Nurse Innovators Sought

The American Nurses Foundation (the Foundation) has launched a bold, new initiative to improve consumers’ health outcomes by transforming nursing education, regulation and practice.  The Reimagining Nursing (RN) Initiative kicks off with a Request for Proposals (RFP) to award $15 million to support change pilot projects. The RN Initiative will work to equip nurses with the leading-edge knowledge, tools, environments, and systems to deliver exemplary care. Ultimately, the RN Initiative aims to ensure that nurses’ expertise and contributions are optimized so that every consumer has access to the highest quality care.

Through the RN Initiative the Foundation is building on its commitment to invest in nursing, inspire innovation and leadership, and engage in partnerships to catalyze and implement transformative changes to education, regulation, and practice. The Foundation will grant a total of $15 million to up to 11 tests of change pilot projects in the following areas:

Practice-Ready Nurse Graduates: supports innovative competency validation and clinical preceptorships that enable newly graduated nurses to immediately contribute to and succeed in the health care delivery system.

Technology-Enabled Nursing Practice: supports the design and implementation of technology-based tactics and tools that meaningfully enhance the practice of nursing.

Direct-Reimbursement Nursing Models: elevates the value of nursing through direct reimbursement for nursing care delivery, management, and coordination outcomes.

Pilots that succeed will be brought to scale, disrupting—for the better—long-standing practices that result in nurses being under-developed, under-utilized, and under-valued

The RN Initiative is made possible in part by the generous support of the Kaiser Permanente National Community Benefit Fund at the East Bay Community Foundation in Oakland, California, Omnicell, AMN Healthcare, and the Salka Impact Fund.

“We are incredibly grateful to these funders for their support of, and investment in, the future of nursing,” said Kate Judge, executive director, American Nurses Foundation. “An investment in nursing is an investment in a workforce and a profession that is as dynamic and impactful as any in the country. By supporting the RN Initiative, our funders and the projects they’ll enable are improving access, care, and health outcomes for all Americans.”

Proposals are due October 25, 2021, and grants will be awarded by January 31, 2022. Visit our webpage to learn more about the RN Initiative, download the RFP, and apply for a grant.