Social Work Empowerment Fund Growth Strategy

SWLC recently launched the Social Work Empowerment Fund, our microgrant initiative designed to provide direct financial support to social workers for licensure, professional development, and wellness-related expenses. In our first cycle, we awarded six microgrants.

We see significant potential for the Fund to become a sustainable annual initiative that supports more social workers and provides greater financial assistance over time. However, we currently need a focused strategy for how to grow the Fund beyond its initial cycle.

We want to better understand how to position the Fund for philanthropic support, what types of donors and partners are most likely to invest in it, what realistic growth targets should look like, and how we can create a sustainable funding model.

Our team is already conducting general grant and fundraising activities, so we are not looking for someone simply to compile a list of grants. We need strategic guidance specifically focused on growing and sustaining the Empowerment Fund.

We would like the consultant to create a Social Work Empowerment Fund Growth Strategy that provides a practical roadmap for expanding the Fund over the next 1–3 years.

The deliverable should include:

Recommended annual fundraising and growth goals for the Fund
A recommended funding model and mix of potential revenue sources
Identification of the most promising donor, foundation, corporate, and community-partnership audiences
Recommendations for positioning and communicating the Fund to potential supporters
A donor/partner cultivation approach specifically for the Fund
Recommendations for recurring and annual support
Potential sponsorship/partnership models
Recommendations for increasing the number and/or size of microgrants as funding grows
Key metrics for measuring Fund growth and sustainability

The goal is to create a clear, realistic strategy that SWLC can implement, rather than an open-ended research project.

Organization Mission

The Social Work Ladies Collective, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to helping women social workers and mental health professionals recharge, connect, and thrive. Through social gatherings, workshops, networking events, wellness retreats, and our upcoming Empowerment Fund, we provide the resources, support, and community- social workers need to sustain their work, care for themselves, and strengthen their impact in the communities they serve. We believe that those who give so much to others deserve the same care, support, and restoration in return.