The Rcn Foundation

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: £1,363,895 (2024)
• Success Rate: 5% for education grants (estimated based on 2,200 applications, 122 awards)
• Decision Time: 2 weeks (hardship grants); varies for education grants
• Grant Range: £500 - £1,600 (individual grants); £300,000+ (organisational research grants)
• Geographic Focus: UK-wide (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland)

Contact Details

Website: www.rcnfoundation.org.uk

Email: RCN.Foundation@rcn.org.uk

Phone: 020 7647 3645

For specific enquiries:

• Education grants: grants@rcnfoundation.org.uk
• Hardship grants: rcnfoundationbenevolent@rcn.org.uk

Overview

The RCN Foundation (Charity Number 1134606) is an independent charity supporting nursing to improve health and wellbeing of the public. In 2024, the Foundation provided 705 grants totalling £1,363,895, including 698 grants to individuals for hardship and education purposes, and 7 to organisations for research and innovation studies. Founded to support the development of clinical practice and the learning and development of nursing and healthcare professionals, the Foundation operates independently of the Royal College of Nursing's trade union activities. Under Chair Dame Jane Cummings DBE (former Chief Nursing Officer for England), the Foundation has distributed over £11 million in grant funding since 2019. The Foundation launched its 2024-2028 Strategic Plan “Ignite, Inspire, Aspire: Our Vision to Transform Lives” with commitments including ensuring at least 50% of grant-making targets areas of greatest deprivation and health inequality, and increasing annual research expenditure to £500,000.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Hardship Grants (Rolling basis, online portal)

• Amount: Up to £500
• Purpose: One-off payments for unexpected financial challenges, delivered alongside holistic signposting service
• Timeline: Decisions within 2 weeks; payment within 1 additional week

Education Grants (Fixed deadlines - Spring & Autumn rounds)

• RCN Foundation Professional Bursary Scheme: Up to £1,600 for continuous professional development
• RCN Foundation Next Generation Grant: Up to £1,000 for living costs for nursing/midwifery graduates and direct entry nursing associate students
• RCN Foundation Marcia Mackie and Rae Bequest Grants: £1,600 (Rae) and £1,000 (Marcia Mackie) for nurses in Northern Ireland
• RCN Foundation Mair Scholarship: Up to £500 for occupational health nurses in Scotland
• RCN Foundation Leathersellers Foundation Grant: Up to £1,600 for non-mental health nurses working with children/young people facing mental health challenges
• RCN Foundation LV= Education Grant: Up to £1,600 for healthcare support workers and assistants
• Application windows: Spring (31 March - 12 May); Autumn (10 September - 10 October)

Research and Practice Development Grants (For organisations)

• Inclusive Health Programme (Learning Disabilities): £300,000 over four years (launched 2024)
• Children and Young People's Mental Health Programme: Three-year programme (launched 2022)
• UK's First Chair in Adult Social Care Nursing: Over £700,000 investment (2023)
• Amount: Varies significantly; recent awards include major multi-year investments

Priority Areas

Strategic Priorities 2024-2028:

• Hardship support for nursing and midwifery professionals
• Education and learning for professional development
• Research and innovation to improve patient care

Research Focus Areas:

• Nursing-led interventions for children and young people's mental health and emotional wellbeing
• Learning disability nursing
• Adult social care nursing
• Health inequalities and areas of greatest deprivation
• Domestic abuse experiences of nursing and healthcare professionals

Education Focus:

• Continuous professional development aligned to patient care improvement
• Living cost support for nursing students and graduates
• Career development for healthcare support workers
• Specialised training for nurses working with vulnerable populations

What They Don't Fund

Explicit Exclusions:

• Private medical treatment (including diagnosis costs for autism, dyslexia, etc.)
• Hardship caused by industrial strike action (unless financial difficulty existed before strike or unrelated crisis occurs during strike)
• Retrospective funding for education grants
• Course fees for student grants (living costs only)
• Undergraduate student nurses (except for specific grants: Into Nursing Grant, Next Generation Grant, Needlemakers Grant)
• Applications from those who received a grant within the last 12 months
• Funding where employer support has not been sought first (for education grants)

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Governance and Leadership

Chair: Dame Jane Cummings DBE (appointed 2019)

• Former Chief Nursing Officer for England
• Made Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2025
• Has overseen distribution of over £11 million in grant funding since appointment

Quote from Dame Jane Cummings:

“We have a role to play along with the other charities around raising the profile of nursing as we head into 2020, which is the international year of the nurse and midwife... looking forward to continuing to champion the vital roles in nursing, midwifery and healthcare, and working with the charity to help it develop and expand even further.”

