Mission
American Nurses Foundation was founded in 1955 as the research, education, and charitable affiliate of the American Nurses Association (ANA). Since then, the Foundation has fought tirelessly to advance the nursing profession by raising funds for advances in research, education, and clinical practice to the benefit of the whole health care system. Our mission is to ‘transform the nation’s health through the power of nursing’, and this is more relevant today than ever. With the future of health care changing so dramatically, nurses can revolutionize the approach to care for the better. The Foundation invests in the wellbeing and success of individual nurses while championing the nursing cause throughout the health care system.
Ruling year
1956
Principal Officer
Loressa Cole
Co Principal Officer
Kate Judge
Main address
8515 Georgia Avenue Suite 400
Silver Spring, MD 20910 USA
EIN
13-1893924
NTEE code
Fund Raising and/or Fund Distribution (H12)
Fund Raising and/or Fund Distribution (E12)
Fund Raising and/or Fund Distribution (T12)
IRS filing requirement
This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.
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Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Founded in 1955 as the research, educational, and charitable affiliate of the American Nurses Association (ANA), the American Nurses Foundation's (the “Foundation") mission is to transform the nation's health through the power of nursing. The Foundation raises funds, develops programs, and manages grants to support advances in research, education, and clinical practice. Its principal activities are intended to elevate the image of nursing; improve the health of nurses and the nation; strengthen nurse leadership; and generate new knowledge and policy through nurses' scholarly research and practice.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Nursing Research Grant Program
The American Nurses Foundation's Nursing Research Grant Program provides an opportunity for the beginner and experienced nurse researcher to demonstrate the impact of nursing intervention on consumer health and strengthen nursing practice. Since the programs inception in 1955, the Foundation has supported more than 1,100 studies, totaling over $5 million.
Nurses on Boards
The Foundation created the its Nurses on Boards initiative in response to the landmark 2010 Institute of Medicine report on “The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health” which called for nurses to assume leadership roles, including on boards of directors. As the largest proportion of staff within a health system, nurses bring a focus on patients, quality, strategic planning and so much more to all types of boards of directors, which in turn will improve the health of the community. The initiative includes telling the stories of nurse leaders, supporting nurses in becoming board-ready, and advocating to organizations to include a nurse on their board.
Honor a Nurse
The Foundation’s Honor a Nurse Program enables colleagues, friends, family, and leaders to honor and tell the stories of nurses who have made a positive difference in nursing. The program provides a vehicle for meaningful recognition that is separate from nurses’ employment settings. Instead, the recognition is solely in the purview of the person paying the honor, and, at the same time, encourages philanthropic donations to the nursing profession.
Coronavirus Response Fund for Nurses
The human toll of the Coronavirus-19 pandemic is being felt throughout the nation and most acutely by the nation's largest body of healthcare professionals – nurses. These nurses will deliver the vast majority of patient care as COVID-19 spreads across the country. To provide support for nurses on the frontlines, American Nurses Foundation has launched Coronavirus Response Fund for Nurses.
The Fund has four focus areas, which are based on information we received from tens of thousands of responses to the American Nurses Association COVID-19 survey, townhalls, and outreach from nurses to state nursing associations.
• Ensuring nurses everywhere have access to the latest science-based information to protect themselves, prevent infection, and care for those in need
• Providing direct financial assistance to nurses
• Supporting the mental health of nurses – today and in the future
• Driving the national advocacy focused on nurses and patients
The Latest Science-based Information
RNs and other healthcare providers need the best, latest, unbiased information to protect themselves and their patients. Unfortunately, in the current, often-chaotic environment surrounding the pandemic, there is conflicting information from employers, federal agencies and the media. Accurate, consistent, science and data-based information is a life-critical priority for nurses, and the Fund will invest in materials and tools to ensure all nurses have access to this information as it becomes available.
The American Nurses Foundation Coronavirus Response Fund for Nurses has paid for key activities to hear from nurses, and based on their requests, questions, and real-time descriptions of what they need, to get that crucial information to them as quickly as possible.
• More than 32,000 nurses replied to ANA’s first COVID-19 Workplace Survey Additional surveys are being planned.
• Improvements to ANA COVID-19 Resource Center offer a one-stop source of what nurses need to know about the pandemic
• A Free COVID-19 Webinar Series developed by ANA specifically for topics critical to nurses. Over 120,000 nurses registered for the first three webinars, with more on-demand sessions coming.
Direct Financial Assistance
The Coronavirus Response Fund for Nurses will be used to provide direct financial assistance to nurses through Nurses House, Inc., a nurse-managed, non-profit organization dedicated to helping registered nurses in need.
Nurses House has established a special COVID-19 fund, to offer one-time financial hardship grants to nurses who are COVID+, caring for a COVID+ family member, or on mandatory quarantine. Nurses do not have to be a current member of ANA to apply, and LPNs are eligible as well. Grant applications for this fund will be accepted through July 31, 2020 or until the fund is depleted.
