Hardship grants
Hardship grants are one-off payments of up to £500, delivered alongside a holistic signposting service to support you through life’s unexpected challenges
The RCN Foundation is an independent charity that aims to support and strengthen nursing and midwifery to improve the health and wellbeing of the nation. We work with the Royal College of Nursing and others to deliver our aims, but you do not need to be a member of the RCN to benefit from our support – the RCN Foundation exists for all nursing and midwifery staff.
We offer support by:
- Providing grants to nurses, midwives and healthcare support workers for hardship and education
- Providing research and innovations grants to organisations
Join our mailing list to receive emails from the RCN Foundation about grant openings, upcoming events and more.
Meet the nurses we support
We provided a hardship grant to Lily, a single mother and qualified nurse, who was made homeless by her landlord. Hear Lily's story, in her own words:
Impact
In 2024, we provided 705 grants amounting to £1,363,895. These included 698 grants to individuals for benevolent and education purposes, and 7 to organisations undertaking research and innovation studies. Learn more about our impact here or download our 2024 Impact Report.
Our grants
The RCN Foundation are here to help.
Education grants
Apply for a professional development or student grant. Our grants are currently closed and will reopen early April
Research & practice development grants
We invest in the nursing and midwifery professions and improve patient care.
How you can support us
The nursing and midwifery community needs your support now more than ever. Your generosity will help us care for those who care for us at a time when the nursing and midwifery community need us most.
Make a donation
Donate online and support nurses, midwives, and healthcare support workers facing financial hardship
Leave a gift in your Will
And support nursing and midwifery teams for generations
Fundraise for us
There are endless ways to fundraise and support nursing and midwifery professionals across the UK. However you’d like to fundraise, we'll support you all the way
Recent news and events from the RCN Foundation
Sign up to the RCN Foundation email newsletter and get all the latest news from events and fundraising to available grants and funding. By joining our mailing list you agree to our Privacy Policy.
A webinar on nursing and midwifery employees' experiences of domestic abuse
Join our free online webinar where Dr Alison Gregory will share preliminary findings from the NAMED study, as well as nursing and midwifery professionals own experiences of domestic abuse
RCN Foundation report exposes financial struggles among Internationally Educated Nurses and Midwives
Read our report which unearths the latest findings from our Benevolent Service
RCN Foundation Quality Improvement Project
Applications close at 5pm on Monday 6 April