Florence Nightingale Foundation

The Florence Nightingale Foundation (FNF) is a charity organization in the United Kingdom that provides scholarships to nurses, midwives, and other health professionals. The foundation was named after, and inspired by the work of, Florence Nightingale.

History
In 1912, a memorial to Florence Nightingale was first proposed by Mrs. Ethel Bedford-Fenwick at an International Council of Nurses Congress in Cologne. The intent was to create a foundation to provide educational support for nurses.

The memorial proposal was activated at the ICN Grand Council in Montreal, delayed to 1929 due to World War I. In 1931, the Florence Nightingale Memorial Committee proposed that the Memorial Foundation should focus on the post-graduate education of nurses. In 1934, the Florence Nightingale Foundation was established as an independent foundation based upon the principles of the Memorial Committee and the Florence Nightingale International Foundation. The Florence Nightingale Foundation now provides scholarships to post-graduate nurses, midwives, and other health professionals in the United Kingdom. In 2022, the University of Derby became the first higher education institution to join the foundation academy.

Scholarships
The Foundation has three categories of scholarships:
 * Travel scholarships are designed to enable a scholar to undertake the study of an aspect of practice and/or education in the UK or overseas.
 * Research scholarships are provided to allow Nurses and Midwives to undertake a course in research methods, research modules, or a dissertation/thesis as part of an academic course of study.
 * Leadership scholarships are for experienced Nurses and Midwives, Healthcare Deans, and Heads of Allied Health Professions.

Events and Activities
The Florence Nightingale Foundation hosts several events throughout the years.

Florence Nightingale Foundation Nightingale 2020 Conference
Florence Nightingale Foundation, Burdett Trust and Dods partnered to organize the Nightingale2020 Conference to mark the 200th birthday of Florence Nightingale. The conference took place on 27–28 October 2020, at ExCeL London.

Florence Nightingale Commemoration Service – Westminster Abbey
A Commemoration Service is held in May of each year to celebrate Florence Nightingale. The service honors Florence on her birthday, May 12, and celebrates International Nurses Day.

Students' Day
Students' Day is an annual event in which students from each University in the UK with a School of Nursing and Midwifery, are invited to spend the day at the Foundation in London. The main venue for the day is The Governors Hall at St. Thomas Hospital.

Presentation of Certificates
The Florence Nightingale Foundation Presentation of Certificates is held bi-annually and acts as the graduation ceremony for completed scholars.

In 2014, the Foundation’s Patron Sir Robert Francis, was the keynote speaker and described Florence Nightingale scholars as the ‘future leaders of the profession’.

Alumni Community
In 2019, Florence Nightingale Foundation launched the Alumni Community.