Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP)

For programmatic or technical questions:
Nawall Kertache
301.443.6752
NFLP@hrsa.gov

For grants management or budget questions:
Timothy Coyle
301.443.4243
tcoyle@hrsa.gov

The Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP) provides funding for accredited schools of nursing to establish and/or operate a student loan fund. Grantees will loan money to students, and up to 85% of each loan may be forgiven upon completion of up to 4 years of full-time employment as a faculty member in an accredited school of nursing.

The ultimate goal of the program is to improve the health of underserved and vulnerable populations by strengthening the health workforce and connecting skilled professionals to communities in need.

Goals:

• Increase the number of qualified nursing faculty nationwide by supporting training of advanced education nursing students who will serve as nurse faculty upon graduation, with a focus on doctorate preparation
• Decrease the financial barrier of serving as nurse faculty through loan cancellation
• Expand clinical training capacity by increasing access to designated joint nurse faculty (such as serving as APRN preceptors)

Objectives:

• Establish and/or maintain a distinct NFLP loan fund account and provide fiscal oversight in accordance with NFLP requirements
• Disburse loans to students enrolled in accredited or approved (for new programs) advanced nurse education training programs, who will serve as nurse faculty upon graduation
• Operate a NFLP loan fund, collect on loans borrowed, manage cancellations, monitor compliance, and provide accurate programmatic and financial data to show successful project implementation

Required activities:

• Establish and/or maintain an interest-bearing student loan fund, and deposit the award and collections in the student loan fund account
• Develop a standard operating procedure to guide project administration
• Conduct a training program to prepare students to become nurse faculty/ preceptors including training on how to deliver didactic and clinical curricula that reflects best practices in teaching and care delivery
• Disburse NFLP loan funds to advanced nursing education students
• Encourage post-graduation employment by connecting graduates with employment resources and opportunities, including in underserved, rural, and tribal communities
• Collect principal and interest on all loans from the NFLP student loan fund and deposit them back into the fund
• Provide cancellation of the original student loans for completion of post-graduation full-time nurse faculty employment
• Participate in federally designed evaluations
• Recipients are also encouraged to:
  • Establish collaborative partnerships to recruit students, provide access to training resources, and connect graduates with employment opportunities
  • Enhance experiential and didactic curricula to help NFLP students address health disparities, social determinants of health, health equity, and behavioral health integration for populations they serve upon graduation
  • Recruit, train, support, and graduate students, including those from diverse populations and/or disadvantaged backgrounds
  • Support an organizational culture of wellness by using evidence-based strategies aimed at promoting mental wellness and reducing burnout in the nursing workforce

Eligible applicants include domestic accredited schools of nursing with advanced education nursing programs. Tribes and tribal organizations may be eligible if they own and operate accredited schools of nursing with an advanced nursing program.

Award amount: Formula-based, up to $2,000,000
Project period: 1 year
Estimated Number of Awards: 80
Total Funding Available: $25,600,000

Cost sharing is mandatory for this program. Institutions are required to provide an Institutional Capital Contribution (ICC) that is equal to at least one-ninth of the award amount.

Links to the full announcement, application instructions, and the online application process are available through grants.gov.