Nurses Educational Funds

What Nurses Educational Funds does

Nurses Educational Funds (NEF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1912 and headquartered in Brooklyn, New York. Its core function is awarding scholarships to professional registered nurses pursuing graduate-level nursing degrees (master's and doctoral). Over its 110+ year history, NEF has issued more than 1,500 scholarships and, for the 2026-2027 academic cycle, is funding 34 awards drawn from a catalog of more than 30 named endowed scholarships. Recipients apply through an annual national cycle (October 1 through February 1) and, upon award, join the Circle of Scholars alumni network that sustains ongoing engagement with the organization.

The core product surface consists of the named endowed scholarship portfolio, the Circle of Scholars alumni community, the annual gala as the flagship fundraising event, and supporting giving vehicles. Underlying technology is light and operational rather than product-led: an online application portal, a donation portal, a public website, email and social media communications, and payment integrations including PayPal, ACH, and Zelle. The organization holds a Charity Navigator 4-star rating and a GuideStar Transparency Seal, providing third-party validation of governance and financial practices.

NEF operates with a minimal operating footprint — one full-time employee supported by a 22-member volunteer board — which is consistent with a donation-funded nonprofit whose expenses are dominated by program disbursements rather than staffing. Revenue is generated through charitable contributions from a diversified donor base that includes major medical centers (Mount Sinai, Columbia Nursing), a corporate partner (Johnson & Johnson), a professional alumni association (CUPHSONAA), additional named endowed scholarship sponsors, alumni and individual nursing leaders, and the broader public via online and event-driven giving. The business model is therefore grant-making rather than commercial: donations flow into endowed principal and annual scholarship awards rather than generating margins on a product or service.

Name

Nurses Educational Funds

Legal name

Nurses Educational Funds, Inc.

Website

https://n-e-f.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1912

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Nurses Educational Funds is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1912 that awards graduate nursing scholarships to professional registered nurses nationwide, with over 1,500 scholarships granted across its 110+ year history.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nursing Education Scholarship Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK), Scholarships, Grants & Education Benefits Administration (Financing-adjacent) (FSAKAEAM)

Keywords

• Nursing scholarships
• Graduate nursing education
• Educational grant funding
• Healthcare workforce development
• Nonprofit philanthropy

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations: NEF depends solely on donations to advance its mission of promoting nursing leadership through annual scholarship support. Donations come from nursing leaders, nursing schools, medical centers, nursing alumni associations, corporations including pharmaceutical companies and publishers, and the general public.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Nurses Educational Funds, Inc. (NEF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that awards scholarships to professional registered nurses pursuing master's and doctoral degrees in nursing education, practice, research, and administration. The organization maintains over 30 named endowed scholarship funds (including the flagship Isabel Hampton Robb and Isabel McIsaac awards), funded through individual donations, institutional gifts, corporate sponsorships, an annual gala, and planned giving, and disbursed via an annual competitive application cycle evaluated by the volunteer Board of Directors.

Product overview

Nurses Educational Funds (NEF) is a non-profit scholarship organization, not a technology company. Its core offering is a portfolio of graduate nursing scholarships awarded for master's and doctoral degrees in nursing education, practice, and research. The organization manages over 30 named endowed scholarships (the Isabel Hampton Robb and Isabel McIsaac being the premier awards), along with a Circle of Scholars networking community, an online scholarship application portal, a donation platform, an annual gala, and planned giving programs. The scholarship products range from general funds to highly specialized awards focused on areas such as maternal-infant/pediatric nursing, psychiatric/mental health, emergency care, oncology, and nursing leadership in the Magnet Recognition Program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Graduate Nursing Scholarships
• Isabel Hampton Robb Scholarship
• Isabel McIsaac Scholarship
• Named Endowed Scholarship Funds
• Scholarship Application Portal
• Circle of Scholars Alumni Network
• Online Donation Portal
• Annual NEF Gala
• NEF Champion Donor Program
• Thelma Schorr Planned Giving Society

