A transformative grant from the Bedford Falls Foundation-DAF will provide scholarships to more than 140 undergraduate students at the School of Nursing over the next four years, and academic support to many more.
The $2 million grant will establish the Bill and Joanne Conway EPIC Scholarship, which will provide partial scholarships, stipends and NCLEX preparation materials to BSN students with demonstrated financial need. In addition, the grant will fund peer tutoring and faculty-led academic support to any student seeking these resources.
“We are deeply grateful to Bedford Falls for their generous support of the University of Michigan School of Nursing and our students,” said School of Nursing Dean Patricia D. Hurn. “Their investment is a commitment to our students and a catalyst for expanding access to education, bolstering academic success, and empowering the next generation of nurses.
“Together, we are shaping careers and cultivating a future of innovative and compassionate health care leadership. This partnership opens doors for our students, enabling them to shape a bright future for themselves and a compassionate future for our communities.”
The Bedford Falls Foundation and the donor advised fund that it advises were started by Carlyle Group co-founder and co-chairman Bill Conway Jr. and his late wife, Joanne, with the shared mission of removing barriers to a high-quality nursing education and addressing the critical nursing workforce shortage.
“The United States needs nurses too much to allow finances to be an impediment to getting a high-quality nursing education, and I am lucky enough to be in the position to help,” Conway said. “Our partnership with University of Michigan School of Nursing amplifies their impact, allowing them to reach more nursing students who need support becoming the great nurses our nation needs.”
Since 2013, the Bedford Falls Foundation has donated more than $325.6 million to support nursing schools across the United States. The School of Nursing is the first foundation awardee in the state of Michigan.
