Non-RCN scholarships and awards

Here you will find details of other areas of the internet to search, some other possible funding options, some scholarships offered by other organisations, and some loan options. 

Websites

There are details of possible funding opportunities in the research section of this website.

The website www.rdfunding.org.uk is 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 (e.g. King's College Hospital Nurses' League 0208 690 4244).
  • a Training and 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 such as the Rotary or Round Table
  • charities connected with a nursing speciality such as the 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 Local Education Authorities
  • European Union objectives; you may be able to apply for European Union funding. See the Sixth Framework Programme web pages for more details
  • visit the National Bureau for Students with Disabilities (www.skill.org.uk).

The Florence Nightingale Foundation Scholarhsips

Applications are being invited by The Florence Nightingale Foundation for this year’s scholarships.  Every year, nurses and midwives apply for the prestigious scholarships offered by this leading charity, which give recipients the opportunity to expand their understanding of the profession to the benefit of patient care.

The three categories for scholarships are:

  • Leadership scholarships – scholarships up to £15,000 are available for those who want to become leaders with the skills and self-confidence to contribute positively to the rapidly changing world of health care.
  • Research scholarships – scholarships up to £5,000 are available for nurses or midwives to undertake a course in research methods, research modules or a dissertation/thesis as part of an academic course of study. All of these must be able to demonstrate impact on patient care and be academically supervised or supported.
  • Travel scholarships – this is an exciting opportunity to study practice elsewhere in the UK and/or overseas to enhance patient care in the UK. These scholarships are up to £5,000 and are awarded for projects connected with the applicant’s field of work and which will benefit their patients and the profession more widely.

Research and travel scholarships are available to nurses and midwives who have current registration with the NMC and who work and are resident in the UK.  Leadership scholarships are additionally available to allied health professionals who have current registration with the HPC and work and are resident in the UK.

For further details on the criteria for application and how to apply for a scholarship, please visit the website www.florence-nightingale-foundation.org.uk or contact 020 7730 3030.

The Nightingale Fund Council

The Nightingale Fund provides grants for course fees for nurses, midwives and community public health nurses registered with the NMC, and health care assistants, to enhance their practice. For full details please visit www.thenightingalefund.org.uk or telephone 020 8464 7354.

UK Harkness Fellowships in Health Care Policy and Practice

These fellowships provide a unique opportunity for mid-career professionals to spend up to 12 months in the United States (US) studying a critical issue on the health policy agenda, working with leading US health policy experts, and gaining in-depth knowledge of not only the US health care system, but also those of Fellows' home countries. The Commonwealth Fund also brings together the full class of fellows throughout the year to participate in a series of policy and leadership seminars with US health care leaders drawn from government, politics, health care organisations and academia.

For further details please visit:   www.commonwealthfund.org/Fellowships/Harkness-Fellowships.aspx

Guy's Hospital scholarships  

If you trained or worked at Guy's Hospital you may be eligible for two sources of educational funding to support or supplement your studies. Contact: The Scholarship Secretary, Guy's Hospital Nurses' League, West Wing, Guy's Hospital, St Thomas' Street, London SE1 9RT. 

Margaret Parkinson bursaries

To enable post-registration nurses in the UK to undertake instruction in communicating with profoundly deaf patients and / or to obtain experience in relation to such patients. The bursaries are available annually.

  • Closing date: annually in March.
  • Contact: The Royal School for Deaf Children Margate, Victoria Road, Margate, Kent CT9 1NB. Telephone: 01843 227561.

Westfield nurses travel scholarships

Westfield nurses travel scholarships give qualified nurses, midwives and health visitors from South Yorkshire, Trent, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland, the chance to witness best practice throughout the world and implement ideas and innovations that are of benefit to the NHS. For further information please telephone Westfield on 0114 250 2058 or email scholarship@westfieldhealth.com. 

Loans

  • Student loan (refer to your institution for details).
  • Career development loan - Tel: 0800 585 505.
    Department for Education and Employment (£200 - £8,000 interest free until study completed).