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Mount Sinai Phillips School of NursingminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Sapphire Sponsor of the 2026 NEF Gala, supporting the annual fundraising event.
• Mount Sinai Health System NursingminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Ruby Sponsor of the 2026 NEF Gala.
• New York City Health + HospitalsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Ruby Sponsor of the 2026 NEF Gala.
• NYU Langone HealthminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Ruby Sponsor of the 2026 NEF Gala.
• Wolters Kluwer Health (publisher of American Journal of Nursing Company)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Corporate contributor to Nurses Educational Funds, supporting nursing education through publication and scholarship funding.
• Mount Sinai Hospital School of Nursing, New York Alumnae AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Mount Sinai Hospital School of Nursing NY Alumnae Association donated $54,000 to NEF to support the Edith G. Ryan and Joan Herman Bilder Scholarship and to complete the Sylvia Barker Scholarship, continuing their longstanding commitment to funding named scholarships for nursing leadership. They are also a Gala Sponsor (Sapphire Sponsor for 2026).
• Columbia University-Presbyterian Hospital School of Nursing Alumni Association Inc. (CUPHSONAA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCUPHSONAA donated $50,000 for an NEF scholarship (J. Margaret Ada Mutch Scholarship) to honor Ms. Margaret Ada J. Mutch's 100th birthday, with preference given to Columbia University School of Nursing students or alumni. In 2024, they donated $50,000 for a second permanent scholarship (Penny Hund West Scholarship).

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• HRSA Nursing Workforce Programs (Bureau of Health Workforce): Federal agency administering Nurse Faculty Loan Program, NURSE Corps Scholarship, and other graduate-nursing funding at national scale. Indirect peer / ecosystem participant that competes for the same donor-policy and scholar mindshare but operates with public funding.

Broad incumbents

• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: One of the largest U.S. health-focused philanthropies, funding nursing leadership, education, and workforce initiatives. Indirect peer operating at vastly larger scale with broader health scope.
• American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN): Larger national organization representing academic nursing; administers corporate-funded scholarship programs (e.g., with Johnson & Johnson) and offers grantmaking at significantly greater scale than NEF. Broader portfolio, but overlapping scholarship mission.

Emerging players

• National Black Nurses Association (NBNA): Provides scholarships and mentoring for Black nursing students at undergraduate and graduate levels; overlaps with NEF's health-equity scholarship focus and shares the alumni/donor pipeline for graduate nursing students.
• DAISY Foundation: Nursing-recognition and small-scholarship organization with a strong brand among nurse leaders; focused primarily on nurse/team recognition awards but expanding into scholarship funding, making it a partially overlapping emerging peer.

Direct peers

• American Nurses Foundation: The philanthropic arm of the American Nurses Association, providing nursing research grants, scholarships, and leadership development. Direct comparable to NEF in mission (advancing nursing profession through grantmaking) and donor base (nursing community).
• Emergency Nurses Association Foundation: Funds scholarships and research grants for emergency nursing professionals pursuing advanced degrees. Specialty-nursing grantmaking peer with similar endowment/donor-advised-fund mechanics.
• Foundation of the National Student Nurses' Association (FNSNA): Funds scholarships for nursing students at the pre-licensure and graduate levels. Direct peer in nursing education scholarship grantmaking and shares the alumni-engagement model.
• Oncology Nursing Foundation: The philanthropic affiliate of the Oncology Nursing Society awarding scholarships, research grants, and leadership awards for oncology nurses pursuing graduate study. Comparable specialty-nursing scholarship grantmaker.
• Sigma Foundation for Nursing (Sigma Theta Tau International): Provides research grants, scholarships, and leadership awards to nursing scholars worldwide. Closest peer in funding advanced-degree nursing education and in maintaining a large nursing scholar/alumni network.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nurses-educational-funds-inc-

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Nurses Educational Funds