The Human Services Ecosystem
A curated guide to the professional organizations, research institutions, government resources, publications, standards bodies, and events that shape human services case management. Inclusion reflects relevance, not endorsement — and none of these organizations is affiliated with Case Management Guide. For the publications we monitor and cite, see Sources & Publications We Follow.
Professional organizations
National Association of Social Workers (NASW) (external link)
The largest membership organization of professional social workers; publishes practice standards, including standards for social work case management.
Case Management Society of America (CMSA) (external link)
A professional association for case managers, strongest in health and care coordination settings; publishes standards of practice for case management.
American Public Human Services Association (APHSA) (external link)
The membership association of state and local human services agencies; its IT Solutions Management (ISM) community focuses specifically on human services technology.
National Council of Nonprofits (external link)
The largest network of nonprofits in the U.S.; a leading voice on government grants and contracting practices affecting human services providers.
Research organizations
Urban Institute (external link)
Produces foundational research on nonprofit finances and government funding, including the national surveys of nonprofit–government grants and contracts cited in our funding guides.
American Institutes for Research (AIR) (external link)
A large behavioral and social science research organization; evaluator of the Safe and Successful Youth Initiative research featured in our In Practice section.
WestEd (external link)
A research and development organization; co-evaluator of the SSYI studies.
Candid (external link)
Nonprofit data and foundation research (formed from Foundation Center and GuideStar); a primary source on philanthropic funding flows.
Government resources
Grants.gov (external link)
The central portal for finding and applying for U.S. federal grant opportunities.
SAM.gov (external link)
The federal registration system organizations must use to receive federal awards, and a source for contract opportunities.
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) (external link)
The primary federal agency for human services funding and the authoritative source on HIPAA.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) (external link)
Administers Medicaid — a significant reimbursement pathway for some case management services (for example, targeted case management).
Standards organizations
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) (external link)
Publishes the Cybersecurity Framework and encryption standards frequently referenced in vendor security discussions.
W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (external link)
Maintains the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), the reference standard for accessible software.
Conferences & events
Verified events relevant to human services technology. We list only events whose dates we have confirmed from the organizer, with the date we last checked.
ISM Education Conference & Expo 2026 (external link)
September 27–30, 2026 · Spokane, WA (Spokane Convention Center)
APHSA's IT Solutions Management conference brings technology leaders from state, county, and federal human services agencies together with industry to focus on designing and delivering human services technology.
American Public Human Services Association (APHSA) · Topics: human services technology, public-sector systems, interoperability · Last checked August 19, 2026
Past events (1)
- APHSA National Human Services Summit 2026 — June 14–17, 2026, Arlington, VA (American Public Human Services Association (APHSA))