Linking Industry to Nursing Education (LINE) Fund

The Linking Industry to Nursing Education (LINE) Fund is a competitive Florida grant program administered through the Florida Department of Education. Established in 2022 under section 1009.8962, Florida Statutes, the program was created to encourage collaboration between nursing education programs and health care partners and to help address Florida's nursing shortage. The program provides state matching funds on a dollar-to-dollar basis to participating agencies that partner with health care providers as defined in section 768.38(2), Florida Statutes. For the 2025-26 fiscal year, the Florida Legislature provided $24 million for the LINE Fund, and an additional $20.5 million was reappropriated or reverted from previous years, resulting in $44.5 million in available LINE funding. Eligible institutions identified in the memorandum include Florida College System institutions, school district postsecondary technical career centers, charter technical career centers, qualifying independent nonprofit colleges and universities located and chartered in Florida, and qualifying independent schools, colleges, or universities with an accredited nursing program located in Florida and licensed by the Commission for Independent Education. The memorandum also notes that Rule 6A-10.0352, Florida Administrative Code, was amended to incorporate changes from HB 1255 and expand LINE Fund requirements so that eligible institutions outlined in section 1009.521, Florida Statutes, may utilize the funds. Applicants must satisfy program performance standards. A certified nursing assistant program must provide data supporting a completion rate of at least 70 percent for the prior year. A licensed practical nurse, associate of science in nursing, or bachelor of science in nursing program must provide data supporting a first-time passage rate of at least 75 percent on the National Council of State Boards of Nursing Licensing Examination for the prior year, based on a minimum of 10 testing participants. These performance requirements are explicit eligibility conditions for participating programs. LINE Fund dollars may support scholarships for students who meet Florida residency requirements for tuition purposes, recruitment of additional faculty, equipment purchases, and support for simulation centers intended to advance high-quality nursing education programs throughout Florida. Funds may not be used for construction of new buildings. The program requires a dollar-to-dollar match associated with participating agencies' partnerships with health care providers. The memorandum does not state an individual minimum or maximum award amount, the expected number of awards, an indirect cost limitation, or a specific performance period for individual awards. The Florida Department of Education posted the Request for Proposal and associated documents through its LINE Fund funding opportunities page. The first identified step in the application process was submission of a Notice of Intent due October 6, 2025. A funding opportunities webinar was scheduled for September 22, 2025 at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time to provide information about the appropriation, preparation and submission of proposals, and the review process. The memorandum instructs interested institutions to review the proposal requirements and encourages participation in the webinar, but it does not state the final full-proposal deadline, an application opening date, award notification date, or award start date. The source does not state that the LINE Fund solicitation recurs annually, biennially, quarterly, or on another defined schedule, so no recurrence is recorded from this memorandum alone. As of the August 19, 2026 analysis date, the October 6, 2025 Notice of Intent deadline is in the past and the cited funding was expressly identified for the 2025-26 fiscal year. Questions about the opportunity were directed to Jose Arevalo, Executive Vice Chancellor, Division of Florida Colleges, through the program email address LINE_Fund@fldoe.org. No dedicated program telephone number is provided in the memorandum.

Confirm the applicant and nursing program satisfy the statutory eligibility and performance thresholds; document the qualifying health care partnership and dollar-to-dollar match; align requested costs with scholarships, faculty recruitment, equipment, or simulation centers; do not request funds for construction of new buildings.