FNF Leadership Scholarship Programme

What the FNF Leadership Scholarship gives you

You get an 18-month leadership development programme for experienced nurses and midwives. It is run by the UK-based Florence Nightingale Foundation. For UK applicants, external partners pay for the place, so you have no direct scholarship fee. Your employer pays a contribution of GBP 1,500 (about EUR 1,750). The programme includes one-to-one coaching with psychometric assessments (personality and skills tests) and a personal mentor (an experienced guide who advises you). You also get a Welcome Day, a two-day residential leadership course run by Hart Ridge Consulting, and a three-day residential on presence and impact run by RADA Business, the training arm of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. On top of that, you run your own quality improvement project and get a personal budget for training you choose yourself. You are invited to the Florence Nightingale Commemorative Service at Westminster Abbey and to a closing celebration conference. You pay your own travel and any accommodation outside the set programme.

Who can apply

• Profession: You are a registered nurse or midwife. In the UK that means registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC); internationally, an equivalent registration.
• Role level: You work at NHS Agenda for Change Band 7 or above (a senior clinical or leadership grade), or in an equivalent role in the independent sector, the military or an international setting.
• Employer backing: Your employer supports your application in writing. UK employers also pay the GBP 1,500 (about EUR 1,750) contribution.
• Own funding for international applicants: You can apply from outside the UK, but sponsored places are not available for 2026-27. You must bring your own funding or a sponsor.
• Where you work: You can apply from all four UK nations or from abroad.

How to apply

You apply online. You give your work and training details, name a senior sponsor, provide your professional registration number, and submit a proposal for a quality improvement project. Applications are screened anonymously, so you may not name your employer in the long-answer sections. Shortlisted applicants attend a virtual interview. Applications for 2026-27 are closed; the 2027-28 round opens in autumn 2026.

How realistic are your chances?

This is a senior, well-known programme aimed at experienced nurses and midwives at Band 7 or above. The pool of applicants is therefore smaller than for open scholarships, but strong. A clear, well-argued improvement project proposal and solid employer backing are what set applicants apart. International applicants face the extra hurdle of arranging their own funding, since sponsored places are UK-only for this round.