The Pennsylvania Nursing Assistance Fund

Purpose
The Pennsylvania Nursing Assistance Fund of the Pennsylvania Higher Education Foundation was established to provide assistance to students and schools for nursing education in Pennsylvania. The fund will provide grant and scholarship monies to nursing students through the use of donations from individuals and organizations directed to Pennsylvania schools of nursing.

Overview
Until recently, the equilibrium of new nurses entering the profession versus tenured nurses retiring remained stable. However, the cycle of quality health care will quickly decline because although demands on the nursing profession are increasing, new entries in the profession are not keeping pace with planned retirements.

Through the Pennsylvania Nursing Assistance Fund, the Pennsylvania Higher Education Foundation hopes to reverse this trend by giving students access to nursing education by offering grants or scholarships that otherwise would not be available.

The Pennsylvania Nursing Assistance Fund will directly impact the number of educational opportunities students and schools will have to help the Commonwealth continue its cycle of quality health care.

There are numerous flexible giving opportunities for donors to participate in this fund with specific schools, student populations and programs in mind, based on individual interests and relationships. Scholarship and grant naming opportunities as well as generous matching funds from the Pennsylvania Higher Education Foundation are available to foundation, corporate and individual donors.

Guidelines
For information on guidelines, or to find out if your institution is a recipient of the Pennsylvania Nursing Assistance Fund, contact your school’s nursing department. Contact the Foundation office for more information on giving opportunities.

Independence Blue Cross Nurse Scholars Program