of work with the dying and the bereaved;
• promote collaborative models of practice, policy development, and research between schools of social work and social work practice sites that provide care for the dying;
• address continuity of patient care between acute care facilities, community agencies, and hospice services;
• test efficacy of innovations in teaching of end-of-live care to social workers at the BSW and MSW level.

PDIA will grant up to six Social Work Leadership Development Awards. The period of the award may range from 18 to 24 months at a figure of $30,000 per year. Payments will be made to institutions on behalf of the recipient. Priority will be given to projects involving collaboration between a school of social work and a practice site. These funds may be used to support a percentage of the recipient's salary and fringe benefits. They may also be used toward project costs, research assistance, travel funds for national meetings up to $2,500, and other costs related to work on the recipient's project. A maximum of 10% will be allowed for institutional overhead. Funds may not be used for rent or capital equipment purchase. The recipient will be required to attend one two-day orientation meeting and two one-week July conferences during the grant period. PDIA will supplement the grant to cover the expenses of these meetings.

Eligibility

Applications will be accepted from:

• Researchers and practitioners from health care facilities who have demonstrated expertise in care of the dying, with priority given to those with doctoral level preparation;
• Social work faculty from schools of social work throughout the United States, with priority given to those who hold a rank of Instructor, Assistant Professor, or Associate Professor;
• Advanced social work practitioners with documented clinical, community development, policy, or research experience;
• Individuals who have demonstrated leadership in advancing the field of social work.

Priority Areas

Social work applicants for these awards are invited to submit proposals that address a critical issue in the care of the dying in his or her institution or community. The project must have documented institutional support and the potential for integration into existing structures. In addition, the project should have potential generalizability to other settings, populations, and institutions, and should represent an innovative approach to care, education, research, and/or advocacy.

Especially encouraged are projects that address the design, implementation, and dissemination of research on new social work service-delivery models for the dying and their network of family and freinds. Interests include:

• developing programs to improve communication between various levels of care and between different service sites;
• identifying barriers to patients accessing needed services and designing and evaluating strategies to overcome them;
• examining the advantages, disadvantages and feasibility of various settings for death, including the home;
• developing and evaluating new roles for social work in palliative care or hospice programs;
• assessing the advantages and disadvantages of programs that support family caregivers;
• integrating principles and practices of palliative and hospice care into the delivery of services to all dying persons;
• addressing the needs of the bereaved, especially those known to have more adverse outcomes;
• disseminating and replicating promising models of service delivery;
• evaluating interventions to improve family decision-making in the care of the dying;
• testing innovative approaches to working with dying persons from culturally and economically diverse populations and their families and friends;
• testing innovative models in teaching end-of-life care at BSW and MSW levels.

These examples are provided as a guide to the applicant; PDIA welcomes proposals in areas not listed here. Creative approaches that address the critical issues relevant to improving the role and functioning of social workers in the care of the dying will be given full consideration.

Application Format

The application package must be in the following format:

• In English only;
• Ten copies of all materials organized into ten individual sets;
• Type in 12-point font with one-inch margins, single-spaced, and single-sided;
• Page number and the applicant's full name must appear in the upper right hand corner of every page included in the submission, except the application form.

Important Notes

• Do not send materials other than those specifically requested in the application guidelines.
• Please retain copies of all materials submitted for review, as they will not be returned.
• At all stages of the review process, personal visits to PDIA offices as well as telephone calls to staff by prospective grantees are strongly discouraged. Fax any questions you may have regarding the Social Work Leadership Development Awards to PDIA at (212) 548-4613. Include your name, address, telephone, and fax number so that the Project can respond in a timely fashion.
• Materials sent under separate cover will not be accepted.
• No faxed or e-mailed applications will be accepted.
• No incomplete applications will be reviewed.
• Site visits will be conducted as needed and finalists may be interviewed.
• The board will not provide individual critiques of applications that have been turned down.
• All individual applicants must be authorized to work in the United States.
• All organizational applicants must be based in the United States.

Application Process

All applicants should include the following, in this order:

• A 200-word abstract
• An application form
• A 2000-word proposal describing the project (include background, goals, methods, and evaluation plan);
• A 1000-word professional development plan, which should include a personal statement describing how this project will enhance the applicant's leadership capacity within his/her organization or institution;
• A brief (two page limit) biographical sketch of the applicant;
  ·A two-page curriculum vitae of each of the key personnel involved in the proposal;
• Two letters of recommendation;
• A one-page timetable outlining the work plan for the project;
• A one-page budget justifying how the funds will be spent;
• A letter of institutional/organizational support;
• A copy of your institution's/organization's most recent annual report (if not a university);
• A list of funding received in support of the applicant's work over the last three years;
• A self-addressed postcard. One is provided in the application booklet; only applications which include a self-addressed postcard will receive acknowledgement of receipt.
• A completed "Pre-Grant Information Required" form. You must attach an IRS tax determination letter.