Supporting Access to Clinical Supervision for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) in Social Work

The BIPOC Supervision Scholarship Fund is a grassroots initiative dedicated to reducing financial barriers to licensure for BIPOC social workers. By directly funding clinical supervision, this scholarship supports retention, sustainability, and equity within the mental health field.

What Is the BIPOC Supervision Scholarship Fund?

Starting in 2022, the BIPOC Supervision Scholarship Fund has provided ongoing clinical supervision for a group of BIPOC Licensed Graduate Social Workers (LGSWs) working toward independent licensure. Supervision is funded through contributions from a community of allies committed to advancing equity and supporting BIPOC clinicians as they grow and thrive in the field.

Clinical supervision is a required—and often costly—step toward licensure. This scholarship exists to ensure that cost is not the reason talented clinicians are unable to advance.

Why This Scholarship Matters

The need for culturally responsive mental health care is urgent. At the same time, BIPOC social workers disproportionately face systemic and financial barriers to advancement, including the high cost of post‑graduate clinical supervision.

This scholarship is one effort to address those barriers by:

• Offsetting the cost of required supervision

• Supporting BIPOC clinicians’ professional development

• Increasing retention of BIPOC social workers in the field

• Strengthening access to culturally responsive care for communities

Participant reflection:

“I have been in a lot of group supervision, and this is the first one where I felt like I belong and don’t have to code switch.”

How the Scholarship Works

• Funds are pooled into a designated scholarship account

• 100% of donations are used to pay two BIPOC LICSW supervisors or to cover costs of licensure and exam fees for BIPOC supervisees

• Supervision is provided on a monthly basis to scholarship recipients through both group and individual supervision sessions

• The scholarship is administered through Holding Space Counseling

Support the Scholarship

We are seeking additional supporters to both sustain and grow the BIPOC Supervision Scholarship Fund. Contributing is one way to put values, learning, and commitments to equity into tangible action.

Ways to Give

Make a one-time donation:
Donate to the BIPOC Supervision Scholarship Fund

Become a Monthly Sustaining Supporter:
Monthly donors help ensure consistent, reliable access to supervision throughout the year.

Become a Monthly Donor

Impact examples:

• $50/month supports 2 hours of group supervision for 2 supervisees

• $75 covers one individual supervision session

• $250 supports one month of group supervision for 6 supervisees

• $500 funds a full month of all types of supervision under the scholarship plus extra to cover licensure and exam fees for supervisees

Transparency & Structure

The BIPOC Supervision Scholarship Fund is a grassroots initiative administered by Holding Space Counseling and is not a registered 501(c)(3). Contributions are not tax‑deductible. Funds are held in a designated scholarship account and distributed solely to support clinical supervision costs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is eligible to receive the scholarship?
The scholarship supports BIPOC social workers working toward independent licensure who are participating in individual and group clinical supervision.

How are funds distributed?
All donated funds are pooled into a designated scholarship account and used exclusively to pay a BIPOC LICSW supervisors providing monthly supervision. In some circumstances, funds are distributed to BIPOC supervisees to pay licensure and exam fees.

Are donations tax-deductible?
No. This is a grassroots initiative and is not a registered 501(c)(3). Donations are not tax-deductible.

Is my donation really used only for supervision?
Outside of Stripe and Go Fund Me payment fees, 100% of financial contributions are directed toward clinical supervision, licensure, or exam costs for BIPOC social workers.

Get Involved

If you are interested in supporting this work beyond financial contributions—through community partnership, collaboration, or learning—please reach out.

Together, we can reduce barriers to licensure and support a more equitable mental health workforce.