RCN Foundation
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- Headquarters—
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
RCN Foundation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- RCN Foundation
- Legal name
- RCN Foundation
- Website
- https://rcnfoundation.org.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
RCN Foundation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Charitable Grant-Making for Healthcare Workforce
- NAICS
- Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN)
Keywords
RCN Foundation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Charitable Donations: The foundation receives donations from individuals and organizations who wish to support nursing and midwifery staff facing financial hardship. Donations can be made online through their Enthuse platform, with the foundation stating that 100% of donations support beneficiaries.
- Charity Lottery: Weekly lottery scheme where participants pay £1 per entry for the chance to win guaranteed cash prizes. Available to RCN members and RCN staff who are residents of England, Scotland, and Wales, aged 18+. Proceeds support the foundation's charitable activities.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Hardship grants of up to £800 |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Education grants for professional development |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Research and practice development grants |
| Other | Weekly | Charity lottery at £1 per entry |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
RCN Foundation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The RCN Foundation is an independent UK charity that provides hardship grants of up to £800, education grants for professional development and students, and research and practice development grants to organisations supporting the nursing and midwifery professions. It also runs a domestic abuse fund, a £1-per-entry weekly charity lottery, and a signposting hub that provides holistic referrals for nursing and midwifery staff facing financial or personal hardship.
Product overview
The RCN Foundation operates as a single, unified charitable service providing multiple grant programmes rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offering consists of hardship grants (up to £800 one-off payments), education grants for professional development and students, and research & practice development grants for organisations. Additional services include the RCN Foundation Domestic Abuse Fund for those fleeing domestic abuse, the RCN Foundation Charity Lottery as a fundraising mechanism, and a Signposting Hub providing holistic support referrals. The Alumni programme offers ongoing benefits to supported nursing professionals. All services are aimed at nurses, midwives, and healthcare support workers in the UK, regardless of RCN membership status.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Hardship Grants
Quantifiable outcome
- In 2024, provided 705 grants totaling £1,363,895
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use RCN Foundation
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
RCN Foundation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
RCN Foundation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.
- Royal College of NursingcoreThe RCN Foundation works closely with the Royal College of Nursing to deliver its charitable aims of supporting and strengthening nursing and midwifery. While the foundation operates independently, the RCN partnership is central to its operations and reach within the nursing community. RCN membership is not required to benefit from RCN Foundation support.
- Enthuse (Donation Platform)supportingThird-party donation platform (thercnfoundation.enthuse.com) used for processing online donations. The platform enables secure online giving with the foundation stating that 100% of donations support beneficiaries.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
RCN Foundation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Helpforce: UK charity promoting volunteering in health and care settings, including volunteer-led wellbeing initiatives for NHS staff. Adjacent to RCN Foundation's mission (staff welfare) but focused on volunteer programme development rather than direct financial grants.
Regional players
- American Nurses Foundation: US-based charitable arm of the American Nurses Association, providing nursing research, education, and wellness grants. Functional mirror of RCN Foundation's model but operating in a different geography; useful comparable for scale, governance, and grant programme design.
Others
- Association of Charitable Foundations (ACF): Membership body for UK charitable foundations, of which RCN Foundation is a member. Not a direct competitor but a sector infrastructure and peer-networking organisation relevant for benchmarking and shared services access.
Broad incumbents
- NHS Charities Together: Umbrella organisation for NHS-affiliated charities, funding staff wellbeing, patient care, and research across the UK. Comparable fundraising and beneficiary profile (NHS workforce) but at significantly greater scale and broader scope than RCN Foundation.
- Royal College of Nursing (RCN): The UK's largest nursing membership body and trade union. Strategic partner of RCN Foundation; broader scope (advocacy, professional standards, employment representation) but overlapping reach into the nursing community that funds and benefits from the Foundation.
- Royal College of Midwives (RCM): UK midwifery professional body and trade union. Reaches an overlapping beneficiary segment (midwives) that RCN Foundation also serves, though RCM's primary mission is professional representation rather than grant-making.
Direct peers
- The Queen's Nursing Institute (QNI): Charity dedicated to community nursing, offering grants for education and hardship, plus innovation funding. Comparable in scope (grants to nurses) and overlap with RCN Foundation's education and practice development streams.
- Burdett Trust for Nursing: Independent charitable trust funding nurse-led innovation, research, and leadership projects across the UK. Comparable grant-making model focused on nursing and midwifery, with stronger research-orientation but similar beneficiary base to RCN Foundation.
- Cavell Nurses' Trust: UK charity providing welfare grants, hardship support, and debt advice specifically to nurses, midwives, and healthcare assistants in crisis. Most direct head-to-head peer to RCN Foundation's hardship grant programme, serving the same beneficiary population.
- Florence Nightingale Foundation: UK charity supporting nurses and midwives through leadership development programmes, scholarships, and research grants. Direct peer to RCN Foundation, operating in the same nursing/midwifery beneficiary niche with overlapping grant and education offerings.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
RCN Foundation social profiles
Digital presenceRCN Foundation compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
RCN Foundation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
RCN Foundation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
RCN Foundation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
RCN Foundation M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about RCN Foundation
What does RCN Foundation do?
The RCN Foundation is an independent UK charity that provides hardship grants of up to £800, education grants for professional development and students, and research and practice development grants to organisations supporting the nursing and midwifery professions. It also runs a domestic abuse fund, a £1-per-entry weekly charity lottery, and a signposting hub that provides holistic referrals for nursing and midwifery staff facing financial or personal hardship.
Is RCN Foundation a public or private company?
RCN Foundation is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was RCN Foundation founded?
RCN Foundation was founded in -1. It employs 11 to 50 people.
How does RCN Foundation make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Charitable Donations are the primary driver. The others are charity Lottery.
Who are RCN Foundation's main competitors?
Helpforce is listed as an emerging player. American Nurses Foundation is listed as a regional player. Association of Charitable Foundations (ACF) is listed as an others. Broad incumbents are NHS Charities Together, Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and Royal College of Midwives (RCM). Direct peers are The Queen's Nursing Institute (QNI), Burdett Trust for Nursing, Cavell Nurses' Trust and Florence Nightingale Foundation.
Does RCN Foundation have an API?
No public API is recorded for RCN Foundation.
What industry is RCN Foundation in?
RCN Foundation's product category is Charitable Grant-Making for Healthcare Workforce. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAA, Private Foundations, with a secondary code of BPAGAKAL, Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations. Its NAICS code is 813211 and its SIC code is 8300.