Nursing Grants

Get Paid for Your Healthcare Education

The national nursing shortage is not new news. The nation needs many more nurses than it can possibly train and in order to help fatten the ranks you’ll find plentiful scholarships and grants sources designed for nursing students at all levels—from undergrad to professional PhD nurse.

First, where can you find grant programs for nursing students?

First step: look to the federal government nursing grant sources, then check out your state government, colleges and universities, professional nursing organizations, the military opportunities, and public and private businesses and organizations.

Federal Nursing Grants

The federal government provides free college aid when it’s necessary for the public good and nursing certainly fits the bill.

Grants from the National Health Services Corps are available to qualified candidates in a variety of healthcare study fields, including nurse practitioner, nurse midwife and other advanced nurse specialists. The program offers a grant option as well as loan repayment for professional work services in a medically underrepresented facility or region.

Grants from Nursing Organizations

Use the resources of some of the nation’s largest nursing organizations to find excellent education grants and scholarships. Almost every nursing specialty has a national organization. For example: The American Association of Critical Care Nurses or the American Nursing Informatics Association or the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses.

There are literally dozens of nursing associations. Use these as primary sources for educational funding. Most provide members with access to scholarships and grants for undergraduate and graduate studies, research projects and even travel assistance.

  • The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Foundation Scholarship and Grant Program is one of the top nursing grants. Grant monies are available for eligible Nurse Practitioners, both students and working NPs.

Nursing Grants from the U.S. Military

Some amazing funding for student nurses is made widely available through a number of military branches. You’ll find scholarships and grant programs that provide you with all the education you need to finish your nursing education. Conditions are that you agree to a term of service in that specific arm of the military—you pay back your grant with military service. Check out the following for nursing military grants:

  • Army Nurse Corps
  • Army ROTC Nursing
  • Navy Nurse Corps

Nursing Incentive Programs

If you’re willing to explore the opportunities to work as a nurse in an underrepresented medical facility or region then you open yourself to many more grant opportunities in the form of nursing incentive programs.

What’s a nursing incentive program?

Essentially you are provided a portion of or all the funds necessary to complete your RN education. In return you agree to work for an agreed upon period of time in a medically underserved facility—a hospital or clinic that has serious nursing needs and is unable to fill vacancies. These programs are effective ways to bring new nursing blood into disadvantaged neighborhoods and communities AND get more nurses trained and into the job stream. Might also be called scholarship- or grants-for-service programs.

Common sources for nursing incentive programs are state governments. For example, California’s Health Professions Education Foundation provides grants, scholarships and a loan incentive program for a wide variety of nursing students and professional RNs.

Grants for Minority Nurses

Special grants and scholarships are also available for nursing students from minority backgrounds. These programs include nursing students from ethnic backgrounds—Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, and Native Americans-- as well as male nursing students. Historically the nursing profession has been dominated by women, but in a recent push many large nursing organizations have opened up special grant programs designed to pull men into the profession.

  • National Association of Hispanic Nurses provides annual grants and scholarships to eligible student nurses.
  • American Assembly for Men in Nursing and Johnson and Johnson partner to offer this annual grant program.