Board Structure:

• 12 Trustees who convene four times annually
• Legally accountable to the Charity Commission

Recent Trustee Appointments Include:

• Jane Cantrell
• Catherine Deakin
• Gregory Dix (Executive Nurse Director, Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board)
• Anthony Osijo
• Dr Maria Pollard (Deputy Director, NES Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals Directorate)
• Rachel (CEO of the British Pharmacological Society)

Support Structure:

• External Advisers sit on committees: Governance & Nominations, Grants, and Income Generation & Investment
• Recent Adviser appointments: Victoria Bennett, Ann Gow, Alison Hoad, Dawn Jackson, Mickella Lewis-Purvis, Vivien Waterfield

Senior Staff:

• Katie Slater, Grants Manager
• Dr Sarah McGloin, Head of Grants and Impact

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Hardship Grants:

• Online application via RCN Foundation website
• Register for free web account or login
• Complete eligibility checker
• If eligible, submit full application with supporting documentation (bank statements, evidence of nursing work, documentation for specific costs)
• Rolling basis throughout the year

Education Grants:

• Online application via RCN Foundation website
• Two annual rounds: Spring (31 March - 12 May); Autumn (10 September - 10 October)
• Application deadlines at 5pm on closing dates
• Late applications cannot be accepted
• Must provide evidence that employer has been asked for funding first
• Courses must be accredited by UK higher education institution or approved statutory body
• Must be related to nursing or healthcare

Research and Practice Development Grants:

• Check website for open calls
• Currently no grants open (status as of recent check)
• Focus on two priority areas: children/young people's mental health and learning disability nursing

Decision Timeline

Hardship Grants:

• Decision within 2 weeks of full application submission
• Payment appears in bank account within 1 additional week
• Notification via email/online portal

Education Grants:

• Timeline varies by grant round
• Applicants notified via email
• Over 120 people receive awards annually

Research Grants:

• Timeline varies by programme
• Competitive process with detailed review

Success Rates

Education Grants:

• Demand grew 68% in 2024, with over 2,200 applications received
• 122 individuals supported through education grants totalling £183,000 in 2024
• Estimated success rate: ~5%

Overall:

• 705 total grants awarded in 2024 (all types)
• Total distribution: £1,363,895

Reapplication Policy

• You can reapply in another year if unsuccessful the first time (approximately one-year waiting period)
• If you have received an RCN Foundation grant within the last 12 months, you are not eligible to apply again during this period
• No formal restrictions on number of reapplications for unsuccessful applicants

Application Success Factors

Direct Advice from the Funder

From the “10 Tips for Applying” guidance:

1. Focus on Patient Care Impact: “Ensure that you talk about how your activity will improve patient care. Those that focus on patients and the impact the activity will have on patient care stand out most to reviewers.”

1. Demonstrate Knowledge Sharing: "Reviewers look at how individuals will disseminate what they've learned from their activity with colleagues and the wider nursing team, whether this is through publication or a presentation at conferences."

1. Think Beyond Yourself: “When applying, you need to really think about how it will benefit others, what you are hoping to achieve and how this will advance nursing as a profession.”

1. Plan for Challenges: “Reviewers want a well-rounded application putting patients at the centre and to see that the activity has been well thought out in terms of challenges the applicant may face.”

1. Include Evaluation Plans: "It's important individuals think about how they will evaluate the effectiveness of their activity."

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Copying from other applications: “Some applicants copy and paste from other funding applications they may have made and do not focus on the specific questions.”
• Exceeding maximum grant amount: "Only apply for up to the maximum available grant: if you go over, you'll automatically be declined."
• Rushing the application: “Applicants often leave their submissions until the last minute and subsequently miss the deadline. Allow plenty of time to complete the application – really read the questions, and think about your answers.”
• Not asking employer first: Must justify why employer hasn't been asked for funding

What Reviewers Look For

• Well-rounded applications with patients at the centre
• Clear articulation of challenges and how they'll be overcome
• Specific plans for evaluating effectiveness
• Evidence of how learning will be shared with the wider nursing community
• Clear connection to advancing the nursing profession
• Realistic budget that doesn't exceed maximum amounts

