Innovative Program Award & Research Grant
The National Association of Perinatal Social Workers invites applications for the Innovative Programs/Research Grant. This grant provides seed money for perinatal social workers to fund special programs or research efforts that would otherwise be unfunded through their agency or place of employment. This purpose of this program is to:
- Help social workers in funding innovative programs designed to identify or meet the needs of their client population.
- Encourage the translation of evidence-based findings to be practiced through the development of novel or unique interventions.
- Encourage the evaluation of best practices through research projects designed to inform practice.
Interested applicants should submit a 3-5 page proposal that includes the following elements: 
- Discuss how the proposed project contributes to the goals of NAPSW.
- Description of the need and population being served.
- Description of the program implementation or research plan to include:
- Aims
- How those aims will be conducted (specific plan)
- Outcomes — include evaluation of outcomes or benchmarks.
- Time line
- Budget
- Agency letter of support
This program is open to social workers of any level currently practicing in a perinatal field, as well as full-time students currently enrolled in an accredited social work graduate or undergraduate degree program with a research agenda that relates to perinatal social work. The selected applicant(s) will receive a one-time funding award of $1,000.00 and are expected to give a poster presentation of their outcomes or research findings at the NAPSW Annual Conference the year following the award. A two-page summary of findings should go with the poster presentation. Award recipients must be a member of NAPSW or agree to join and support membership in NAPSW for the year in which funding is provided.
Check back for information on the next application period.
Current Recipient Information:
Congratulations Maria Lu and Diana Ayala-Balderas from Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, Texas for being the 2025 Recipients of the Innovative Program Award. Meditation Intervention Study to Improve Mother-Infant Bonding and Mental Health in a Preterm NICU Population. Along with their research team they hope to develop meditation video intervention that is done in conjunction with kangaroo care to assess the impacts on maternal-infant bonding. The guided meditation video focuses on mindful breathing and scanning the baby’s body from head to toe while encouraging loving-kindness between the mother and infant. Through guided meditation the study team hopes to improve maternal mental health outcomes and improve mother-infant bonding. We look forward to hearing about their findings at the 2026 conference in Nashville, TN.
Click here to read more about our past Innovative Program Award and Research Grant recipients.
Check back for information on the next application period.
Current Recipient Information:
Congratulations Maria Lu and Diana Ayala-Balderas from Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, Texas for being the 2025 Recipients of the Innovative Program Award. Meditation Intervention Study to Improve Mother-Infant Bonding and Mental Health in a Preterm NICU Population. Along with their research team they hope to develop meditation video intervention that is done in conjunction with kangaroo care to assess the impacts on maternal-infant bonding. The guided meditation video focuses on mindful breathing and scanning the baby’s body from head to toe while encouraging loving-kindness between the mother and infant. Through guided meditation the study team hopes to improve maternal mental health outcomes and improve mother-infant bonding. We look forward to hearing about their findings at the 2026 conference in Nashville, TN.
Click here to read more about our past Innovative Program Award and Research Grant recipients.