Mental Health
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses experienced extraordinary levels of stress in their day-to-day work. Early research of healthcare workers in Wuhan, China found that nurses experienced higher likelihood of depression, anxiety, insomnia, and distress than other health care workers in hospitals. We can expect the same impact on nurses working with COVID-19 patients in the U.S. It's all too apparent nurses need as much mental health and wellbeing support as possible.
In response, the Foundation has launched The Well-Being Initiative, in partnership with American Nurses Association, American Association of Critical Care Nurses, American Psychiatric Nurses Association and the Emergency Nurses Association. The Initiative offers responsive and preventative resources to support nurses’ mental health and resilience, including virtual support systems, a curated digital toolkit, and expressions of gratitude.
Our virtual support system includes opportunities to connect in peer-to-peer conversations, in one-on-one warmline calls, and through narrative expressive writing with feedback provided from trained responders. The digital toolkit includes the best and most relevant video. audio and visual content and the impact it has on nurses' well-being. The Fund will also focus on identifying and providing all nurses with meaningful expressions of gratitude - from peers, patients, and the general public.
Advocating for Nurses and Those They Serve
The Foundation supports American Nurses Association (ANA)’s legislative, regulatory and education efforts to keep nurses’ needs at the center of the conversation.
Efforts thus far include ensuring nurses' needs are understood and factored into government decision making, by engaging with the Administration, government agencies like HHS, FEMA, DOL, and communicating with Congress. The Foundation and ANA's priorities focus on crucial issues such as:
• The needs for testing and increasing production of PPE
• Funding for health care systems, staffing & equipment, and
• Support for nursing education funding
The advocacy driven by the Fund will also campaign to strengthen public health efforts in preventing the spread of coronavirus, managing the care of infected patients, ensuring the flow of accurate public information and shaping the future of the professional field post-pandemic.
In addition to addressing the needs of nurses, the Fund is an opportunity for the public to support and show gratitude through a text-to-give campaign, individual giving and corporate donations.
Where we work
External reviews
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of Nursing Research Grants Given
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Nursing Research Grant Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
nurse-led research projects funded by the Foundation. Program has supported over 1,200 nurses the past 60 years with these grants.
Number of Distinguished National Academy of Medicine Fellowship Nurse Scholars
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Provides a year-long residential leadership opportunity in health policy. The experience supports engagement of nurse leaders in a prominent role in health policy at the national level. Metrics are cu
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
The American Nurses Foundation (the Foundation) was founded in 1955 as the charitable affiliate of American Nurses Association (ANA). Since then, the Foundation has fought tirelessly to advance the nursing profession through raising funds for advances in research, education, and clinical practice to the benefit of the whole health care system.
Our vision is to achieve ‘a healthy world through the power of nursing’, and this is more relevant today than ever. With the future of health care changing so dramatically, nurses can revolutionize the approach to care for the better.
The Foundation pursues this mission through:
• Recognizing the dedication of America’s 4 million invaluable registered nurses and the lives they touch
• Elevating the profession of nursing globally
• Engaging all nurses to ensure professional success
• Evolving the practice of nursing to transform health and health care
With gifts and grants from generous donors – individuals, corporations, private foundations, and government agencies – the Foundation invests in the wellbeing and success of individual nurses while championing the nursing cause throughout the health care system, to improve health care for all.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
The American Nurses Foundation has an expansive reach and unique ability to engage with millions of nurses. The Foundation utilizes its access to this network to learn about the current needs and pressing issues facing the nursing profession. Based on that knowledge, the Foundation creates programs to address those needs. Foundation programs and services have manifested in resources to improve the overall health of nurses, support education and research , share free resources to help nurses advance their careers and improve their mental-wellbeing, and on a national level implementing legislative/regulatory education and advocacy activities to engage with Congress and government agencies around improvements to the nursing profession and patient care.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The American Nurses Foundation has made significant positive impacts on the lives of nurses in America, with a history dating back to 1955. The Foundation has that capability in part because of the engagement it has with America’s 4 million registered nurses, including nurses who are not active members of the ANA. Through newsletters, surveys, webinars, and major events, the Foundation keeps abreast of all major issues that are important to American nurses. That information informs the Foundation’s work, so that programs are data-informed and designed to address specific needs that nurses identify.
The Foundation has a dedicated fundraising and programming staff with nearly a century of collective non-profit experience. The leadership team, though small, is adept at designing and implementing programs, and all aspects of administering non-profit grants – both successfully acquiring external funding while also disseminating grants that the Foundation awards to increase professional expertise and improve the lives of nurses.
The Foundation has significant external support which enhances its capabilities to fulfill its mission. The Foundation has a dedicated 18-person Board of Trustees featuring a diverse group of nurses, healthcare professionals, and representatives from the private sector. In addition, the Foundation maintains a corporate advisory board, a group of prominent companies that serves as a forum for fostering innovation in nursing. The Foundation also partners with other nursing and healthcare organizations, including American Academy of Nursing, National Academy of Medicine, Sigma Theta Tau International, a variety of nursing research societies and nursing specialty groups, and constituent and state nursing associations nationwide.
