Laurel House, Inc. announces the opening of the 5th annual Social Work Racial Equity Scholarship Award.
Black and Hispanic communities face significant mental health disparities. Representation matters—adding more clinical social workers who understand cultural nuances can build trust and improve access to care.
Laurel House’s Social Work Racial Equity Scholarship is a competitive scholarship that aims to improve mental health care outcomes in Connecticut by developing culturally relevant Master of Social Work students committed to providing quality care to underserved communities.
Laurel House Social Work Racial Equity Scholarship
Eligible applicants* must be:
*Employees of Laurel House, Inc. and members of their families are not eligible for this Scholarship. Laurel House employees may apply for tuition assistance of up to $5,000 annually (to a maximum of $15,000) for relevant graduate studies.
The Laurel House Social Work Racial Equity Scholarship is a competitive scholarship awarded to the two top applicants who best fulfill the scholarship goals. The Award Selection Committee will select finalists from eligible candidates and name the winners.
Jay Boll, LMSW, Vice President, Laurel House, Inc. and Editor in Chief, www.rtor.org
Dawn Brown, LMSW Executive Director, NASW CT Chapter
Tonia Douglas, MSW, MPHA, Program Officer, Connecticut Health Foundation
Stephanie Gaete, LCSW, Founder, Express, Liberate, Explore Behavioral Health, LLC
Danielle Leblanc, LMSW, Diversity Outreach Resource Specialist, Laurel House, Inc., and www.rtor.org.
Anjali Mathai, LMSW, Founder, Pieces in Place LLC and Board of Directors, Laurel House, Inc.
Vincent E. O’Banner, Director of Campus Safety & Security, President of OB Investigation & Security, and Board of Directors, Laurel House, Inc.
Suzanne Taluy, LCSW, CCTP, Founder, Embrace Psychotherapy, LLC
Competitive Award Winner decisions will be announced Monday, July 17th, 2026.
An online Scholarship Application form and instructions are available here, or contact us at scholarship@laurelhouse.net for more information.
The online application must be submitted on or before May 15th, 2026. A separate Letter of Recommendation and any other supporting documents must be received by email by the same date. (email to: scholarship@laurelhouse.net)
Frequently Asked Questions
You must be a Connecticut resident, but you may attend a Master of Social Work program in either Connecticut or New York.
Yes, as long as the applicant is currently enrolled and has completed coursework in an accredited MSW program and meets all other eligibility requirements.
Your letter of recommendation should come from someone who can speak to your character, academic abilities, and commitment to social work and underserved communities. Appropriate references include:
Scholarship funds are paid directly to the recipient’s graduate school to support tuition.
No. Scholarship winners are not eligible to receive the award more than once.
If selected as a finalist for the Scholarship, you will be invited to participate in an online interview with two or more members of the Selection Committee to determine your final eligibility.
Yes. All applicants will receive notification of their application status once the selection process is complete, no later than July 17th, 2026.
The Scholarship is funded 100% from private donations to Friends of Laurel House, Inc. No public or private foundation funds or grants are applied toward the Scholarship. A reserve fund has been established to ensure continued funding in future years.
Licensed Clinical Social Worker Kathleen Gilbert is a consummate social worker and the inspiration for our Social Work Racial Equity Scholarship. Kathleen is a former member of the Resources to Recover Advisory Board. She is a role model for all Laurel House clinicians whom she supervised for licensure, augmenting the daily supervision provided by our own clinicians. While working for Darien High School and the Board of Education, she counseled students and their families and mentored her peers and social workers in training. As a member of the Board of Directors of the CT Chapter of NASW, Kathleen successfully advocated for her profession.
Laurel House, Inc. helps individuals and families achieve and sustain mental health to lead fulfilling lives in the community. Our core purpose is social inclusion, early intervention, and recovery. www.rtor.org, a free service of Laurel House, connects families and individuals to mental health providers and resources.
Laurel House and www.rtor.org are committed to the advancement of racial equity and social justice and to making mental health services accessible to all.
We provide Laurel House employees with tuition reimbursement of up to $5,000 annually for relevant graduate studies (total of $15,000). We also help repay graduate school student loans of up to $2,500 per year for current employees, with a $10,000 lifetime maximum.
We provide onsite internships for our employees who are in graduate school working on a Master’s degree in Social Work and having difficulty locating an internship that accommodates their schedules. To give the employees qualifying experience in different departments, we provide supervision from a different LCSW supervisor. We provide free onsite supervision for licensure, including paying for external resources for licensure if we do not have sufficient staffing available for all candidates.
We offer professional development to our staff to facilitate growth, such as mentoring individuals in areas where they have not had the advantage of training or specific education. This helps individuals improve their confidence, find a voice among peers and managers, and identify areas of additional training or experience if needed.
Please share this announcement with any eligible applicant you know. The announcement will be distributed to Master of Social Work programs in CT and NY.
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