Deadline:

Jan 21, 2009 - Closed

Program Area:

Building Human Capital

Purpose:

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 in the amount of $10,000 each 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.

Preference may be given to those applicants that may be either public entities or nonprofit organizations that are tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

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

Successful applicants must demonstrate that scholarship funds will be used to:

• assist in the recruitment and expansion of student enrollment 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 an economically-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.
• Have been accepted in an entry-level accelerated baccalaureate nursing program and/or master’s nursing program for non-nursing college graduates.
• Complete a letter of commitment.
• Are committed to pursuing professional nursing licensure through the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN).

Key Dates:

• December 15, 2008 (2 p.m. ET) and January 5, 2009 (1 p.m. ET)—Optional informational applicant Web conferences. Registration information is available on the program's Web site.
• January 21, 2009—Deadline for receipt of applications and supporting documents submitted online.
• July 2009—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.
• A total of 500 scholarship awards will be made during this funding cycle.

Contact:

Vernell DeWitty, Ph.D., R.N.
vdewitty@aacn.nche.edu
Office: (202) 463-6930
http://www.newcareersinnursing.org

Related Materials:

• View Program FAQs