Newswise — WASHINGTON, DC, May 12, 2020 – The Foundation for Academic Nursing, the new philanthropic arm of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), is pleased to announce the first 51 students to receive scholarship support through the COVID-19 Nursing Student Support Fund. Launched in April 2020 to remove barriers to new nurses entering the workforce, this program was created to help nursing students nationwide who are facing hardships as a result of the pandemic and need financial assistance to complete their degree programs.
"As a community of academic nursing leaders, we believe that it is critically important to support nursing students whose education and lives have been directly impacted by the coronavirus," said AACN President and Chief Executive Office Deborah Trautman. "Now, more than ever, we need a robust supply of nurses available to combat today's pandemic as well as future threats to our nation's public health and safety."
With more than 2,800 applications received, nursing students from all 50 states and the District of Columbia were chosen for support following a competitive application process. Students selected will receive $500 awards to help support completion of their nursing programs and/or meet life expenses. Priority was given to entry-level students in baccalaureate and master's programs in the final two semesters of their nursing programs. A gallery of scholarship recipients is now posted on the Foundation's website.
With initial funding provided by distinguished nurse leader and philanthropist Darlene Curley, almost two dozen individuals and organizations have contributed additional support to help expand the reach of this program and the Foundation. These donors include nursing students and faculty; organizational and corporate leaders; AACN staff and Board members; and concerned citizens. The Foundation would like to express its great appreciation to the following contributors:
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The additional support provided by these donors will be disbursed to 17 additional nursing students seeking assistance through this program.
Contributing to the COVID-19 Nursing Student Support Fund
The Foundation for Academic Nursing is seeking additional support from other corporate and individual donors for this fund to expand our ability to help more nursing students in need. Those wishing to contribute are encouraged to donate online via the AACN website. Those with questions about making a contribution are encouraged to contact Marta Okoniewski, AACN's Director of Student Engagement, at [email protected].
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About the American Association of Colleges of Nursing
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) is the national voice for academic nursing representing more than 840 schools of nursing nationwide. AACN establishes quality standards for nursing education, influences the nursing profession to improve health care, and promotes public support of baccalaureate and graduate nursing education, research, and practice.
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