On April 22, 2026, NCSSS celebrated the ninth anniversary of the Compass Scholars Program, a meaningful partnership with Catholic Charities DC that provides scholarship assistance to MSW students while engaging them in impactful, community-based work. Through the program, also known as the Pope Francis Scholars initiative, students complete their field placements as interns with Catholic Charities' neighborhood-based mobile team, providing intensive case management services to adults in DC's Wards 7 and 8.
Now in its ninth year, the Compass Scholars Program continues to fulfill a dual mission: reducing financial barriers for students pursuing graduate social work education, and delivering person-centered, community-embedded services to some of Washington's most underserved residents. Graduates of the program go on to become employees of Catholic Charities, deepening the long-term partnership between NCSSS and Catholic Charities DC in service of the city's most vulnerable communities.