Every day, nurses are present for healthcare’s most consequential moments: a patient in crisis, a student choosing a demanding profession, a researcher testing a better approach, or a leader helping teams persevere under pressure. The American Nurses Foundation (ANF) exists to support nurses through these moments—and to turn their expertise into stronger systems of care.

ANF’s approach is direct: Listen to nurses closest to the challenges, fund their solutions, connect them with partners and mentors, and help scale what works. From 2020 to 2025, ANF invested more than $52 million across 140 grants, reaching approximately 3 million nurses. Those dollars translate into stronger teams, safer systems, improved patient outcomes, and more nurses equipped to stay, lead, and innovate.

Current grant and donor-funded programs focus on three high-impact priorities:

• Nurse-led research and innovation. Nurses are developing practical solutions at the intersection of technology, artificial intelligence, clinical outcomes, and workflow, but promising ideas need support to move from concept to practice. ANF invests in nurse-led research and innovation that tests tools to improve documentation, patient rescue and response, credentialing outcomes, and care delivery. Since 1955, ANF has provided more than $6 million in funding to support more than 1,100 nurse researchers.
• Nurse well-being. Well-being and retention challenges continue to strain the nursing workforce, particularly in rural communities where sustained nursing teams are essential to access. Through Nurse Well-Being: Building Peer and Leadership Support, ANF invests in helping organizations put evidence-informed support into practice where nurses work. This year, in partnership with the Covista Foundation, ANF made available eight $15,000 microgrants for rural healthcare sites, targeted to reach more than 2,000 nurses.
• Scholarships and fellowships. The profession needs a strong pipeline of new nurses and more opportunities for mid-career nurses to grow as leaders. ANF invests in scholarships and fellowships that provide tuition support, mentorship, and professional development. Through the Jeannine Rivet National Leadership Award, for example, Delaware Nurses Association member Danielle Altares Sarik, PhD, APRN, CPNP-PC, FAAN, advanced “Baby Steps,” a nurse-led model supporting NICU infants and families during the vulnerable transition from hospital to home.

Why this moment matters for nursing

Every donation creates both personal and systemic impact. A funded researcher can identify safer clinical practices. A nurse champion can help colleagues address stress before it leads to burnout or resignation. A scholarship can keep a student on the path to graduation. A fellowship can equip a nurse leader to influence policy, redesign care, or build a program that follows patients beyond the hospital walls.

Nurses remain among the most trusted professionals in the United States and are relied upon across every part of the health system. Yet philanthropic investment in nursing still falls short of the profession’s responsibility and potential. Despite nursing’s critical role in every community, opportunities remain to expand investment in nurse-led research, innovation, leadership development, and workforce support.

Donors can help close that gap. A year-end gift to ANF is an investment in the people who care for all of us: students preparing to enter the profession, clinicians working in high-pressure environments, researchers producing evidence for better systems, and leaders building the future of healthcare. It tells nurses their expertise, well-being, and solutions deserve funding.

As the year closes, consider investing in the profession that’s there for patients and families every day. Your gift can help equip nurses to lead, innovate, heal, and shape a healthier future for all. Give today to help ANF deepen its reach, accelerate nurse-led change, and build a healthier future for everyone.

Visit americannurs.es/donate