Ima Hogg Scholarships for Graduate Social Work Students

Texas faces a critical mental health workforce shortage, ranking far below the national average in the number of mental health professionals per 100,000 residents. In 2009, 173 counties in Texas were designated as mental health profession shortage areas, and 40 Texas counties did not have a single social worker, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The problem is likely to worsen in the future.

To help graduate social work students achieve their degree, the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health awards up to five $5,000 scholarships annually to students who demonstrate a strong commitment to providing mental health services in Texas after graduation. The scholarship program was created in 1956 at the request of Miss Ima Hogg to address the need for more trained social workers to deliver quality mental health services to people in Texas.

Eligibility

Applicants must:

Be accepted to one of 12 Texas graduate schools of social work that are accredited or pending accreditation by the national Council on Social Work Education.

Plan to enter a one-year advanced standing program or the second year of a two-year program in fall 2011.

Be nominated for the scholarship by the dean or director of their graduate program. Each school may nominate two applicants.

Demonstrate a strong commitment to pursuing a career in providing mental health services after graduation.

Application Timeline

Applications are currently closed. The next round of applications will be due in spring 2012. Sign up to receive emails about upcoming scholarship opportunities.

Two-Step Application Process

1. Program deans or directors must:

Select two scholarship nominees from your school.
Notify the nominees of the process and deadline for submitting scholarship applications to the Hogg Foundation.
Email names of nominees to the Ima Hogg Scholarships Committee (Hogg-Grants@austin.utexas.edu) by the application deadline.

2. Scholarship nominees must submit the following application materials online by the deadline:

Resume
Personal statement (500-word maximum) describing your career goals, your experience in providing mental health services, how the master’s degree will help you meet your career goals, and the community impact you intend to achieve through your work. Please include personal or family experience with mental illness if you would like this information to be considered.
Two signed letters of reference (including one from a faculty member in your social work program). If you are unable to scan and upload the signed letters, then upload the unsigned letters and mail the signed letters to the scholarship committee. Mailed letters must be postmarked by the application deadline.

Ima Hogg Scholarships Committee
Hogg Foundation for Mental Health
P.O. Box 7998
Austin, TX 78713-7998

Contacts

School nominations: contact your school's dean or director
General information: contact Program Officer Vicky Coffee-Fletcher, MEd, LPC, (512) 475-7057