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American Nurses Foundation’s vision is to achieve a healthy world through the power of nursing. Founded in 1955, the Foundation is the philanthropic affiliate of the American Nurses Association (ANA), the largest professional association for nurses in the US.
America’s 4.3 million nurses comprise the largest body of healthcare professionals and nurses have been trusted as the nation’s most honest and ethical profession consistently for the last 20 years. If you look at who is driving and coordinating care, it is the nurse, making skilled and compassionate decisions on a moment-by-moment basis. Nurses practice in many settings – hospitals and homes, schools and workplaces, long-term care facilities and hospices, practitioner offices and community clinics, in rural, sub-urban, and urban settings. They teach public health and train new professionals and conduct research. Nurses see it all, so they are ideally positioned to be the best role models, educators, and advocates of health, safety, and wellness.
With the future of healthcare changing so dramatically, and the economy and community recovery requiring a strong healthcare system, nurses can use their expertise to revolutionize the approach to care for the benefit of patients. Nurses are adept at providing a holistic view and take responsibility for identifying problems; devising and implementing plans for correction; tracking changes over time; and making necessary adjustments to realize goals for improved patient care.
For more than 65 years, American Nurses Foundation has fought tirelessly to advance the nursing profession to benefit the whole healthcare system. The Foundation raises funds, develops programs, and administers grants to support advances in research, education, and clinical practice which enhance nurses’ health and wellness, and improve patient care.
We invest in programs that empower nurses to transform healthcare. Our focus is to develop tools, information, and support structures to enable nurses to achieve their full potential and have the greatest impact on the public’s health. We accomplish these goals by
• elevating the image of nurses and the nursing profession, so that their crucial role is recognized and respected
• improving the overall physical, mental, and emotional health of nurses – they are less healthy than the average American, experiencing high stress, limited sleep, and vending machine nutrition
• increasing the number of nurses pursing further education and ensuring that nurses can practice to the fullest extent of their training
• strengthening nurses’ leadership skills and facilitating opportunities for nurses to serve as full partners in healthcare decision-making and improvement efforts; and
• generating new knowledge and policy through nurses’ scholarly research and practice.
The Foundation has a national scope consistent with the scope of ANA. A significant factor in the Foundation’s success is our ability to both disseminate information to, and receive feedback from, hundreds of thousands of American nurses. We have our finger on their pulse, learning from nurses on the front lines about the challenges they are facing.
With gifts and grants from generous donors, the Foundation invests in the well-being and success of individual nurses while championing the nursing cause throughout the healthcare system. To learn more about the Foundation’s programs or to donate, visit givetonursing.org.
