The Foundation for Academic Nursing is pleased to announce the 2026–2027 recipients of the AACN Faculty Scholars Grant. The nurse educators to receive funding this year include Dr. Tonychris Nnaka from the University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNT Health), Fort Worth, for a project titled Integrating AI-Powered Holographic Standardized Patient Simulations into the Undergraduate Nursing Curriculum, and Dr. Natalya Pasklinsky from Columbia University for a project titled Enhancing Communication and Documentation Competencies Through AI-Enabled Simulation Preparation.
On October 15, the Foundation will introduce a new scholarship funded through individual donations, marking an important milestone and creating a meaningful new opportunity for donors to directly support graduate nursing students. The launch of the new Professional Nursing Scholarship comes at a critical time. As funding options for students pursuing graduate nursing education become more limited, philanthropic support is needed to help reduce financial barriers for aspiring advanced practice nurses.
Demand for nursing scholarships is rising, and the Foundation for Academic Nursing is responding. Over the past six years alone, the Foundation received more than 5,600 scholarship applications, nearly triple the number from just two years ago. As more students seek financial support to pursue careers in nursing, the need for accessible, well-funded pathways into the profession continues to grow.
The Foundation for Academic Nursing is pleased to announce the latest graduate students to receive the Deborah E. Trautman Future Nurse Leader Scholarship. With funding provided by Liaison International, AACN’s partner in NursingCAS, the scholarship recipients include Ayo Bodunde, a PhD student from University of Illinois Chicago and Kerry-Ann Dixon, a PhD student from Florida Atlantic University.
AACN and Certiphi Screening®, the nation’s leading provider of screening solutions for health profession students, are pleased to announce the launch of a new scholarship program to support nursing students pursuing master’s and doctoral degrees. Open to members of AACN’s Graduate Nursing Student Academy (GNSA), this program will award two $5,000 scholarships each year through the Foundation.
Launched to prepare the next generation of academic nursing leaders, AACN is pleased to announce the continuation of the Deborah E. Trautman Future Nurse Leader Scholarship. Now in its sixth year, Liaison International has increased its commitment to this scholarship from $7,000 to $10,000 in funding each year through 2028. Two students will be selected for a scholarship annually, with $3,500 provided directly to the student, and $1,500 used to cover leadership development expenses. Students selected through a competitive process will participate in a virtual leadership development experience with Dr. Trautman and have the opportunity to attend one of AACN’s student-focused conferences.
AACN and Certiphi Screening®, the nation’s leading provider of screening solutions for health profession students, are pleased to announce the launch of a new scholarship program to support the preparation of new nurses. Open to pre-licensure nursing students in traditional and direct-entry programs at AACN member schools, this program will award three $5,000 scholarships each year through the Foundation for Academic Nursing.
In 2020, AACN launched the Foundation for Academic Nursing to guide its philanthropic work and advance initiatives aligned with AACN’s mission and vision. Over the past five years, the Foundation has successfully secured and administered an array of grants and scholarships while delivering value to AACN’s member schools by supporting students and faculty.
The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN Critical Care) and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN Colleges) are partnering to provide scholarships to nursing students interested in practicing in critical care settings. Administered by the Foundation for Academic Nursing, each AACN2: Pathway to Critical Care Nursing Scholarship provides $2,500 in support to eligible students enrolled in entry-level baccalaureate programs who are committed to providing expert care to patients at their most vulnerable.
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