Support Available

• RCN Foundation Helping Hand scheme: Previously successful grant recipients support others with the application process
• Webinar: 20-minute session with Katie Slater (Grants Manager) and Dr Sarah McGloin (Head of Grants and Impact) explaining what makes successful applications
• Pre-application contact: Enquiries welcomed at grants@rcnfoundation.org.uk

Recent Funded Projects (Examples)

Research Projects:

• UCAN (Urgent Care Access Now) study by Keele University developing the careLeD tool
• LSE study exploring economic case for investing in RNLD workforce capacity
• University of Wolverhampton project combating racism in nursing workplaces
• NAMED study exploring domestic abuse experiences of nursing professionals

Education Focus Areas:

• Courses supporting work with children and young people experiencing mental health challenges
• Occupational health nursing development
• Learning disability nursing
• Adult social care nursing

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

1. Patient-Centred Applications Win: Make patient care impact the central focus of your application. Reviewers consistently prioritize applications that clearly articulate how the activity will improve patient care and outcomes.

1. Demonstrate Professional Leadership: Show how you'll share learning with colleagues through presentations, publications, or other dissemination methods. This commitment to advancing the broader nursing profession significantly strengthens applications.

1. Ask Your Employer First: For education grants, you must demonstrate that employer funding has been sought. This is a non-negotiable requirement and failure to do so may result in automatic decline.

1. Understand Success Rates: With education grants receiving over 2,200 applications for approximately 122 awards (5% success rate), competition is fierce. Invest significant time in crafting a compelling, well-thought-out application.

1. Time Your Application Strategically: Education grants have fixed deadlines (Spring: 12 May; Autumn: 10 October). Submit early to avoid technical issues and demonstrate thorough preparation. Late applications are not accepted.

1. Leverage Support Resources: Use the RCN Foundation Helping Hand scheme and watch their webinar on successful applications. These insider resources provide valuable guidance directly from grant managers.

1. Align with Strategic Priorities: Applications addressing health inequalities, areas of deprivation, children/young people's mental health, or learning disability nursing align with the Foundation's 2024-2028 strategy and may be viewed more favourably.

References

1. RCN Foundation website - Home page: https://rcnfoundation.rcn.org.uk/
2. RCN Foundation - Apply for funding: https://rcnfoundation.rcn.org.uk/Grants-and-funding
3. Charity Commission - THE RCN FOUNDATION charity details: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/4049781
4. RCN Foundation - Education grants: https://rcnfoundation.rcn.org.uk/Grants-and-funding/Educational-grants
5. RCN Foundation - Hardship grants: https://rcnfoundation.rcn.org.uk/Grants-and-funding/Hardship-grants
6. RCN Foundation - Research and practice development grants: https://rcnfoundation.rcn.org.uk/Grants-and-funding/Research-and-practice-grants
7. RCN Foundation - Our strategy 2024-28: https://rcnfoundation.rcn.org.uk/About-us/Our-strategy
8. RCN Foundation - Our Trustees: https://rcnfoundation.rcn.org.uk/About-us/Our-governance/Our-Trustees
9. RCN Foundation - Our impact: https://rcnfoundation.rcn.org.uk/about-us/our-impact
10. RCN Magazines - “10 tips for applying for an RCN Foundation grant”: https://www.rcn.org.uk/magazines/Advice/2022/September/10-tips-for-applying-for-an-RCN-Foundation-grant
11. RCN Foundation - Applying for an education grant hints and tips: https://rcnfoundation.rcn.org.uk/Grants-and-funding/Educational-grants/Applying-for-education-grant-hints-and-tips-case-studies
12. RCN Foundation - FAQ Education Grants: https://rcnfoundation.rcn.org.uk/Grants-and-funding/Educational-grants/FAQ-Education-Grants
13. Nursing Times - “Former CNO Jane Cummings announced chair of nursing charity”: https://www.nursingtimes.net/news/charities/former-cno-jane-cummings-announced-chair-of-nursing-charity/7028712.article
14. RCN Foundation - “Damehood for Chair of the RCN Foundation!”: https://rcnfoundation.rcn.org.uk/Latest-news/Damehood-for-Chair-of-the-RCN-Foundation
15. RCN Foundation - Funded projects & success stories: https://rcnfoundation.rcn.org.uk/Research-projects/Funded-projects