Nursing + Health Sciences

Here is a list of public and private sponsors who support initiatives in nursing and health sciences.

You can also review a list of common federal granting agencies or search the COS database.

Aetna Foundation: Supports programs and ideas that improve health and the health care system, specifically in the areas of obesity, racial and ethnic health care equity, and integrated health care. Awards are $250,000 maximum.

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ): Supports activities to further the agency's mission to improve the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care for all Americans. Example programs:

• Small Grant Program for Conference Support: Supports conferences for research development; research design and methodology; dissemination and implementation; research training, infrastructure, and career development. Awards are $50,000 maximum.
• Small Research Grant Program: Supports different types of health services research projects including pilot and feasibility studies; secondary analysis of existing data; small, self-contained research projects; development of research methodology; and development of new research technology. Awards are up to $100,000 over two years.

American Association of University Women (AAUW): Seeks to advance educational and professional opportunities for women in the United States and around the globe. Provides grants and fellowships, including:

• American Fellowships: Supports women scholars completing doctoral dissertations, conducting postdoctoral research, or finishing research for publication. Awards for research leave fellowships are $30,000; awards for short-term or summer research publication grants are $6,000.
• Community Action Grants: Provides seed money to women and local community-based nonprofit organizations for innovative programs or non-degree research projects that promote education and equity for women and girls. Awards range from $2,000 to $10,000 over one to two years.

American Philosophical Society (APS): Provides fellowships and research grants for a variety of areas, including general publication support, exploratory field studies, APS Library residency, and Native American studies. Programs include:

• Franklin Research Grants: Supports the cost of research leading to publication in all areas of knowledge. Provides up to $6,000 for supplies/expenses. 

Helen Bader Foundation: Through its Alzheimer's and Aging program, seeks to make Wisconsin a leader, not just in how we address the challenges posed by Alzheimer's disease, but in how we view growing older and the later stages of life. Through an emphasis on program development, applied research, and public policy, the Foundation aims to offer hope to families grappling with Alzheimer's. In the broader interest of healthy aging, the Foundation supports education and training efforts that raise the capacity of professionals who serve older adults. Recent awards ranged from $7,500 to $75,000.

Otto Bremer Foundation: Assists people in achieving full economic, civic, and social participation in and for the betterment of their communities. Awards typically range from $5,000 to $75,000.

John A. Hartford Foundation: Seeks to increase the nation's capacity to provide effective and affordable care to its rapidly increasing elderly population. Grants are made in two priority areas: Academic Geriatrics and Training, Integrating and Improving Health-Related Services. Funding averages from $50,000 to over $1 million.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Supports health-related research and professional development across the following program areas: childhood obesity, coverage, human capital, pioneer, public health, quality/equality, and vulnerable populations. Average awards range from $100,000 to $300,000.

Plum Creek Foundation: Supports a variety of projects, including improvement of education, cultural activities, and environmental education/conservation. Awards range from $5,000 to $10,000.

Reiman Foundation: Broadly supports three types of endeavors: education, health care, and children's initiatives. Average awards range from $5,000 to $500,000.

John Templeton Foundation: Supports research across many topics, including creativity, freedom, gratitude, love, and purpose. The Foundation welcomes proposals that bring together these overlapping elements, especially by combining the tools and approaches of different disciplines. Awards range from $10,000 to over $1 million.

U.S. Department of Education (ED): Promotes student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access. Example program:

• Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education: Supports and disseminates innovative reform projects that promise to be models for improving the quality of postsecondary education and increasing student access. Awards average $700,000.

Wisconsin Historical Society: The Society Research Fellowships program supports research and writing for publication of books by the Wisconsin Historical Society Press. Awards of $1,000 to $2,000 are made to individuals.