Nurses for Tomorrow

The Foundation has long understood the important role nurses have in the delivery of care and to transform the future of health.

Our initiatives advance the education and professional development of nurses and nurse leaders to prepare them for the bedside, the community, and beyond.

If you have any questions or need assistance with the application process, please contact us or call 1-855-422-3386.

Nursing Internship Program

We are now accepting applications for the 2022 Nursing Internship Program.

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Our initiatives

Nursing education grants

The Nurses for Tomorrow grant program awards grants to nursing schools in southeastern Pennsylvania to fund scholarships for undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral nursing students. Academic institutions that meet the Nurses for Tomorrow grant program’s eligibility requirements may apply for scholarship grants for their undergraduate, graduate, and/or doctoral nursing programs.

To date, the Foundation has awarded nearly $13 million in Nurses for Tomorrow grants to 26 nursing schools which provided scholarships to more than 3,000 nursing students.

Nursing Internship Program

The Foundation’s Nursing Internship Program (started by Independence in 2005) has a 17-year history of helping to prepare future nurses to deliver culturally competent care to diverse patients in our community. The program is available to undergraduate nursing students attending schools supported by the Nurses for Tomorrow scholarship program, and who have completed at least one clinical rotation prior to the start of the internship program. In addition to gaining experience in non-traditional health care settings, the interns cultivate professional and leadership skills during this 10-week program through a series of Leadership Labs and an exploratory research project.

Research

The Foundation partners with nonprofit, academic, and public health institutions to fund research that improves the health and wellbeing of the communities we serve and to better understand some of the biggest challenges in healthcare. The Foundation is studying issues related to nurse wellness including compassion fatigue and burnout from caring for patients with substance use disorder, and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on frontline healthcare workers. The Foundation is also developing effective models for educating and preparing the next generation of nurses and nurse leaders.

Learn more

Nurses CanTM campaign

Learn more about the Nurses CanTM campaign by following @ibxfdn on Twitter and Instagram, and check out our latest Journal of Change.

Nurses for Tomorrow grant program eligibility requirements

Academic institutions that meet the Foundation’s general eligibility requirements may apply for scholarship grants for their undergraduate, graduate, and/or doctoral nursing programs. Nursing programs must also be fully approved by the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing and accredited by a national or regional accrediting body in order to receive funding. The annual invitation-only application period occurs in the beginning of each calendar year.

Academic institutions that meet all of our eligibility requirements can contact us for more information about this program.

Additional requirements for scholarship recipients

We award grants directly to eligible academic institutions and are not involved in the student selection process. Nursing students seeking a Nurses for Tomorrow scholarship should contact their nursing program advisor or institution’s financial aid office.

In disbursing the scholarships, the academic institution is required to select recipients who meet the following conditions:

  • Have a permanent residence in the Greater Philadelphia region. The Greater Philadelphia region is comprised of 11 counties within three states: New Castle County in Delaware; Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Mercer, and Salem counties in New Jersey; and Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties in Pennsylvania.
  • Be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, refugee or qualified immigrant.
  • Be enrolled in an undergraduate program (BSN, ADN/AAS, LPN) for an undergraduate scholarship, or
  • Be enrolled in a master level degree program (MN, MSN) for a graduate scholarship, or
  • Be enrolled in a doctoral of nursing practice or PhD degree program for a doctoral scholarship.
  • Be in good academic standing.
  • Comply with all required reporting.
Nurses CanTM campaign

Learn more about the Nurses CanTM campaign by following @ibxfdn on Twitter and Instagram, and check out our latest Journal of Change.

2021 Nurses for Tomorrow grant recipients

  • Bucks County Community College Professional Studies: Allied Health and Nursing
  • Cabrini University Nursing Program
  • Community College of Philadelphia Department of Nursing
  • Delaware County Community College Division of Allied Health, Emergency Services and Nursing
  • Drexel University College of Nursing and Health Professions
  • Eastern Center for Arts & Technology Practical Nursing Program
  • Eastern University Department of Nursing
  • Gwynedd Mercy University Frances M. Maguire School of Nursing and Health Professions
  • Harcum College Nursing Program
  • Holy Family University School of Nursing and Allied Health Professions
  • Immaculata University Division of Nursing
  • La Salle University School of Nursing and Health Sciences
  • Lincoln University Nursing Department
  • Montgomery County Community College Nursing Program
  • Neumann University Division of Nursing and Health Sciences
  • Penn State Abington RN to BSN Nursing Program
  • Temple University Department of Nursing
  • Thomas Jefferson University Jefferson College of Nursing
  • University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing
  • Villanova University M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing
  • West Chester University Department of Nursing
  • Widener University School of Nursing
Nurses CanTM campaign

Learn more about the Nurses CanTM campaign by following @ibxfdn on Twitter and Instagram, and check out our latest Journal of Change.

Nurse.com Partnership

As a leader in the nursing community, the Independence Blue Cross Foundation has fostered collaboration and sharing, convening events focused on relevant nursing issues including a national nursing conference on nursing leadership with the National League for Nursing and a regional conversation with the American Academy of Nursing on the role of registered nurses in transforming primary care.

As we continue to drive thought leadership in nursing to address the greatest challenges facing our health care system, we have partnered with Nurse.com, the leading provider of online continuing education for nurses, to provide courses for free.

Stay tuned for future continuing education opportunities.