Thomas C. Hood Social Action Award

The nomination deadline for the Thomas C. Hood Social Action Award is April 1, 2027.

HISTORY

Since 1991, the SSSP has presented an award to an organization in the city hosting the annual meeting for its social justice work. In 2009, the award was renamed in honor of Thomas C. Hood, who retired as Executive Officer after serving the Society in that role for 19 years. The award carries a $2,500 stipend and an electronic certificate of recognition. Find past winners of this award.

CRITERIA

The Thomas C. Hood Social Action Award will recognize a local grassroots social justice organization in the metropolitan statistical area (as defined by the U.S. Census) in which the annual meetings are located each year.

The 2027 recipient will be a Chicago organization that:

  • May engage in direct service work, and/or organizations must work at the level of systems change.
  • Must not be a local or regional chapter of a national or international organization.
  • May benefit significantly from the financial award that comes with SSSP recognition.
  • Must include directly impacted people and communities in leadership positions and decisions.

Please note that 501(c)(3) status is not required in order to encourage a diverse pool of nonprofit applicants.

NOMINATIONS

The award is a fitting expression of the overall purpose of the Society for the Study of Social Problems, which is concerned with applying scientific methods and theories to the study of social problems. SSSP aims to bring together scholars, practitioners, and advocates to examine and understand social problems in order to further solutions and develop social policy based on knowledge.

All online nominations must be submitted online no later than 11:59 p.m. (Eastern Time) on April 1, 2027. The 2027 award will be presented at the 77th Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL, August 5-8, 2027.

Please address all questions to:

Dr. Amanda E. Lewis, Chair
Thomas C. Hood Social Action Award Committee
aelewis@uic.edu