Sigma Foundation for Nursing/NLN Research Award

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The National League for Nursing and Sigma Foundation for Nursing grant supports research that advances the science of nursing education. Made possible through an individual donor gift, the grant aims to advance the science of nursing education and learning through the use of technology in dissemination of knowledge.

Funding

This is an annual award of $5,000 to one nurse researcher or doctoral dissertation student to support the use of technology in nursing education research. Funds for this award are made possible from a gift from Dr. Diane Billings to Sigma Foundation for Nursing's research endowment.  The funding for this grant is administered by Sigma and does not cover expenses incurred prior to the disbursement of funds. ​​Sigma will disburse funds by November 1 of the year awarded. The recipient will also receive a one-year membership from the NLN.

Eligibility

  • Applicants for this award must hold a master's or doctoral degree or be enrolled in a doctoral nursing program (DNP, DNS, EdD, or PhD); must be a registered nurse with current license; preference will be given to Sigma and/or NLN members.  
  • Applicants must provide evidence that the proposed study has been approved by their dissertation or scholarly project committee AND that IRB/REC approval has been obtained, where applicable. Funds will not be distributed by Sigma until IRB/REC approval is provided.
  • Proposed studies must be clearly focused on advancing the science of nursing education and learning through the use of technology in dissemination of knowledge and must relate to one or more of the NLN Research Priorities in Nursing Education 2024-2027.   

Proposal Guidelines

  • A complete proposal includes a Blind Review File only (all identifying information of applicant removed)
  • The proposal must be submitted electronically by a specified deadline. Incomplete proposals or proposals submitted after this time will not be accepted for review.
  • Applications must adhere to requirements for format, content, length limitations, and necessary supporting materials as outlined in the  NLN Research Award Submission Guidelines (PDF)
  • Upon completion of the funded study, grantees are expected to submit a final report to Sigma as outlined in Sigma's Final Report Guidelines.  Please note that the initial grant check will be in the amount of $4,500 and the remaining balance of $500 will be sent once the final report is received. Although a budget is NOT required for this award, a final financial report must be submitted with the final report. 

Components of the Blind Review File

  1. Title page with applicant's name and affiliation removed.
  2. Proposal narrative (15-page limit, double spaced, includes abstract) with all identifying information of applicant removed as outlined in the NLN Research Award Submission Guidelines (PDF).
  3. References cited (are not part of the 15-page limit) - must be presented using the most current APA citation style.
  • A budget is not required for this award.  
  • The components of the Blind Review File must be submitted in one PDF file via the online submission system.

Appendices

Supporting documents are uploaded separately from the Blind Review File and can retain identifying information of individual applicant.  Appendices should include the following:


  • Documentation that IRB approval has been requested and/or obtained. 
  • If applying as doctoral student, an appendix MUST include documentation of successful completion of proposal defense. 

How to Submit

Proposals for the 2025 cycle will be accepted October 7, 2024, through February 4, 2025.


 SUBMIT PROPOSAL

Please note: Submissions are accepted online only. You must have a SurveyMonkey Apply account to submit an application. Your NLN Member login is NOT valid. If you used the previous system, FluidReview, to make a submission, your username and password will remain the same; otherwise you will need to create an account.

Review Process

The NLN Nursing Education Research Grants review process is used. All proposals are submitted for blind review by carefully selected experts in nursing education research. The submitted Blind Review File is the file that is reviewed by these experts.  Recipients are selected through a peer review process using the following  NLN Grant Proposal Review Rubric (PDF). 

Letters of notification are sent to grant applicants no later than July 1st of each cycle.

Grant recipients are formally announced at NLN's Education Summit in even numbered years or at Sigma’s Biennial Convention in odd numbered years. Awardees are encouraged to attend.

For questions about the submission or review process, please contact research@nln.org or search the FAQs (PDF).