The Florence Nightingale Foundation (FNF) is a charity organization in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

that provides

scholarships A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need, research ...

nurses Nursing is a health care profession that "integrates the art and science of caring and focuses on the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and human functioning; prevention of illness and injury; facilitation of healing; and alle ...

midwives A midwife (: midwives) is a health professional who cares for mothers and newborns around childbirth, a specialisation known as midwifery. The education and training for a midwife concentrates extensively on the care of women throughout their ...

, and other

health professionals A health professional, healthcare professional (HCP), or healthcare worker (sometimes abbreviated as HCW) is a provider of health care treatment and advice based on formal training and experience. The field includes those who work as a nurse, physi ...

. The foundation was named after, and inspired by the work of,

Florence Nightingale Florence Nightingale (; 12 May 1820 – 13 August 1910) was an English Reform movement, social reformer, statistician and the founder of modern nursing. Nightingale came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during th ...

History

In 1912, a memorial to Florence Nightingale was first proposed by Mrs. Ethel Bedford-Fenwick at an

International Council of Nurses The International Council of Nurses (ICN) is a federation of more than 130 national nurses associations. It was founded in 1899 and was the first international organization for :Health care occupations, health care professionals. It is headqua ...

Congress in Cologne. The intent was to create a foundation to provide educational support for nurses. The memorial proposal was activated at the ICN Grand Council in Montreal, delayed to 1929 due to

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. In 1931, the Florence Nightingale Memorial Committee proposed that the Memorial Foundation should focus on the post-graduate education of nurses. In 1934, the Florence Nightingale Foundation was established as an independent foundation based upon the principles of the Memorial Committee and the Florence Nightingale International Foundation. The Florence Nightingale Foundation now provides scholarships to post-graduate nurses, midwives, and other health professionals in the United Kingdom. In 2022, the

University of Derby The University of Derby, formerly known as Derby College, is a public university in the city of Derby, England. It traces its history back to the establishment of the Derby Diocesan Institution for the training of schoolmistresses in 1851. It ...

became the first higher education institution to join the foundation academy.

Scholarships

The Foundation has three categories of scholarships: * Travel scholarships are designed to enable a scholar to undertake the study of an aspect of practice and/or education in the UK or overseas. * Research scholarships are provided to allow Nurses and Midwives to undertake a course in research methods, research modules, or a dissertation/thesis as part of an academic course of study. * Leadership scholarships are for experienced Nurses and Midwives, Healthcare Deans, and Heads of Allied Health Professions.

Events and Activities

The Florence Nightingale Foundation hosts several events throughout the years.

Florence Nightingale Foundation Nightingale 2020 Conference

Florence Nightingale Foundation, Burdett Trust and Dods partnered to organize the Nightingale2020 Conference to mark the 200th birthday of Florence Nightingale. The conference took place on 27–28 October 2020, at ExCeL London.

Florence Nightingale Commemoration Service –
Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

A Commemoration Service is held in May of each year to celebrate Florence Nightingale. The service honors Florence on her birthday, May 12, and celebrates

International Nurses Day International Nurses Day (IND) is an international day observed around the world on 12 May (the anniversary of Florence Nightingale's birth) each year, to mark the contributions that nurses make to society. Background The International ...

Students' Day

Students' Day is an annual event in which students from each University in the UK with a School of Nursing and Midwifery, are invited to spend the day at the Foundation in London. The main venue for the day is The Governors Hall at St. Thomas Hospital.

Presentation of Certificates

The Florence Nightingale Foundation Presentation of Certificates is held bi-annually and acts as the graduation ceremony for completed scholars. In 2014, the Foundation’s Patron Sir Robert Francis, was the keynote speaker and described Florence Nightingale scholars as the ‘future leaders of the profession’.

Alumni Community

In 2019, Florence Nightingale Foundation launched the Alumni Community.

References

{{Authority control Educational foundations based in the United Kingdom Health charities in the United Kingdom Higher education organisations based in the United Kingdom Nursing education in the United Kingdom Nursing organisations in the United Kingdom Scholarships in the United Kingdom