Michael Jordan honors his mother with $10 million for social work

Ten social work graduate students have each received a $12,500 scholarship through a new program established by Michael Jordan’s $10 million commitment to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The gift, the largest in the university’s School of Social Work history, honors his mother, Deloris, and her work supporting children and families.

The Jordan Family Scholars program is designed to help master’s students facing financial barriers to graduate education. The university says the support comes amid an urgent need for more social workers, whose roles include helping families navigate difficult circumstances and access opportunities.

The gift will also support two university centers working with families and young people. The Jordan Institute for Families, founded by Jordan and his family in 1996, focuses on areas including maternal health, mental health and caregiving. The Global Social Development Innovations Center, renamed in Deloris’s honor, works with communities to develop and test ways to expand opportunities for young people.

That international reach reflects Deloris’s own work. In 2010, she founded the Kenya Women and Children’s Wellness Centre in Nairobi. It supports survivors of gender-based violence and child abuse and trains first responders. According to the university, its programs, community engagement and advocacy have reached more than 200,000 people.