That collective leadership significantly increases the capabilities of the Foundation. This widespread engagement, across industries and across the nation, ensures that our work is informed by a variety of timely perspectives. The Foundation collaborates extensively, thereby leveraging the expertise of partners and minimizing any duplication of effort. Together, we drive positive change in the healthcare system, as partners contribute resources and extend their influence to promote the overall goals of the Foundation.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
The American Nurses Foundation has accomplished a great deal in the past sixty-five years. From advocating for greater leadership roles for nurses, to funding innovative care solutions, the Foundation is passionate that nurses have a critical view of the challenges we face in health care, and that nursing should be supported to lead health care change. This will keep patients safe, ensure they experience the best care, and encourage them to lead healthier lives.
Since 1955, the Foundation has awarded nearly 1,200 research grants totaling more than $6 million for nurses to advance clinical care and academic training. This work is important for the professional advancement of the individual nurse as well as the broader profession, and the practice of healthcare overall. It has developed and implemented national education and best practice campaigns focused on children, adults and the elderly.
In the last few years, the Foundation has also awarded $125,000 in scholarships for aspiring and current nurses to increase their professional expertise. That is a vitally important program considering the exorbitant cost for nursing degrees and education pathways, weighed against the high demand for healthcare professionals, and a shortfall in the number of nurses. Additionally, it has provided awards for developing nursing leadership and innovation totaling $170,000 in two years. The Foundation launched the Nurses on Boards Coalition, a national partnership of organizations committed to appointing 10,000 nurses to boards of directors of corporate and non-profit health related organizations by 2020. Currently that initiative has helped 7,500 nurses achieve board leadership positions.
Nurses give the best care to patients when they’re operating at their own peak wellness. The Healthy Nurse Healthy Nation program is an initiative to connect and engage nurses, employers, and organizations around improving health in five areas: physical activity, nutrition, rest, quality of life, and safety. The Foundation has prioritized helping nurses be healthier and has enrolled 187,000 nurses and more than 500 partner organizations in three years.
In the future, Foundation programming will continue to adapt to the current needs of nurses. There is no clearer example than the current fundraising priority for the Foundation: The Coronavirus Response Fund for Nurses. With focused fundraising efforts for individual donors and strategic outreach to corporate and foundation partners, the Foundation has raised $12 million dollars as of June 2020 for this initiative. The Fund is designed to address the most pressing needs for nurses working on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Fund has four focus areas: direct financial support, mental health resources, access to latest medical/scientific information relative to the pandemic, and national advocacy.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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Who are the people you serve with your mission?
America’s 4.3 million nurses comprise the largest body of healthcare professionals and are the most trusted professionals in the country. They are ideally positioned to be the best role models, educators, and advocates of health, safety, and wellness. The Foundation endeavors to serve all American nurses through our program offerings, available regardless of age, employment/retirement status, geographical location within the US, race, gender, orientation, or any specific nurse type or specialty. A significant factor in the Foundation’s success is our ability to both disseminate information to, and receive feedback from, hundreds of thousands of American nurses. We have our finger on their pulse, learning from nurses on the front lines about the challenges they are facing.
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How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.), Focus groups or interviews (by phone or in person), Community meetings/Town halls, Constituent (client or resident, etc.) advisory committees, Suggestion box/email,
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals,
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What significant change resulted from feedback?
The Foundation's largest existing program is the Coronavirus Response Fund for Nurses. Created in Spring of 2020 and still providing resources to nurses today, it has evolved to meet the current needs of nurses since its inception. That evolution is based on survey feedback from nearly 200,000 front-line nurses who shared their most pressing work challenges and offered solutions. An initial focus of the fund was providing direct financial assistance grants to nurses who had been laid off, furloughed, or lost work by testing positive for COVID-19. Based on more recent feedback we have transitioned the focus to mental health and well-being resources including therapeutic resources, toll-free support lines, creative writing programs and mobile apps to reduce stress.
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With whom is the organization sharing feedback?
Our staff, Our board, Our funders, Our community partners,
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How has asking for feedback from the people you serve changed your relationship?
Consistently requesting and receiving feedback from nurses on the Foundation’s work has helped keep the programs relevant and useful. The Foundation taps nurses as subject matter experts and advisors and utilizes their feedback to inform programmatic changes – incorporating new topics, adopting new methods, and increasing accessibility to meet nurses expressed needs. This process has improved the already strong trust that nurses have in the Foundation, as we honor their expertise and prove our receptiveness to the ideas of the nurses we serve. That empowerment incentivizes nurses to continue providing feedback and engaging in the Foundation’s resources which are designed for their benefit.
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded,
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, It is difficult to identify actionable feedback, tracking participation and getting specific feedback is hard when dealing with mental health.,
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Operations
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American Nurses Foundation, Inc.
Board of directorsas of 10/20/2021
Dr. Tiim Porter-O'Grady
Tim Porter O'Grady Associates, inc.
Term: 2012 -
Dr. Joyce Fitzpatrick
Case Western Reserve University
Term: 2012 -
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