Grant making strategy

Priorities

After listening to nurses, and scoping UK and international health and social care policy, the trustees of the Burdett Trust for Nursing have decided to prioritise the following areas for the next five years:

• Nursing’s future: inspiring nurses through creating nurse led models of health and social care, that enable nurses and nursing to flourish. This includes the creative use of digital solutions to enhance relational (person-centred), sustainable care.
• Leadership: ensuring that nurses are represented and influential in decision making and formulation of health policy locally, nationally and internationally and that they are empowered to contribute creatively to the development of person-centred (relational), sustainable health and social care systems.
• Health advocacy: supporting nurses in their provision of holistic, person-centred care to respond to the needs of the individual, families and communities, facilitating the integration of health and social care, with particular focus on health equity and social justice.

To deliver on these priorities four programmes of funding have been agreed for 2026:

Neighbourhood Health: Engagement Awards

Nurses, midwives and health visitors are leaders in preventative health and social care and have a central role in leading on this health policy agenda.  There are countless examples of nurses doing extraordinary work from enabling compassionate communities to outreach from A&E. 

At the heart of all effective prevention is co-production. These awards are designed to enable listening and engagement. The purpose is to support nurse led initiatives which promote health and address inequity. 

The grants are not intended for standalone initiatives, but to support a larger piece of work or project proposal, or the nursing contribution to a wider interprofessional programme of engagement and health improvement within a neighbourhood or community. 

Stronger Together: Nursing Charities Impact Fund

Over the last five years we have given £2.7 million to nursing charities which have been some of our most impactful grants in terms of the numbers of nurses supported and the quality of support they have received.

We are committed to supporting great nursing charities doing important work at this threshold moment for the nursing professions. We recognise their independence, agility and potential to make a transformational difference for nurses and nursing.  Six charities who have an extraordinary track record of delivering excellent work for the nursing professions have been invited to join a three year partnership with BTFN. This is an invitation only programme and following extensive due diligence these opportunities have already been allocated.

Strengthening Nursing Now Challenge

The Trust is committed to strengthening and developing the Nursing Now Challenge. For 2026, we will focus on the implementation of the Burdett funded State of the World’s Nursing report, working in collaboration with the WHO Regions. This will enable the NNC early career nurses to engage in strategic dialogue in their countries and regions to influence policy for the profession.

Nursing Futures: Innovate, Create, Transform

This programme is in development and will offer offer grants to deliver on the Burdett priorities. The focus will be encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship, developing the art and science of nursing. Details will be announced in the summer.

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