Scholarships and bursaries
The RCN supports a number of scholarships and bursaries to provide professional development opportunities for all nursing roles across the health and social care workforce
As a nursing professional, you can apply for RCN bursaries, RCN Foundation bursaries and other awards to fund your professional development.
It can be difficult to get funding from your employer to do continuing professional development but there are other ways that you can get finance. Some Universities offer bursaries and grants that are exclusive to their courses. It is worth checking out their websites and talking to the admissions team for clarification.
The following list is a snapshot of what is currently available.
RCN Wales
RCN Wales supports a number of awards for staff who work in Wales.
RCN bursaries provide professional development opportunities for all types of nursing roles across the United Kingdom. You can apply for RCN bursaries to fund courses, study tours, projects, research or conference attendance. RCN bursaries will be listed here when available.
- Alzheimer's Society
- Arthritis UK
- Barbers Company Clinical Nursing Scholarship
- Bevan Foundation. Wales' most innovative think tank.
- Burdett Trust for Nursing. The Burdett Trust for Nursing was established in 2002 with the aim of making charitable grants to support the nursing contribution to healthcare.
- British Geriatrics Society
- British Heart Foundation
- British Pain Society
- Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland. Award Schemes Archive
- Churchill Fellowship
- Commonwealth Fund Fellowships
- Crohns in Childhood Research Association
- Diabetes UK
- Digital Health Summer Schools. Digital Nursing & Midwifery Bursary Programme
- Dowager Countess Eleanor Peel Trust (DCEPT)
- Florence Nightingale Foundation
- Foundation of Nursing Studies (FoNS)
- Healthcare Infection Society
- Herts Community Nurses Charity
- Hospice UK. MCF Bursaries for Hospice Staff
- Hospice UK. Wolfson Foundation Hospice Care Home Training Programme
- Hospice UK. Wolfson Professional Development Grants - Hospice Staff
- Kidney Research UK grants
- Multiple Sclerosis Society
- Multiple Sclerosis Trust. Funding your learning
- National Institute for Health and Care Research
- NHS Business Services Authority. NHS Learning Support Fund (LSF)
- Nigeria Nurses Charitable Association UK
- Nurses Memorial to King Edward VII in Scotland. Help for nurses in need.
- Nursing Association of Jamaica
- Parkinson's UK
- POSTGRAD.com. 5 Postgrad Solutions Study Bursaries worth £10,000
- The Psoriasis Association
- Queen's Nursing Institute. Educational grants
- The Rayne Foundation
- Ruth Hayman Trust
- Sir Richard Stapley Educational Trust. Grants for postgraduates.
- Skills for Care
- Society for Endocrinology
- Stroke Association
- The Sylk Bursary
- Tenovus Cancer Care
- The Birmingham and Three Counties Trust for Nurses
- The Queen’s Institute of District Nursing in Ireland
- The Royal London Hospital League Of Nurses. Educational Grants and Bursaries
- The Worshipful Company of Nurses. Who we help
- UCAS. Scholarships, grants, and bursaries
- UK Dermatology
- The Urology Foundation
- Vivensa Foundation
- Wellbeing of Women
- Wellcome
Independent Health and Social Care funding opportunities
RCN Foundation bursaries
The RCN Foundation is an independent charity. It offers a number of bursaries to fund learning, development and research opportunities.
Page last updated - 03/03/2026
