American Nurses Foundation

Note: The organization did not respond to this question.

Note: The organization did not respond to this question.

The Foundation invests in leadership development across a wide range of issues, including opportunities for all staff. Examples include a board member completing Northwestern University’s 'Leading with Equity' program along with our Executive Director (ED). Our ED attended a 3-day 'Whites Confronting Racism' in 2020 provided by the non-profit of the same name. Our board has engaged in Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion training provided by Courage to Care that will continue into 2022. The entire staff completed Unconscious Bias training provided by ANA in 2020 and discuss DE&I topics in team meetings. Every staff member does a DiSC assessment, is a member of both ASAE and PEAK, and is encouraged to engage in trainings and benefits they offer. Foundation staff are engaged in comprehensive training on non-profit grantmaking, featuring sessions on Values-Based Grantmaking, Risk in Philanthropy, and Legal, Regulatory, and Ethical Issues in Grantmaking.

We collaborate extensively with associations, nonprofits and corporations to advance our mission. With American Nurses Assn (ANA), American Assn of Critical Care Nurses, American Psychiatric Nurses Assn, Emergency Nurses Assn, and AORN, the American Nurses Foundation launched the Well-Being Initiative to offer self-care resources for nurses as they care for others. We partner with ASHP Foundation to award a Collaborative Care Grant for nurse-pharmacist interprofessional health services research. With support from specialty nursing associations and corporations, we’ve granted $5 million+ in research funding to over 1,200 nurses. The Foundation, ANA, and the American Academy of Nursing support the National Academy of Medicine’s Distinguished Nurse Scholar-In-Residence program, providing fellows with a yearlong immersion experience in developing federal health policy. As a leader of the Nurses on Boards Coalition, we drove the appointment of 10,000 nurses to board positions in 5 years.

American Nurses Foundation experienced tremendous growth in the past year, while also navigating changes brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. We launched the Coronavirus Response Fund for Nurses in April 2020, designed to give immediate relief to frontline nurses experiencing life-threatening challenges in the pandemic, and in anticipation of long-term impacts. Based on nurses’ responses to our on-going survey series, our data informed COVID response planning across federal agencies (CDC, FDA, FEMA, GAO). We provided millions in direct financial assistance to nurses, advocated on their behalf with the US government, educated them with the latest scientific information on pandemic care, and launched the Well-Being Initiative, a slate of invaluable mental health resources and services for nurses. These free resources have continued to expand based on evolving needs, to include mood-boosting apps, confidential phone consultations with licensed professionals, a narrative expressive writing program, a podcast series on mental health and wellness, and free and discounted therapy services, among others. While our program team refined and enhanced offerings over the past year, the development staff grew our funds from $2 million to $17.7 million through strategic campaigns, grant writing, and soliciting institutional donors. The staff has accomplished all this while working remotely since March 2020. Working from home, the Foundation also established new partnerships, created new webpages, and produced two donor newsletters and countless updates, two successful board meetings, a virtual conference for our corporate advisory board, virtual team meetings, and an annual impact report. To build the capacity required to successfully operate the expansive programs, the staff grew from 3 to 12 employees, recruited, hired, and successfully onboarded in the last year, enabling the Foundation to continue to produce crucial results for the nurses we serve.