Deadline:

Jun 26, 2008 - Closed

Program Area:

Building Human Capital

Purpose:

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation New Careers in Nursing is a scholarship program to help alleviate the nursing shortage and increase the diversity of nursing professionals. Through grants to schools of nursing, the program will provide scholarships to college graduates without nursing degrees who are enrolled in accelerated baccalaureate and master's nursing programs.

Program Information:

• Call for Proposals


• Overview (PDF)

Eligibility & Selection Criteria:

To be eligible applicant institutions must:

• offer an entry-level accelerated baccalaureate nursing program or master's nursing program for non-nursing college graduates; and
• be accredited by a nursing accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

RWJF is committed to programs that embrace racial, ethnic and economic diversity. Applications should address the applicant organization's past achievements and future plans to recruit and retain a diverse student body.

Successful applicant organizations must demonstrate that scholarship funds will be used to:

• assist in recruitment and expansion of enrollment of students in entry-level accelerated baccalaureate nursing programs and/or master's nursing programs for non-nursing college graduates;
• leverage the expansion of faculty resources for these professional nursing programs; and
• offer mentorship and leadership development activities for scholarship recipients at the award site.

Schools receiving funding will be responsible for selecting students for scholarships who meet the following eligibility requirements:

• are from groups that are underrepresented in nursing or from a disadvantaged background (e.g., underrepresented racial or ethnic minority, financially disadvantaged);
• are citizens or permanent residents of the United States or its territories at the time of application for the scholarship;
• have been accepted in an entry-level accelerated baccalaureate nursing program and/or master's nursing program for non-nursing college graduates; and
• are committed to pursuing professional nursing licensure through the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RNR®).

Key Dates:

• May 6, 2008 (1 p.m. ET) and June 10, 2008 (2 p.m. ET)—Optional informational applicant Web conferences. Registration information can be found at www.newcareersinnursing.org.
• June 26, 2008 (3 p.m. ET)—Deadline for receipt of applications and supporting documents submitted online.
• Early August 2008—Notification of finalists.
• September 1, 2008—Grants begin.

Total Award:

• A school of nursing may apply for between five and 30 scholarships per year to be awarded to students from groups underrepresented in nursing or disadvantaged backgrounds.
• Up to 75 nursing schools will be selected to award scholarships to eligible students.

Related Materials:

• View Program FAQs