GSSWSR Receives Grant to Support Nonprofit Leaders in the Philadelphia Region

The Nonprofit Executive Leadership Institute (NELI) within the Center for Professional Development at the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research has received a one-year $25,000 grant from the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey. This Community Impact Grant will go towards full- and partial-tuition scholarships to NELI's two Nonprofit Leadership Certificate programs: Set Your Sights on Organizational Development and Leading with Impact Nonprofit Executive Certificate, which help nonprofit leaders become more effective agents of change.  

Nonprofit organizations are facing financial uncertainty due to budget instability, rising operating costs, and increasing demand for services. "During periods of strain, professional development is often one of the first investments reduced, leaving nonprofit leaders without the support needed to guide their organizations through complexity and change," wrote Quanisha Green, M.S.S. '15, interim director of the Center for Professional Development, and Peggy Robinson, director of academic operations, in the grant application, submitted in January 2026. 

NELI has been a United Way grant recipient nearly every year since spring 2009. 

"My hope is that these scholarships expand access to the NELI Fellowship so that more nonprofit leaders can engage in meaningful leadership development without financial barriers," Green says. "Investing in the growth of leaders who are deeply rooted in their communities strengthens not only their organizations, but the broader nonprofit ecosystem working to create lasting change."