American Nurses Foundation was founded in 1955 as the research, education, and charitable affiliate of the American Nurses Association (ANA). Since then, the Foundation has fought tirelessly to advance the nursing profession by raising funds for advances in research, education, and clinical practice to the benefit of the whole health care system. Our mission is to ‘transform the nation’s health through the power of nursing’, and this is more relevant today than ever. With the future of health care changing so dramatically, nurses can revolutionize the approach to care for the better. The Foundation invests in the wellbeing and success of individual nurses while championing the nursing cause throughout the health care system.
Ruling year info 1956 Executive Director Kate Judge Main address 8515 Georgia Avenue Suite 400 Silver Spring, MD 20910 USA Show more contact info
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Physical Address 8515 Georgia Avenue Suite 400 Silver Spring, MD 20910
Payment Address P.O. Box 504342 St. Louis, MO 63150
Donation Payable Legal name of organization: American Nurses Foundation EIN for payable organization: 13-1893924
EIN 13-1893924 NTEE code info Fund Raising and/or Fund Distribution (H12) Fund Raising and/or Fund Distribution (E12) Fund Raising and/or Fund Distribution (T12)
Founded in 1955 as the research, educational, and charitable affiliate of the American Nurses Association (ANA), the American Nurses Foundation's (the “Foundation") mission is to transform the nation's health through the power of nursing. The Foundation raises funds, develops programs, and manages grants to support advances in research, education, and clinical practice. Its principal activities are intended to elevate the image of nursing; improve the health of nurses and the nation; strengthen nurse leadership; and generate new knowledge and policy through nurses' scholarly research and practice.
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
The American Nurses Foundation's Nursing Research Grant Program provides an opportunity for the beginner and experienced nurse researcher to demonstrate the impact of nursing intervention on consumer health and strengthen nursing practice. Since the programs inception in 1955, the Foundation has supported more than 1,100 studies, totaling over $5 million.
Population(s) ServedThe Foundation created the its Nurses on Boards initiative in response to the landmark 2010 Institute of Medicine report on “The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health” which called for nurses to assume leadership roles, including on boards of directors. As the largest proportion of staff within a health system, nurses bring a focus on patients, quality, strategic planning and so much more to all types of boards of directors, which in turn will improve the health of the community. The initiative includes telling the stories of nurse leaders, supporting nurses in becoming board-ready, and advocating to organizations to include a nurse on their board.
Population(s) ServedThe Foundation’s Honor a Nurse Program enables colleagues, friends, family, and leaders to honor and tell the stories of nurses who have made a positive difference in nursing. The program provides a vehicle for meaningful recognition that is separate from nurses’ employment settings. Instead, the recognition is solely in the purview of the person paying the honor, and, at the same time, encourages philanthropic donations to the nursing profession.
Population(s) ServedThe human toll of the Coronavirus-19 pandemic is being felt throughout the nation and most acutely by the nation's largest body of healthcare professionals – nurses. These nurses will deliver the vast majority of patient care as COVID-19 spreads across the country. To provide support for nurses on the frontlines, American Nurses Foundation has launched Coronavirus Response Fund for Nurses.
The Fund has four focus areas, which are based on information we received from tens of thousands of responses to the American Nurses Association COVID-19 survey, townhalls, and outreach from nurses to state nursing associations.
• Ensuring nurses everywhere have access to the latest science-based information to protect themselves, prevent infection, and care for those in need
• Providing direct financial assistance to nurses
• Supporting the mental health of nurses – today and in the future
• Driving the national advocacy focused on nurses and patients
The Latest Science-based Information
RNs and other healthcare providers need the best, latest, unbiased information to protect themselves and their patients. Unfortunately, in the current, often-chaotic environment surrounding the pandemic, there is conflicting information from employers, federal agencies and the media. Accurate, consistent, science and data-based information is a life-critical priority for nurses, and the Fund will invest in materials and tools to ensure all nurses have access to this information as it becomes available.
The American Nurses Foundation Coronavirus Response Fund for Nurses has paid for key activities to hear from nurses, and based on their requests, questions, and real-time descriptions of what they need, to get that crucial information to them as quickly as possible.
• More than 32,000 nurses replied to ANA’s first COVID-19 Workplace Survey Additional surveys are being planned.
• Improvements to ANA COVID-19 Resource Center offer a one-stop source of what nurses need to know about the pandemic
• A Free COVID-19 Webinar Series developed by ANA specifically for topics critical to nurses. Over 120,000 nurses registered for the first three webinars, with more on-demand sessions coming.
Direct Financial Assistance
The Coronavirus Response Fund for Nurses will be used to provide direct financial assistance to nurses through Nurses House, Inc., a nurse-managed, non-profit organization dedicated to helping registered nurses in need.
Nurses House has established a special COVID-19 fund, to offer one-time financial hardship grants to nurses who are COVID+, caring for a COVID+ family member, or on mandatory quarantine. Nurses do not have to be a current member of ANA to apply, and LPNs are eligible as well. Grant applications for this fund will be accepted through July 31, 2020 or until the fund is depleted.
Mental Health
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses experienced extraordinary levels of stress in their day-to-day work. Early research of healthcare workers in Wuhan, China found that nurses experienced higher likelihood of depression, anxiety, insomnia, and distress than other health care workers in hospitals. We can expect the same impact on nurses working with COVID-19 patients in the U.S. It's all too apparent nurses need as much mental health and wellbeing support as possible.
In response, the Foundation has launched The Well-Being Initiative, in partnership with American Nurses Association, American Association of Critical Care Nurses, American Psychiatric Nurses Association and the Emergency Nurses Association. The Initiative offers responsive and preventative resources to support nurses’ mental health and resilience, including virtual support systems, a curated digital toolkit, and expressions of gratitude.
Our virtual support system includes opportunities to connect in peer-to-peer conversations, in one-on-one warmline calls, and through narrative expressive writing with feedback provided from trained responders. The digital toolkit includes the best and most relevant video. audio and visual content and the impact it has on nurses' well-being. The Fund will also focus on identifying and providing all nurses with meaningful expressions of gratitude - from peers, patients, and the general public.
Advocating for Nurses and Those They Serve
The Foundation supports American Nurses Association (ANA)’s legislative, regulatory and education efforts to keep nurses’ needs at the center of the conversation.
Efforts thus far include ensuring nurses' needs are understood and factored into government decision making, by engaging with the Administration, government agencies like HHS, FEMA, DOL, and communicating with Congress. The Foundation and ANA's priorities focus on crucial issues such as:
• The needs for testing and increasing production of PPE
• Funding for health care systems, staffing & equipment, and
• Support for nursing education funding
The advocacy driven by the Fund will also campaign to strengthen public health efforts in preventing the spread of coronavirus, managing the care of infected patients, ensuring the flow of accurate public information and shaping the future of the professional field post-pandemic.
In addition to addressing the needs of nurses, the Fund is an opportunity for the public to support and show gratitude through a text-to-give campaign, individual giving and corporate donations.