Foundations and Funders: How to Get Involved In the coming years, our nation’s health care system will need to serve 32 million newly insured Americans as well as rapidly increasing numbers of older Americans and people with chronic conditions. That is why the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) invites you to join its long-standing commitment to improving health and health care for all Americans by focusing on the role of nurses in improving quality of care. The Foundation has invested nearly $300 million over the past 10 years supporting innovative nursing programs that address many of the challenges of the current environment. We supported the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in the development of its landmark study and report released in October 2010, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, which provides a blueprint to transform nursing and the delivery of health care in America. Campaign Overview The Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action promotes implementation of the recommendations in the IOM report. Its aim is to help ensure that all Americans have access to high-quality, patient-centered health care, with nurses contributing to the full extent of their capabilities. The campaign is coordinated through the Center to Champion Nursing in America (CCNA), an initiative of AARP, the AARP Foundation and RWJF, and includes 50 state Action Coalitions and the District of Columbia as well as a wide range of health care providers; consumer advocates; policy-makers and business, academic and philanthropic leaders. The campaign is moving forward to address these priorities identified in the IOM report: Strengthen nurse education and training; Enable nurses to practice to the full extent of their education and training; Advance interprofessional collaboration among health care professionals to ensure coordinated and improved patient care; Expand leadership ranks to ensure nurses have a voice on management teams, in boardrooms and during policy debates; and Improve health care workforce data collection to better assess and project workforce requirements. The goal of the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action is to bring together many partners to achieve lasting results that truly transform how health care is delivered. Such an important endeavor requires the support of groups at the local, state and national levels; across professions; and spanning government, academia and the business sector. No single funder can do it alone. Many Funders’ Missions Align with the Campaign’s Goals The campaign’s goals correspond closely with the missions of many foundations and other funders, including those with commitments to improving the health and health care of our citizens, ensuring that we have a well-prepared health care workforce and increasing opportunities in higher education and leadership. 1/23/2013 How Foundations and Other Funders Can Help  Fund and Invest. Consider making a programmatic, financial or significant in-kind contribution or participating in a specific large-scale collaborative activity to implement the IOM report recommendations. Investments in research to improve patient health and health care, such as: - Nursing models of care that create innovative, cost-effective solutions - Nurse residency programs in a range of practice settings, including public health and community care Investments that improve educational and training opportunities for new and experienced nurses: - Scholarships and loan forgiveness programs to encourage nurses to pursue Bachelor of Science and higher degrees - Accelerated graduate degree programs in nursing to develop a diverse nextgeneration nursing faculty Increased health care leadership opportunities for nurses: - Programs to build leadership skills through continuing education - Expanded opportunities for nurses to lead and manage collaborative improvement efforts  Provide Access to Key Audiences. Leverage your reputation as a neutral convener to bring together key actors at the national or state level and engage them in achieving the campaign’s goals. Funders can also provide the campaign with opportunities to reach key audiences through speaking engagements.  Communicate and Advocate. Share campaign updates and other information with your grantees and networks via outreach, media and advocacy activities.  Support Coalition Capacity Development. Provide funding for staffing and program and infrastructure development to build the capacity of the state Action Coalitions. To Get Involved, Contact: Susan B. Hassmiller, PhD, RN, FAAN, Senior Adviser for Nursing at RWJF and Director, Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action, [email protected] Susan Reinhard, PhD, RN, FAAN, Senior Vice President, AARP Public Policy Institute and CCNA Chief Strategist, [email protected] 1/23/2013