Endowments & Gifts
Endowments
Endowments are special funds established through the generosity of donors to support various School of Social Work activities. The initial funds provided by the donor (usually at least $30,000) are invested, and the interest each year is used to fund the selected activities; the funds can grow when other people donate to them.
Gifts
Gifts are donations that can be used immediately to support the mission of the School of Social Work or a particular program or service within the School. Gifts are useful for short-term needs and program goals.
The School has many endowments and gift funds, and you can donate directly to any that you choose. Following are brief descriptions of some of these funds. For information on all of our endowments and gift funds, or to discuss establishing one of your own, please contact Dr. Anne Hughes at hughesa@msu.edu or (517) 355-7515.
John R. Sougstad Memorial Scholarship
This fund supports MSW students who are entering the field of school social work.
Dorothy Harper Jones Lectureship in Family Therapy
This fund supports a biennial lecture on couple and family therapy that provides opportunities for students, faculty, and community professionals to learn from national and international experts, in order to improve services to families.
Diane Levande Endowed Fund for Work with Older Adults
This fund supports scholarships for students with a career interest in gerontology, and programming that improves services to older adults, including, curriculum development, research projects, lectures and workshops, and special events.
Dr. Mary Bremer Barron Scholarship Fund
This fund supports scholarships for students, with preference for those from the greater Flint community.
Janet Sisson Tift Endowed Scholarship
This fund supports scholarships for students in undergraduate, advanced standing, or regular master’s programs.
FAME General Gift Fund
The goal of the FAME General Gift Fund is to support service delivery, outreach and training for alumni of the foster care system.
MSW Veterans Scholarship
The School of Social Work at Michigan State University is actively addressing these needs by recruiting veterans into our MSW program and establishing a scholarship fund to support their graduate study. Learn more about the MSW Veterans Scholarship.
Paul P. and Donna K. Freddolino Endowment for Distance Education
The Paul P. and Donna K. Freddolino Endowment for Distance Education fund supports the School of Social Work’s distance educational programs, including both student support and the development of new educational technologies.
Youth Education and Support
Youth Education and Support gift fund donations help build, test, and disseminate research focused on real ways to increase child and youth access to accurate, non-stigmatized knowledge of mental illness and recovery.
The research will build and promote evidence-informed programs and initiatives that help children and youth increase their skills to recognize possible mental illness behaviors, identify recovery strategies, state ways that mental illness can impact families, combat mental illness stigma, increase stress management, and seek help for themselves, peers, and family members who may be in need of crisis mental health services.
Gary R. Anderson Endowed Fund for Child Welfare Leadership
The Gary R. Anderson Endowed Fund for Child Welfare Leadership fund supports workshops, lectures, and scholarships in the School related to child welfare leadership and workplace development.
Gwen Andrew School of Social Work Faculty Research Fund
The Gwen Andrew School of Social Work Faculty Research Fund provides financial support for a range of research projects undertaken by School of Social Work faculty members.
The School of Social Work Endowed Fund
The School of Social Work Endowed Fund provides a range of supports for the School including student scholarships, support for faculty research, and support for School programs. This is the most flexible of all School endowed funds.
Mruk Memorial Lectureship on Schizophrenia
The Mruk Memorial Lectureship on Schizophrenia fund provides support for a major lecture and workshops addressing schizophrenia and the psychosocial aspects of the illness including implications for family members.
Social Work Alumni Scholarship
This fund supports general expenses for supplies, travel, student scholarships, faculty development, special events, and other initiatives.
SSW Development Fund
Gifted account. Funds come from alumni donations. Purpose: Supplies, travel, student scholarships, faculty development funds, bonuses, special events and other expenses related to School of Social Work.
Ruth T. Koehler Endowed Lectureship
This fund supports an annual lecture focused on children’s services, that provides opportunities for students, faculty, and community professionals to learn from national and international experts, in order to improve clinical services to children.
Richard D. Gardner Memorial Scholarship
This fund supports scholarships for graduate students beginning a master’s program after at least a two-year hiatus since earning their Bachelor’s degrees, who faced academic or personal challenges, with a preference for students with a career interest in substance abuse treatment.
Robert Little Scholarship Fund
This fund provides scholarships for graduate students with a career interest in child welfare, with preference for those who want to work in kinship care.
Gordon and Gladys Aldridge Memorial Endowed Fellowship Fund
This fund provides scholarships to students in support of general educational expenses and special educational opportunities.
Advocacy, Leadership and Social Justice Endowed Fund
To promote advocacy, leadership and social justice through education, workshops, lectures, field placements, etc in the field of Social Work.
Chance at Childhood Endowment Fund
The goal of this fund is to support research, education, training, and outreach concerning: at-risk children and families intervention and treatment; children's justice; coordination of professionals dealing with at-risk children and families; and methods of encouraging children and youth to develop into well adjusted, capable, and productive adults.
The fund shall be used to benefit the Law and Social Work Child Welfare Initiative of the MSU School of Social Work and DCL at MSU or similar successor programs or smilar activities. It will support financial support according to the co-administering unit's goals for the Initiative or successor program.
Ruth T. Koehler Professorship in Children's Services
The Professorship shall be awarded through a recruitment process and the accepted applicant shall serve in this Professorship until her/his termination of employment at Michigan State University.
Future Leaders Endowed Scholarship in Social Work
Earnings shall be used to support the College of Social Science School of Social Work graduate scholarships, assistantships, or fellowships.