Building Peer and Leadership Support in Rural Healthcare Settings Microgrant

The Building Peer and Leadership Support in Rural Healthcare Settings Microgrant is offered by the American Nurses Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the American Nurses Enterprise. This organization works to advance the nursing profession and improve healthcare systems through funding, research, and leadership development. The foundation’s broader mission is to create a healthy world through the power of nurses, and this grant builds on that mission by addressing nurse well being, particularly in rural healthcare environments where resources and support systems may be limited. This funding opportunity is designed to support the implementation of an existing curriculum titled Nurse Well Being Building Peer and Leadership Support. The program consists of four modules and an implementation guide aimed at helping nurses manage stress and reduce burnout. The foundation has already piloted this curriculum across several healthcare systems, demonstrating measurable success in reducing burnout and improving usability and satisfaction among nurses. The purpose of this grant is to expand adoption of these tools in rural healthcare systems and evaluate how nurse led teams can effectively integrate them into workplace culture. The grant provides microgrant funding to organizations to plan, launch, and evaluate implementation of the curriculum within their systems. Funding may be used for staffing, programmatic activities, and other necessary implementation costs, including indirect costs up to fifteen percent. However, funds must be used strictly for charitable or educational purposes, and for profit entities must ensure no profit is derived beyond incidental benefit. Capital expenditures are limited, and certain costs such as excessive travel or non essential equipment are restricted. The grant also includes participation in a structured support system including a national community of practice and monthly learning sessions. Eligibility is open to nonprofit organizations, for profit entities, and government agencies located within the United States or its territories, provided funds are used for charitable purposes. Individuals and international organizations are not eligible. Applicants must demonstrate capacity to implement the program in rural settings, as defined by U.S. Census criteria, and proposals must explicitly address rural healthcare systems to be considered. Principal investigators must be nurses, and project teams are expected to include members reflective of the populations served, including individuals from underinvested communities. The application process requires submission through an online portal and includes several components such as a cover letter, abstract, project narrative, team overview, and detailed budget. Applicants must also indicate whether their project is considered research or programmatic, which determines whether institutional review board approval is required. Proposals are evaluated based on alignment with rural priorities, implementation quality, team composition, feasibility, and potential impact on nurse well being and community capacity. Additional review criteria include leadership involvement, diversity, and methodological rigor. The timeline for this opportunity includes an informational call in late July, with full applications due in early August. Review occurs in August, and award notifications are expected in September. The implementation period runs from October through March, followed by required reporting in mid April. During the implementation phase, grantees must participate in monthly community of practice meetings, complete training modules, conduct internal activities, and submit final reports. This grant does not explicitly state recurrence, suggesting it may be a one time or pilot funding opportunity tied to current program expansion.

Ensure strong alignment with rural healthcare focus; clearly demonstrate nurse led leadership; provide detailed feasible implementation plan; align budget with scope and timeline