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NLN Nursing Education Scholarship Award

National League for Nursing

The 2026 scholarship & award application period is NOW OPEN!

The 2026 application period will run from Monday, February 23, 2026 through Tuesday, May 19th, 2026. Applicants will be notified by the end of July 2026 and awardees will be recognized at the NLN Summit in the Fall of 2026 in Washington, DC.

We are proud to be the first member organization providing scholarships specifically to nurse educators. The NLN Foundation for Nursing Education offers scholarships of up to $8,000 each year to support the NLN’s mission to build a strong and diverse nursing workforce to advance the health of the nation and the global community.

These scholarships are awarded to nurses pursuing advanced degrees to advance their career as a full-time nurse educator.

The funds are for master's or doctoral students enrolled in accredited programs who have completed at least one full year of study by May 2026 and for whom program/project completion is feasible (i.e. IRB approved for research, dissertation proposal defended, capstone project approved, QI or change initiative approved).

Application Requirements

Each proposal must include the below content areas. Carefully review this NLN Nursing Education Scholarship Review Rubric. Incomplete applications will be disqualified.

Introduction: Describe your need for support and clarity of purpose.
Description of your Program of Study (i.e. dissertation, capstone, scholarly project, pilot project; quality project; change initiative).
Include specific outline, timeline and projected graduation date. If you have competed a dissertation proposal defense or had a DNP project approved, please include defense date. If project has been IRB approved, indicate.
Describe how your study links to NLN’s Mission and Core Values.
Describe your goals as a nurse educator.
2 Letters of recommendation (addressed to the NLN Foundation).
Budget Narrative: Be sure that each line item on the budget is clearly justified.
Biosketch Form (also available on SM Apply)

AI Based Application Success Predictor

👩‍⚕️ 1. Strong Focus on Nursing Education (Non-Negotiable)

Projects must directly address:
- Nursing education, workforce development, or teaching innovation
Includes:
- Curriculum development
- Clinical education
- Faculty training
- Student success

👉 General clinical nursing research without educational relevance → low success probability

🎯 2. Clear Impact on Nursing Workforce & Education Outcomes (Top Predictor)

NLN’s core mission:
- Advance:
  - Excellence in nursing education and workforce preparedness

👉 Key question:
“Will this improve nursing education, student outcomes, or workforce readiness?”

🔄 3. Educational Innovation & Evidence-Based Teaching (Critical)

Strong preference for:
- Innovative teaching methods backed by evidence
High-success areas include:
- Simulation-based learning
- Virtual learning
- AI/digital education tools
- Competency-based education

👉 Innovation must demonstrate measurable educational benefit.

📊 4. Strong Evaluation & Outcomes Measurement

Competitive proposals include:
- Clear educational outcomes
- Assessment frameworks
- Validated tools/measures

👉 Weak evaluation methodology is a common rejection reason.

👩‍🔬 5. Faculty Development & Leadership (Major Priority)

NLN heavily supports:
- Nurse educators
- Faculty leadership
- Academic career development

👉 Projects that strengthen the educator workforce score highly.

🌍 6. Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in Nursing Education

Major strategic priority:
- Increasing diversity in nursing education and workforce
High-priority themes:
- Inclusive teaching
- Equity in nursing pathways
- Support for underrepresented students

👉 Equity-focused proposals have a strong advantage.

🤝 7. Interprofessional & Collaborative Education

Strong interest in:
- Team-based healthcare education
Includes:
- Nursing + medicine
- Pharmacy
- allied health collaboration

👉 Interprofessional training models are highly competitive.

🧪 8. Feasible, Scalable Educational Interventions

Successful projects:
- Can realistically be implemented across nursing programs
Preference for:
- Scalable and transferable models

👉 Highly resource-intensive projects without scalability are less competitive.

🚀 9. Innovation in Simulation & Clinical Training

One of the strongest recurring themes:

Simulation and experiential learning
Clinical judgment training
Virtual simulation platforms

👉 Projects aligned with modern nursing competencies score highly.

📈 10. Dissemination & Broader Educational Impact

Strong proposals include:
- Plans for:
  - Publications
  - Curriculum dissemination
  - Faculty workshops
  - National adoption

👉 Broader educational reach improves competitiveness.

🧠 11. Student Success & Retention Focus

Increasing emphasis on:
- Student wellness
- Retention
- NCLEX preparedness
- Transition-to-practice success

👉 Workforce pipeline issues are strategically important.

🌐 12. Alignment with NLN Strategic Priorities

High-success themes often include:

Nursing workforce shortages
Technology-enhanced learning
Academic-practice partnerships
Equity in nursing education
Clinical readiness and patient safety

👉 Strong alignment significantly improves success rates.

📊 Summary: Key Predictors (Ranked)

🔥 Highest impact factors:

Nursing education focus
Workforce/student outcome impact
Educational innovation

⚖️ Major differentiators:

Strong evaluation methodology
Faculty leadership development
Equity and inclusion relevance

📌 Supporting factors:

Interprofessional collaboration
Simulation/technology integration
Scalability and dissemination

💡 Insider Insight

Compared to NIH or clinical nursing funders:

National League for Nursing is:
👉 highly focused on:
- nursing education transformation
- faculty/workforce development
- scalable teaching innovation
- student success

👉 Winning formula:
Innovative nursing education intervention + measurable learner/workforce outcomes + strong evaluation + scalable implementation

✔️ What wins:

Simulation and digital learning projects
Faculty development initiatives
Equity-focused nursing education programs
Student retention and clinical readiness interventions

❌ What struggles:

Pure clinical research without education focus
Weak educational methodology
Small local projects without dissemination potential

Specialties

Nursing

Eligibility Requirements

These scholarships are awarded to nurses pursuing advanced degrees to advance their career as a full-time nurse educator.

Eligible candidates must also be NLN members either through individual dues or through their employer schools’ NLN membership.

Eligible Countries:

United States

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: National League for Nursing

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: 2600 Virginia Avenue, NW | Eighth Floor Washington, DC

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