Pennsylvania Higher Education Foundation Announces $7 Million in Nursing Education Grants for 2009-10
Grants aid nursing students and strengthens Commonwealth

Harrisburg, PA - June 16, 2009 - The Pennsylvania Higher Education Foundation (PHEF) Board of Directors today approved $7 million in funding allocations for its Nursing Education Grants for the 2009-10 academic year. The grants are distributed to nursing education programs across the Commonwealth to assist in the creation and retention of new nursing students and nurse educators.

The $7 million will be distributed to 124 eligible Registered Nursing and Practical Nursing programs throughout Pennsylvania to be used as tuition scholarships for nursing students. Schools will be notified of their specific award amounts in July.

“When Pennsylvania first recognized that it would face a critical lack of nursing care in the future, we were eager to step up as quickly as possible to address the issue,” said Representative William Adolph, member of the Foundation Board. “Since the inception of its nursing programs in 2003, the Foundation has distributed $71 million to help nurses and nurse educators afford their education, ultimately making more nurses available to care for our citizens.”

The PHEF Nursing Education Grant Program provides non-taxpayer supported funding to Pennsylvania’s schools of nursing. The schools use this funding to increase the recruitment and retention rates of their nursing programs, ensuring the future of qualified nursing care for Pennsylvania’s residents.

“In these difficult economic times, it’s important to maximize the use of non-taxpayer resources for the benefit of the entire Commonwealth,” said Senator Sean Logan, member of the Foundation Board. “Making qualified nursing care available for future generations will yield immeasurable benefits for Pennsylvania families, especially at their greatest time of physical need.”

In order to receive Nursing Education Grants, Pennsylvania nursing schools must submit an award proposal to PHEF. Once approved, the nursing schools administer and distribute the awards to their qualifying students based on their unique awarding criteria. Nursing students should contact their school’s financial aid office or nursing department for eligibility information.

In addition to Nursing Education Grants, the Foundation provides aid to nursing programs through other programs such as the Dr. Edna B. McKenzie Scholarship for Disadvantaged Students. Approximately $1 million in funding will be disbursed to 117 Pennsylvania nursing schools to be used to aid students who want to pursue a nursing career, or already are pursuing a nursing career, but come from a background that is not favorable for that goal.

For more information on the Foundation’s student aid programs for nursing students, visit FuturesInNursing.org.