External funding

You can find possible funding opportunities in the Research section of this site or on the website, RDinfo, an online database listing more than 800 funding sources and more than 2,000 awards for health care staff in the UK.

Other possible funding options include:

  • an employer
  • a hospital/College of Nursing League of Nurses (eg King's College Hospital Nurses' League 0208 690 4244).
  • an RCN centre
  • a Training & Enterprise Council (LECs in Scotland) may offer Individual Learning Accounts providing £150 vouchers for learning and development (but not full-time courses). Contact Freephone: 0800 072 5678
  • commercial companies whose products you use may offer sponsorship
  • voluntary bodies, eg, the Rotary or Round Table
  • charities connected with a nursing speciality, eg, Parkinson's Disease Society
  • the Educational Grants Advisory Services (EGAS), Family Welfare Association, 501-505 Kingsland Road, London E8 4AU. Tel: 020 7254 6251. EGAS will sometimes help with difficulties with LEAs.
  • European Union objectives you may be able to apply for EU funding. See the Sixth Framework Programme web pages for more details
  • National Bureau for Students with Disabilities. Go to its website: www.skill.org.uk

Reference books

Career Development for Nurses - Opportunities and Options
By Jane Sanderson and published by Scutari Press, has a section on funding and finance.

Charities Digest
Published by the Family Welfare Association, 501- 505 Kingsland Road, London E8 4AA.

Sponsorship for Students
Published by Hobsons. Contact the Careers and Occupations Information Centre (COIC), Room E455, Moorfoot, Sheffield S1 4PQ. Published by The Directory of Social Change, 24 Stephenson Way, London NW1 2DP.

Students Grants & Loans - A Brief Guide
Issued by the Department for Education & Employment, Student Support Division, Mowden Hall, Staindrop Rd, Darlington DL3 9BG, Tel: 01325 392822. Also obtainable from any Local Education Authority.

The Directory of Grant Making Trusts
Published by the Charities Aid Foundation. Available from main nursing reference libraries and any large reference library.

The Directory of Social Change, 24 Stephenson Way, London NW1 2DP
Publishes the following:

  • Educational Grants Directory 1998/99
  • A Guide to Major Trusts
  • A Guide to Local Trusts in the North of England (ISBN 1 900360 03 9)
  • A Guide to Local Trusts in the Midlands (ISBN 1 900360 04 7)
  • A Guide to Local Trusts in the South of England (ISBN 1 900360 05 5)
  • A Guide to Local Trusts in London (ISBN 1 900360 12 8)
  • Grants to Study in the UK: a guide for overseas students (1996).

The Grants Register
Published by Macmillan Publishers Ltd, 4 Little Essex Street, London WC2R 3LD.

The Pocket Guide to Grant Applications
IK Crombie and C. Du V Florey, published by BMJ Books London 1998, provides advice on how to approach organisations and contains guidelines on drawing up grant applications.

The Springboard Sponsorship and Funding Directory
Published September 2000 by the Careers Research and Advisory Centre.

Loans

  • Student Loan (refer to your Institution for details or obtain above-mentioned guide on student loans).
  • Career Development Loan - Tel: 0800 585 505.
    Department for Education and Employment (£200-£8,000 interest-free until study completed).